Time is ripe for a new Thai political movement

[webfact]

OPINION

Time is ripe for a new Thai political movement

By Atipong Pathanasethpong, 
John Draper 
Special to The Nation

 

Ultra-nationalism is resurgent across the globe, threatening us with a descent into the horrors of neo-Nazism. At the same time, environmental degradation is resulting in devastating weather conditions.

In Thailand, amid torrential flooding, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s coal ambitions and 20-year dream of a militarised state seem tailored to pull the country downward, following the very worst global trends rather than leading the region towards greater civilisation. The trends of ignoring the plight of ethnic communities and rejecting the principle of jointly caring for the global environment are connected: ultra-nationalists promote ethnocentrism above the common good and reject international solidarity in facing adversity.

 

Even as the United States’ rejection of science and withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement fuels the fires of global warming as the world suffers the worst hurricanes on record, Thailand’s military government is seemingly incapable of rapidly restructuring its energy sector for far cleaner energy production, via solar farming, solar rooftops, and small to medium solar plants. Even as President Donald Trump’s rhetoric fuels the flames of ethnic hatred, our own military regime all-but endorses the values of the Thai ultra-nationalist Rubbish Collection Organisation that dehumanises political opponents as “trash” to be targeted and “eliminated”.

 

Ultra-nationalists view domestic ethnic minority communities as adversaries of the state, and neighbouring countries as enemies rather than allies. They reject Asean’s founding principles of common values and cross-boundary cooperation in areas populated by the ethnic minorities of Thailand, such as the Lao of the Northeast, the Karen of the western border, the Malay of the deep South, and the Northern Khmer of the lower Northeast. Ultra-nationalists oppose the teaching of ethnic languages in the boundary areas, just as many US white supremacists oppose the teaching of any language other than English.

 

Nevertheless, there is hope for a better future. Though the Left may seem to be collapsing in Europe while Trump’s America flirts with neo-Nazism, the Centre holds. In France, Emmanuel Macron’s triumph over Marine le Pen was a victory of the Centre Left over the Far Right. In Germany Angela Merkel is moving her Christian Democratic Union party closer to the Centre. The Trump experiment and Brexit have been so clearly a mistake that they are now seen as textbook examples of political misdirection and outright lies. A majority of British voters now want a return to the EU before Britain has even left.

 

The Centre Left offers a way forward. The Centre Left stands for internationalism, human solidarity in adversity, cosmopolitanism and the concept of a global village regulated by human rights. It rejects the economic race to the bottom of unbridled “development” that, for example, has seen capital and factories move to China with no concern for the environment and in two decades shrouded Beijing in smog and polluted its waterways. Centre-Left principles are elements of a civilising mission in profound contrast to the savagery of neo-Nazism and a resource extraction model which devastates the environment and then moves on, seeking ever more territory.

 

The Project for a Social Democracy is working to create a Centre-Left Thai Foundation for Social Democracy. The Foundation will serve as a transparent marketplace for sharing and developing ideas and plans for a better Thailand. We advocate economic rights to reduce wealth inequality; social rights supporting LGBTQI individuals, women, the elderly, and the disabled; cultural rights for Thailand’s many ethnic groups; and a social safety net to ensure equitable opportunity for all. We believe that empowering these communities will empower them to respect our environment.

 

We invite Greens, socialists, unionists, and direct democracy and communitarian advocates to the kind of alliance not regularly formed outside of Western coalition governments. As part of such an alliance we hope to mobilise the dynamism of Thai youth, helping to heal the scars of the Thammasat University Massacre of October 1976 and to overcome the consequent disruption of normal political development. We envision a Thailand in which student politics is normal and where peaceful street protests are once again possible and meaningful. A Thailand in which basic civil and political rights are restored in communion with nature.

