This time of crisis can be an opportunity for Kingdom

Each government, whether Abhisit’s or Thaksin’s, has focused only on the short term. No political party looks beyond its nose, because our problems require long-term vision and political courage. We say we are anti-corruption, yet no top politician has been jailed for that crime. Our education system is bottom-of-the-barrel, and trending downwards, yet we put on Band-Aids like tablets. We say we love our King – yet we studiously ignore his clearly stated wish for reform of the lese majeste laws. We preach the rule of law but each government renews the Emergency Decree placing authorities above the law. We say we are committed to democracy, yet the ironically named Democrats are now trying to evict the democratically elected government by mob pressure. Need I go on? 

The current political situation has galvanised civil society like never before, with academics, state enterprises, doctors, students, etc, becoming politically active and taking stands. We should build on them to identify the root causes of our problems, for example, the very wide gulf between rich and poor, and propose colour-free long-term solutions, following former prime minister Anand Panyarachun’s Seven Pillars of Sustainable Democracy – elections, political tolerance, rule of law, freedom of expression, accountability and transparency, decentralisation and civil society. 

Civil society, such as the Council of University Rectors, should take the lead in hosting the discussions, based on the Seven Pillars, with no topics being off-limits. The output should be solutions that focus on the long term and incorporate input from all quarters, emphasising win-win solutions, and are available for any colour to espouse or modify. 

We can turn crisis into opportunity, or go back to the old cycle of mob rule and self-serving policies. The choice is yours and mine, for we get the government we deserve.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok