Plaque marked end of absolute monarchy, not start of democracy

While the removal of the plaque placed in 1932 has some historical and historic significance, it has little to do with democracy. Replacing the absolute monarchy with a constitutional monarchy did not announce the democratisation of Thailand. In fact it removed one form of dictatorship while giving licence to another form of dictatorship.
John Adams in 1780 announced of the United States, “We are a government of laws, not of men.” Some 80 years later Abraham Lincoln declared, “Government of the people, for the people, by the people.” They were both referring to democracy, which Winston Churchill famously said is “the worst kind of government except for all the other forms that have been tried from time to time”.
Throughout its history, Thailand has tried all the other forms from time, but never democracy. In 1932 Thailand had the opportunity to act on the words of John Adams and Abraham Lincoln, but failed to do so. Instead suffrage was erroneously established as synonymous with democracy. Even to this day the electorate believes that a majority vote will automatically result in democracy. It does not and never will. The 1932 declaration led people to believe that the right to vote, in itself, is democracy. Democracy is a form of government, the right to vote is not.
All any prospective dictator has to do is attract the majority of votes by any means at their disposal. They can then be installed as the country’s “democratically elected” leader with licence to do exactly as they please without the constraints of democracy. Democracy can never be established until it is realised it is a system of government controlled by laws, not by people. 
After 20 coups d’etat and 20 constitutions nothing has changed. Continuing to do the same thing can only produce the same result, but was phantom democracy the original intention?
JC Wilcox