 

The Foundation will be the first step in gaining political power for those in need of such rights. It will be instrumental in building a Centre Left movement better representing Left ideologies than a post-Yingluck Pheu Thai is likely to do. As such a movement organises through the Foundation, from positing ideals to proposing costed policies, it will be seen even by the military and their ultra-nationalist supporters as serious and mature, rather than as the naive, populist, uneducated rabble that opposition parties are often characterised as. We will be guided by policies and principles resulting from discussions among dozens of pro-environment single-issue political parties. 

 

From such alliances we expect the emergence of a national Centre Left party offering a grand compromise of the kind which the UK and many of the Nordic Bloc countries underwent in the late 20th century and which transformed South Korea into an Asian Tiger. Core elements of the welfare state, wealth transfer, unionisation, and acceptance of economic, social and cultural rights would be married to political stability for environmentally sustainable economic growth far outperforming what can be obtained under the crisis-coup-constitution cycle. The party, once it becomes national and begins to gain seats in parliament, would begin to realise these policies.

 

Now is the time neither for frustrated striking out nor for indifferently waiting for our climate and politics to resolve themselves. It is time for acting politically for a human rights-based pro-green agenda by working towards a Foundation for a Social Democracy. We call for action before what will essentially be an election with only two polarised parties and the usual feudal machine politics dominated by a militarised upper House perpetuates the round of crises. Now is the time to lay the foundations of a cosmopolitan, internationalist, environmentally friendly Thailand.  

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30328489

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-10-05

[Somtamnication]

Not when the greens are around. 

[Samui Bodoh]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

it will be seen even by the military and their ultra-nationalist supporters as serious and mature, rather than as the naive, populist, uneducated rabble that opposition parties are often characterised as.

 

Somehow I don't think that these guys are a serious threat. Rather, they will be seen as un-serious, immature and as naive, over-educated rabble that most people without life experience are.

 

I read their 'manifesto' and several questions leap out at me;

Do you have any money?

Do you have a network of people/volunteers?

Do you have an effective social media presence?

Do you have a physical network of people in rural areas?

Do you have an office?

Do you have your own transportation?

Do you have practical experience in setting up a campaign?

 

I think it is great that there are people who are considering new involvement in politics and also considering what will happen in the post-coup era. However, I think there needs to be practical thinking in terms of the basics; how to publicize your message, how to get people to vote for you, how to register as a party, etc.

 

"A" for effort, but "F" for practicality.

 

[phantomfiddler]

I have a suggestion ! Why not call it "Thai Rak Farang" or T.R.F. for short :)

[yellowboat]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand’s military government is seemingly incapable of rapidly restructuring its energy sector for far cleaner energy production, via solar farming, solar rooftops, and small to medium solar plants.

Look at Thai landlords and how the gleefully add their own surcharge to your power bill.  Of course, the apartments A/C is a 20 year old rusting peace of crap that just gobbles up those kilowatt hours.  Thailand is a long way from any sort of efficiency.

[tigermoth]

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

Somehow I don't think that these guys are a serious threat. Rather, they will be seen as un-serious, immature and as naive, over-educated rabble that most people without life experience are.

 

I read their 'manifesto' and several questions leap out at me;

Do you have any money?

Do you have a network of people/volunteers?

Do you have an effective social media presence?

Do you have a physical network of people in rural areas?

Do you have an office?

Do you have your own transportation?

Do you have practical experience in setting up a campaign?

 

I think it is great that there are people who are considering new involvement in politics and also considering what will happen in the post-coup era. However, I think there needs to be practical thinking in terms of the basics; how to publicize your message, how to get people to vote for you, how to register as a party, etc.

 

"A" for effort, but "F" for practicality.

 

It has to start somewhere. Your attitude is just what the country doesn't need, a pathetic whining little person who expects someone else to do all the work.

[baboon]

2 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Not when the greens are around. 

End of story, really. Any movement which does not serve the reactionaries' interests first and foremost will be destroyed. 

[Denim]

2 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Not when the greens are around. 

Children often leave greens at the side of the plate ignoring possible benefits.

In politics , adults often do the same.

 

The time for the birth of a new center left party is gone.

That time was before the coup.

