THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Core demand of student protesters is simple: a better future for Thailand

Core demand of student protesters is simple: a better future for Thailand

Nationwide student-led political rallies have become an important national issue, generating headlines and drawing loud support from the liberal section of Thai society against often louder condemnation by conservatives.

However, few people have sought to really understand the students’ point of view or examine what it is they want to be free of.
The several thousand demonstrators who gathered at Democracy Monument in Bangkok on Sunday (August 16) proved how serious young people are about the political condition of their country.
It is undeniable that their voices are becoming louder and more important.
Yet the young demonstrators are also being attacked by older members of society who call them politically naïve or “brainwashed”.
“We are angry, and cannot bear this situation anymore”, said Wimolrat, a participant in Sunday’s protest, when asked about the political view among teenagers.
Three years ago she had no interest in politics, seeing it as something far away from her daily life, she explained.
The turning point for this young woman was political information she found on social media channels. This raised questions in her mind and desire to learn more about politics.
However, she confessed that she was not an expert in political matters, and had to ask her friend about issues sometimes.
“After I absorbed the political facts, I realised that numerous problems are hidden under the carpet in this country, despite the peaceful surface,” she said. “It is time to change. Although we are young, our voices are precious.”
Bella, another participant on Sunday, said she joined to be a part of history since the protest showed the
democratic right of people to speak out when they were dissatisfied with the government and their welfare.
Others attending the rally said it had increased their thirst for knowledge.
Among them was Burisin, who admitted to being a novice in political matters. However, issues raised at the rally had stimulated her desire to know more.
“I contacted my friends and asked them for sources of information about October 14, 1973” she said, referring to the student uprising that toppled Thanom Kittikachorn’s military dictatorship.
When youths were asked what they wanted from adults by a Children's Day national survey this year, youngsters said they want adults to listen and understand them more, improve their own behaviour and the education system, hand more authority to the younger generation, and clean up politics.
However, upgrading education, public utilities and transportation was higher on their list of priorities than politics and the economy.
Official data for 2019 shows Thailand had 7,336,865 young people aged between 18 and 25. Yet, Thailand is also one of the world’s most rapidly ageing societies, with the number of people aged 60 or over expected to double in the next 30 years.
“Adults say I am wrong to ask them questions – so the first thing that they have to do is listen to my voice,” said 23-year-old graduate Chadaporn, when asked for her opinions on age and politics at Sunday’s rally.
She believes that adults’ move to prevent youngsters from participating in politics was a response to their memories of past violence at protests in 2010 or crackdowns on demonstrations in 2014.
Meanwhile fellow protester Alinlada said every voice she heard was calling for one thing, a better quality of life.
"The democracy we want must deliver better life quality for us, so that they [adults] no longer have to ask why we have to suffer these conditions," she said.
She cited infrastructure such as footpaths, which can be found only in cities even though everyone paid taxes on their income or goods.
"Bangkok is the most prosperous city in the country, so why do we have to wait hours for buses," she asked. "This is why we know the government has not tried to improve public transportation, even though it campaigns for us to use public vehicles."
She pointed out that while ideology cannot be improved, democracy certainly can, adding that strong democracy can be used to monitor government transparency on spending taxes because the benefit will return to people in the end.
"What we want from this rally is democracy that really benefits people, because if it remains the same, the problems will persist and become harder to solve," she added.

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