THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Referendum a test of Thailand’s maturity

Referendum a test of Thailand’s maturity

For more than two years people have been living under the current government, which seized power in a coup, eight years after a similar military intervention in politics.

As the country had decided to trod the path of democracy, a coup is totally seen unjustified and unacceptable.
With the passage of time, the ruling junta is under pressure from the public, which is increasingly dissatisfied with junta’s conduct, no matter what its justification.
“Following violent incidents which have erupted both in Bangkok and in several areas upcountry, resulting in innocent people getting killed and injured, and have escalated to the point that it can affect national security and public safety, the National Council for Peace and Order needs to take control of the situation as well as state power to ensure the situation will immediately return to normal, as well as national unity, and give a chance for major structural reform to bring equality to all,” declared General Prayut Cha-o-cha on May 22, 2014, shortly after the coup took place.
As people have come to terms with reality, there is widespread disenchantment with the coup, which is aggravated by the continued suppression of their rights by the powers-that-be.
However, merely fulminating against the coup is not going to resolve the underlying problems. What led us to this point? Political complications resulted from the deep-rooted problems concerning inequity in all aspects of society, something that has much to do with the principle of equality, rights, and liberty which fundamentally supports democracy.
Since it first experienced democracy 84 years ago, Thailand has been repeatedly sucked into internal turmoil which eventually ended in a coup at least 11 times, averaging one coup every eight years.
If democracy is already strong and well developed, why do we still end up with coups that destroy the very foundations of democracy, leaving us with the task of starting all over from scratch?
This may be the time for us all to evaluate our society and our politics so that we figure out what actually is going wrong and what changes we need to make.
This needs a holistic view that cannot be achieved without a true understanding of the real meaning of rights and liberty. This also means responsibility and respect for others’ rights and liberty, plus greater tolerance, something that seem to be absent amid the war of words in our politics.
To maintain the belief in democracy, fighting for our rights and liberty against the coup would be justified, but to achieve meaningful democracy what is required is we take action that vindicates our belief.
The current coup has taught us a crucial lesson, as it is about to lead us to a tougher test on the path towards democracy, with several elements in a draft charter, if it passes in a referendum on Sunday, posing a challenge to the democratic regime that would form the next government. Besides repeatedly demanding rights and liberty, what we also need is demonstrating our tolerance and respecting for the majority that will decide the country’s future. Our belief and our maturity as a nation are about to be put to the test.
Rights and liberty are precious, and worth upholding as long as we believe in democracy, as are tolerance and respect for the rights of others so that we achieve a meaningful democracy that will not leave anyone behind following a widening social and economic gap.
The question is, whether we are ready to prove we are mature and can move forward together. The referendum on Sunday will point the way forward.
 
 
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