John Funston, Executive Director of the National Thai studies Centre at The Australian National University, writes in Asian Analysis about the state of the “transition” to democracy in Thailand. His article – “Whither Democracy” (not “Wither Democracy”) – maintains a favourable leaning towards the democratic credentials of the coup but argues that it is “imperative that the CNS move soon to shore up its commitment to democracy, or risk uniting opposition against it.” Yes, that’s right – the coup leaders are committed to democracy. In a nice slip, the article mentions the readiness of many in Thailand to give the “coup leaders the benefit or the doubt.” I’ll stick with the doubt.
But perhaps a bit less doubt for Sydney Morning Herald journalist Connie Levett, who seems very taken with junta-appointed PM, Surayud, after his address to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club gala dinner:
The man so well equipped to lead Thailand back to democracy and greater unity is an old soldier, albeit one always opposed to military interference in politics. He says he twice turned down the request of the coup leader, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, that, he, Mr Surayud, lead the nation. The challenge for Thailand, when Mr Surayud’s year is up, may be to find a politician with as much integrity and as little ego to carry on the job.
4 responses so far ↓
1 nganadeeleg // Nov 12, 2006 at 9:20 am
Here we go again – democracy is great, hallelujah.
Someone like Surayud would probably be unelectable the way ‘democracy’ works today – too much integrity and too little ego to be elected.
Why cant you face it, Andrew, the country needed to be rid of Thaksin.
OK so the process was not democratic, but what makes you think democracy was so great under Thaksin?
l
2 polo // Nov 12, 2006 at 9:41 am
Funston: another bunch of crap that “this coup was different”. Just because some aging, glossy-eyed and tired liberals like Thirayut, Kraisak and Khien went along doesn’t make it any different than all the other pro monarchy coups: I bet each time you could find some “democracy advocate” saying,”‘well, things were getting chaotic and impossible and so its for the better”.
They call for “rule of law” but won’t fight for it over the long term through courts and elections. How can you establish rule of law if every time you have a coup which suspends the rule of law and sends you back to zero? How can you advance rule of law if you don’t work at it, and just give up and ask the military to destroy rule of law?
Funston is ridiculous: the military could not have just amended the existing constitution because the existing constitution made it illegal to overthrow the government and the constitution. You have to eliminate rule of law to have a coup.
And that’s why every coup is the same, whatever the public view. Indeed, coups are mostly bloodless because the army agitprop operations help create chaos and push the public against the government. Who was putting all that crap out on the internet and other media that Taksin was plotting to overthrow the monarchy? That wasn’t a handful of silly cranks.
Different coup indeed. Only thing different is it seems to have snowed a few more Oz academics.
3 sudseng // Nov 12, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I agree with polo ’s comment.
4 James Haughton // Nov 14, 2006 at 3:47 pm
I gather from the Bangkok Post that the generals have now begun appointing themselves to potentially lucrative SOE board positions. Very back to the eighties. But it’s ok, because soldiers aren’t interested in business, they think only of the nation…
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