Thai democracy no beauty, but it has its merits
Many letter writers regard democracy as it existed in Thailand before the coup as a sham. But can they name one country that possesses true democracy?
The fact is that all democracies are works in progress. Even though the Americans avowed “all men are created equal” in 1776 in the Declaration of Independence, it was not until 1865 that slavery was abolished, and it was not until 1920 that universal suffrage was achieved. American democracy still suffers from many malaises, not least of which are the outsized influence of lobbyists, the anachronistic electoral-college system that has seen presidents elected without receiving the most votes. The list goes on.
Many letter writers also regard vote-buying as a disease that must be cured before democracy can make its entrance. In all democracies, vote-buying and political patronage were among the growing pains. In 1849 the newly elected US president replaced 30 per cent of federal officials with his own people as a reward for their political loyalty. The political machines and patronage of New York (Tammany Hall) and Chicago (Mayor Richard Daley’s “Democratic machine”) survived into the 1960s and 1970s. Far from considering it a disease, many writers view such patronage as an early form of democracy, but with increasing affluence and political sophistication, such things eventually die out. This happened in Taiwan, where in 1993 votes were still being bought for the equivalent of US$10 each, but that practice has since largely disappeared.
Thai democracy would not win any beauty pageant, but give it time and it could turn out to be a beauty, coups and a fully appointed Senate notwithstanding.
Kemadist Chiaracharuwat
Bangkok
