Justice must not only be done, but seen to be done in impeachment cases
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If the National Legislative Assembly decides to try and impeach Yingluck Shinawatra et al, it must be certain not only that justice is done, but that it is be seen to be done, even by her most devout devotees.
Otherwise those found guilty will be seen as martyrs, victims of “victor’s justice” – and our great divide will be greater than ever.
I suggest that it will be extremely difficult to impeach the defendants.
For starters, “a judge should not stand in judgement over a person whom he likes or dislikes”, as it says in the Talmud. Yet here we have the junta-appointed NLA deciding whether or not to impeach those whom the junta overthrew. Does that sound like an impartial body?
There are further problems. How do you remove a person from office when he or she no longer occupies any post? And guilt, if any, must be shown beyond reasonable doubt to hold up in a court of law.
But was she really in charge – or her brother? Even her party’s election posters trumpeted “Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts”. They didn’t invoke Yingluck.
Lastly, if Yingluck’s guilt is beyond reasonable doubt, it should be an easy matter to convince citizens that voting for her again would be ruinous for the country. This would render a ban from politics redundant.
The NLA should proceed only if it is sure that justice will be seen by all to be done.
Burin Kantabutra
Bangkok