All those that participated in the destruction of a weak democracy must now get used to the idea that they are now impotent having willfully castrated themselves

.

The only new party to be born soon is going to be a military one which will manipulate an election result in the same way it manipulated an excuse for a coup.

[Samui Bodoh]

47 minutes ago, tigermoth said:

It has to start somewhere. Your attitude is just what the country doesn't need, a pathetic whining little person who expects someone else to do all the work.

 

Well, aren't you unpleasant!

 

You seem to have missed the point of my post.

 

Grand ideas are wonderful things, BUT if you don't have the means and methods to implement them, they are of no value.

 

 

[Thailand]

"The only new party to be born soon is going to be a military one which will manipulate an election result in the same way it manipulated an excuse for a coup."

 

The UTuu party seems the most likely to achieve those objectives.

 

 

 

[overherebc]

As soon as I see the words 'sustainable growth' I know the rest of it is crap.

Never has been such a thing, there isn't such a thing and there never will be.

[Eric Loh]

Really a cop-out article lacking the bravery to address the biggest woe of Thailand. Political movement can never evolved with the regular disruption of coups and constitutions. The successful countries of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and recently Philippines and Indonesia testified to that fact. People ability and freedom to express. opine and critique will influence political parties to adapt and change to meet electorate needs and aspirations. Time is never ripe for any meaningful political movement with the military's Sword of Damocles hanging over Thailand.      

[candide]

1 hour ago, baboon said:

End of story, really. Any movement which does not serve the reactionaries' interests first and foremost will be destroyed. 

Exactly. See how quickly and harshly they got rid of the New Democracy Movement. The last thing the army/amart wants to see is a party against which they cannot use the bogeyman rethoric.

[henry15]

The left destroyed the economy and  welfare i Europe and create sociale unrest by  importing  few million  fortune seekers and en give them social benifts that are even not available for theire own population. They are also responsibke for the Islamisation of Europe.   This cause the downfall of  socialists parties im Europe. In some countries like Belgium where they where they be part of  the governmemt for almost 40 years thet are almost non existence, not even 10% of the votes.

 

And the columist like to introduce  this leftist politics in Thailand. 

[jayboy]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Really a cop-out article lacking the bravery to address the biggest woe of Thailand. Political movement can never evolved with the regular disruption of coups and constitutions. The successful countries of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and recently Philippines and Indonesia testified to that fact. People ability and freedom to express. opine and critique will influence political parties to adapt and change to meet electorate needs and aspirations. Time is never ripe for any meaningful political movement with the military's Sword of Damocles hanging over Thailand.      

I agree.It is an astonishingly weak proposal, essentially glorified bar talk albeit propagated by people who are well intentioned if incurably naive.

 

It is stunning in what purports to be a serious proposal that there is nothing - that's right, nothing - about economic policy.As it happens Thailand has a dynamic and talented business sector.This should be encouraged and not over taxed.At the same time Thailand is one of the most unequal societies on earth and any serious political movement has to address this - again not even mentioned.Inevitably there must be an element of redistribution even if this just means greater government spending in the necessary places.

 

 

[natway09]

No Thank you,,, thankless task  !!!!!!!!

[Joebuzz]

8 hours ago, tigermoth said:

It has to start somewhere. Your attitude is just what the country doesn't need, a pathetic whining little person who expects someone else to do all the work.

ROTFLMFAO ! ! !  What have you been smokin'?  Do you actually think that ANY EDUCATED THAI cares what a farang thinks?  The only thing that will change is you growing old waiting for Thailand to wake up.

[tryasimight]

Love that lefty term "Wealth transfer"...tax the crap out of people who want to get on in life through hard work and education and give it to the bludgers, 

Create the working poor class that we see in the US and Australia that used to be the middle class..

[Ruffian Dick]

12 hours ago, overherebc said:

As soon as I see the words 'sustainable growth' I know the rest of it is crap.

Never has been such a thing, there isn't such a thing and there never will be.

Unless it includes space colonization, the term is an oxymoron.