Hanging by a thread...

Are any of you out there watching or reading the international news? I know Thailand is not exactly a major player in U.S. policy making, and the results of an election here don't mean squat in North America, or the E.U.... or do they?

Thailand's fledgling democracy is dangling precariously at the moment. It's a parliametary system as I've noted in previous blogs, and a Constitutional Monarchy. The current royal dynasty - the Chakri - came into power the same year the USA was recognized officially as a nation by England in 1782 if I recall correctly. The current king, HRM King Bhumipol Adulyadej, is the 9th king in the line, and the great-great-great-grandson of King Rama IV who is the main character in the story The King and I, and Anna and the King. He's been on the throne since WWII is a model of benevolence and care - the way a monarch should be.... but I digress.

The current government in power in Thailand right now (Thai Raak Thai) was founded and is led by Thailand's richest man, Thaksin Shinawatra, who also happens to be the incumbent Prime Minister. (his wife is now the 2nd richest, his son is the 3rd richest, his daughter... etc.)

This story is so long I don't even know where to begin. Here's a guy who believes that just because he was elected 1 year ago by a majority (who cares what size the majority was) he no longer has to listen to the people.

This whole government (TRT) is so full of it's own self-importance, they actually cancelled a public greivance meeting scheduled with various community leaders and made a broadcast statement that they didn't need to listen to the people anymore because the people already elected them and thus trusted them to govern without interference.

This government actually made public statements that people should be happy with what they have and not seek to attain more than their current station in life. This made by the PM who is not only rich, he's a SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE. So what does he care if someone else is dirt poor, or uneducated? Good heavens, lets not educate the general masses, then they might actually start paying attention to what's happening!

When the first anti-government groups started protesting on TV, the station's broadcasting began experiencing technical difficulties.
When newspapers began reporting on the protests and being critical of government performance and policy, they were threatened by those in power with the removal of advertising revenue from the companies owned or influenced by those in power.
When people first began protesting in public locations like parks they Thaksin called them rabble-rousers full of lies .
When students from the major universities joined the protests, Thaksin called them "stupid".
When the numbers of protesters swarmed to between 100k and 200k people this month, Thaksin said he would not bow down since he was elected by a majority.
When the 200k people marched to Government House (the capitol office), Thaksin dissolved parliament, declared a snap election set for 2 April 2006, and left town to go somewhere he still has supporters.

So far, 300 candidates have been disqualified from running in the 2 April election, many of them will be prosecuted for a number of illegal activities such as forged party membership documents, falsified dating of party membership documents, etc. Some of them are even being charged for being payed by the incumbent party (TRT) to run against them in the local district so TRT could show they won against a properly registered opponent, thus strengthening their contention that the majority elected them.

See, the problem is, all the other major political parties have united in opposition against TRT, and have declared they will boycott the 2 April election date. TRT must win a minimum of 20% of the registered vote in any district where they do not have a registered opponent. And it's doubtfull they can get that. Also, without a minimum of 500 ministers elected, the winning party can not form a government, and with the rejection of the 300 I mention previously, TRT is far short of the target.

So there we are: A despot in democrats clothes, A government that doesn't listed to the people they are supposed to work for, and an election that may not be able to occur because there aren't enough candidates with the opposition boycotting.

It's uncharted territory. How do you maintain a democracy without democratic process? Is it democratic for the people who elected an official require that same official to step down? Is it not an elected official's job to represent the people? Well, yes and no.

You see, the prime minister doesn't represent the people in a parliamentary system. He represents his party. He was not elected by the people, he was elected by his party. There's no ballot selection for Prime Minister. In parliamentary sytems the people elect the ministers/senators, the ministers then elect the PM as a "First among equals". But Thaksin has such a stranglehold on the party he founded there is no way any of them would ever go against his wishes, and Thaksin is hanging on, tooth-and-nail, to the power he so craves.

I believe he started with the best of intentions, but he used his position and influence to enrich himself and his family at the expense of his nation and people, was and is unrepentant, and THAT is most decidedly not the democratic ideal we all seek.