THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

The right to vote alone is not democracy

The right to vote alone is not democracy

There is an old saying that continually doing the same thing and expecting a different result is a symptom of mental illness.

Thailand will on Sunday be released from junta rule after its 20th coup d’etat since 1932, when the monarchy changed from absolute to constitutional and people were given the vote. This most recent coup was brought about by a lack of accountability among those in power and a lack of law enforcement, causing the military to take control. In other words the ongoing lack of democracy caused military intervention.
So now we are back to square one, allowing people to determine their future governance by exercising their right to vote. But has anything changed from five years ago or are we doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome? 
The right to vote is a privilege allowed within a democracy. Arranging a further election without establishing democracy will only lead to the usual result where the government remains unaccountable to the law and free from law enforcement.
If democracy has not been established, then we could be heading for the 21st coup d’etat in about four years’ time. Time will tell.
JC Wilcox

nationthailand