Who will check the coup-makers?

Songdej said that democracy in the US is hundreds of years old and is therefore well entrenched, while ours only began in 1932. He seems to imply that democracy in the US is well entrenched because of its age, but there was no coup in the US even when its democracy was nascent. And how do you explain that India has been an uninterrupted democracy since her independence. I could only explain these facts by the mindset of some people. If we think that coups are welcomed as regime-changers in a democracy, if we think that coups are a necessary part and parcel of our political life, then I think we are cursed to a perpetual, nauseating loop of instant replays.

No, Khun Songdej, there must not be an “if” to democracy. We must be totally committed to it, heart and soul. To cooperate with a coup-maker is to make a Faustian pact. There is a clear moral hazard to thinking that as long as the deed is done we might as well make the best of it.

Songdej wrote of the Army as the “last-resort check” on those in power. The true “last-resort check” must always be the ballot box. Trust the people. Have faith in their ability to decide what is best for themselves. Any institution that professes to look after the people’s interest must be asked: “Why not let the people decide?” And another question must also be asked: Who is the last-resort check to the coup-maker? The armed forces have an honourable and important role as the protector of our nation against foreign aggression, but involvement in a coup should never be part of their mandate.

Kemadist Chiaracharuwat 

Bangkok