When the hubbub dies down, how will history judge Suthep?

Until November 2013 Thailand was resigned to the belief that the right to vote, awarded in 1932, constituted democracy. In those 81 years the country experienced 18 coups d’etat.

The most recent election resulted in a totally undemocratic government formed of nepotism and cronyism with the single policy of self-interest.

In an act of considerable patriotism, Suthep Thaugsuban challenged this situation. He faced a partisan police force and government supporters armed with rocket-propelled grenades and much military hardware. He placed his life at risk. Encouraged by his leadership, supporters of his drive for reform travelled from the corners of the nation to protest in their capital city. They lived and slept on the streets but they shared a common cause: King and country.

Hounded by the government’s police force and government supporters, they suffered brutal treatment and sometimes lethal attacks. But driven by their love of their King and their country, their resolve never faltered. Their objective was to rid the country of a dictatorial regime led by one family. Their placards read, “We want accountability” and “We want reform”.

This regime was the result of the right to vote.

Suthep Thaugsuban now faces the world once again following his self-imposed time in the monkhood. There is still a long way to go, but perhaps only history will recognise him as the man who opened the gates to true democracy in Thailand.

JC Wilcox