A knight on a limping horse

 

One adjective my American friends like to use to describe the current Thai government is “coercive”. It sounds good to them: they need something self-righteous to say – no matter how gratuitous or ingenuous – against a military regime in a foreign country. But then, coming from a nation that produces Donald Trump as a presidential candidate and puts “birthers” on Capitol Hill, should we expect anything better?

We Thais can never be accused of lacking opinions. And walking together in one direction has never been among our dominant traits. Hence we do not take coercion well. That national characteristic of resistance is summed up in the old adage, “Following your own impulses is being a bona fide Thai”. 

Coercion is not something that Thais swallow easily. Editorials critical of the government are being published every single day here. Public protest is beginning to gather momentum, testing the authorities’ resolve to maintain law and order at any cost.

The government may have the all-encompassing Article 44 at its disposal, but enforcing it is a different matter. Prime Minister Prayut knows that such absolute authority has to be used judiciously, or else it could be worse than counterproductive and the you-know-what could hit the fan. After all, the country is not a barracks where disciple and orders are dutifully respected and followed. 

Thailand is a nation with multifaceted problems, some of which have been accumulating for a long while. Our dire political, economic and international plight calls to mind the monstrous many-headed Hydra of Greek mythology. When one head was cut off, it sprouted two more. 

The majority of the dwindling Thai middle class does not doubt the sincerity and honesty of the prime minister. It does not doubt his earnest intention of making meaningful changes for the people and the country. It even finds his straight-talking and irascibility refreshing. However, the majority of Thais are hurting – especially those upcountry who make their living in agriculture. The drought has not only parched our reservoirs, it has sucked dry the meagre savings of farmers, who are now living hand to mouth. If they cannot plant anything this growing season, how will they feed themselves next year? Even if rain patterns return to normal in 2016, the growers will have no financial wherewithal to buy seed to sow. The poor farmers have to buy new kernels each planting season because the seeds they buy from the country’s big agricultural conglomerates have been genetically modified not to reproduce.

Meanwhile the United States and the European Union have dangled the threat of sanctions and other penalties over Thailand for various reasons, ranging from deficient civil aviation standards to human trafficking to illegal fishing practices. Had the Thai government agreed to “consider” joining the Trans Pacific Partnership talks that the US is cheerleading, the big brother would have had second thoughts about whacking Thailand hard on the head. But as things stand, we have absolutely no leverage for leniency from the West.

And sanctions would pile more burdens onto people whose backs are already breaking under the effort to make ends meet. But such people are never the concern of major powers when it comes to imposing penalties. If sanctions can put pressure on a government they do not like, they are totally justified.

At the same time, our new “uncles” are beginning to show their true colours. While Thailand has little in the way of a road map to future development, our friends have quite a clear view of what they want from the Kingdom, though it would further their interests, not ours. We are a “friend with benefits”. But without the benefits, the friendship would vanish.

Yet we shouldn’t get carried away by the surge of US- and EU-bashing in the Thai social media. Nor should we blame our new friends for wanting more for themselves. In the real world of grown-ups, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And as a country we should realise we belong among the “grown-ups”, and we should behave accordingly.

Politically, the country is experiencing a fragile lull. The opposition factions are abiding by Napoleon Bonaparte’s maxim – “Never interfere with your enemy when he is making a mistake.” The prime minister’s anxiety and displays of anger reflect the feelings of the entire population. We are overtaking the United States as a “Prozac Nation”.

Despite the prime minister’s best intentions and efforts, the government is not operating efficiently. Many of those around him have larger-than-life egos. Believing they can do no wrong, they listen to no one. Others have their own political agendas that reach far beyond the present moment. Many of the rest are simply inadequate and inefficient.

Hence the prime minister was merely pointing out the truth when he said he was no knight on a white horse galloping elegantly towards a bright horizon. The road he is travelling is dark, lonely and treacherous. How he deals with the current challenge of his limping steed will determine his legacy and his place in history.

According to Greek mythology, only Hercules was able to slay the Hydra. If the prime minister were able to choose his horse, perhaps he could repeat that feat.