Scourge of the Shinawatras? Yes. Democracy trailblazer? Let's see
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JC Wilcox's lauding of Suthep as "the man who opened the gates to true democracy in Thailand" was an overstatement.
It would turn stomachs in the United States and European Union, which pride themselves on being truly democratic. In their view, Suthep was instrumental in events that led to the military overthrow of a legitimate government and its replacement with an unelected regime.
Suthep certainly acted with courage, after a certain family pushed its luck in Parliament in a bid to secure the legal repatriation of one of its members. Without his heroic action, that family would have remained in power for life. Suthep should go down in history as the man who brought about that family’s downfall and shed light on the murky politics of nepotism and cronyism via populist policies. The march he led from Samsen Railway Station was the beginning of the end for that family. The rest was history. Did that beginning mark the start of the path to true democracy for Thailand? That will remain a contentious point forever.
Songdej Praditsmanont
