Abhisit warns against 'Thai-ism democracy’ notion being excuse to neglect universal democratic value

After the general election, if MPs were able to select a prime minister as stipulated in the 2017 charter, the Senate should not exploit its power to reverse such a resolution, Abhisit insisted.
The term ‘Thai-ism democracy’ should not be a justification for “such an undemocratic act”, he said during his TV show “Tong Tam” (Must Ask).
“We’ll have to ask him [Prayut] how the Senate is more Thai than the election [wishes] of the Thai people,” he said. “If they refer to the Constitution, then I have to say that the canon and democracy are different stories. Undemocratic countries also have a constitution.”
The former premier’s remarks came after junta head and prime minister Prayut had said on National Children’s Day that the country would have democracy but it must be “Thai-ism”, or a Thai-styled democracy.
Abhisit said he had no idea what Thai-ism democracy was, and cautioned the PM to be careful that it might not end up generating a common recognition.
“Be careful about where the Thainess in this Thai-ism democracy is. What exactly constitutes Thainess?” he said during the TV show. “Now, there’s probably one way to explain it; anything that is not international is Thai.”
Abhisit also said he understood the necessity for the adaptation of a political system to fit a society and culture, but it should not be an excuse to neglect its very foundation while maintaining the term ‘democracy’, which sounds fit for the international norm.
The Democrat politician also referred back to the era when General Prem Tinsulanonda was prime minister.
Thailand was then under a so-called ‘semi-democratic regime’, but Abhisit said that at least it was straightforward.
“They accepted it was half democracy and half not,” he said. “You can’t say it is fully democratic when it isn’t.”