Democratic will can loosen military’s grip

[webfact]

Democratic will can loosen military’s grip

By The Nation

 

 

Junta has spent past five years cementing its place in politics for decades to come, but election could change that destiny  

 

With the election date now official, it’s time for the military to withdraw from politics and return to their barracks. Those who seized power by force in 2014 must now hand that power back to voters and allow them to freely choose a new government that ends military rule.

 

Management of the nation’s economy and society is too sophisticated a task for soldiers whose expertise is limited to the field of combat. Any doubts on that point have long since been dispelled by the junta’s performance over the past five years.   

 

General Prayut Chan-o-cha, whose coup toppled the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014, likes to claim that his intervention established peace and stability while also protecting the cash cow of Thai tourism. He neglects to mention the rash incompetence of his deputy Prawit Wongsuwan, responsible for keeping millions of Chinese tourists away from Thai shores.

 

The coup nearly five years ago undoubtedly benefited the military. The Army, Navy and Air Force have been showered with extra firepower, from small arms to missiles, tanks, jet-fighters and submarines.

 

With the checks and balances out of the way, the procurement process has been opaque and apparently lacking in strategy.

 

Billions have been lavished on conventional weapons including tanks, warplanes and submarines at a time when other more developed states are preparing for growing unconventional threats.

 

The defence budget has increased sharply over the past decade since the 2006 coup, despite the absence of any clear external threat. Rather than reflecting the actual security situation, the budget hike is simply an indication of the fact that the military is in power.

 

Prayut also claims his junta took power to cleanse the country of corruption, yet none of the murky military procurement deals has been scrutinised in recent years.

 

Scandal-tainted projects such as the grounded airship and the fake GT200 bomb detectors have been whitewashed. Meanwhile the national anti-graft agency has cleared Prawit over his failure to declare a collection of luxury wristwatches, accepting his dubious story that it was borrowed from a friend who had since died.

 

The junta’s failures extend to the national reconciliation it pledged, which has been replaced instead with wide-ranging suppression of civil freedoms and human rights.

 

The junta-sponsored charter and organic laws were not designed to establish the rule of law, but simply for perpetuating the power of the generals and their cronies.

 

The charter and election law aim to weaken political parties and the elected government to come. The constitution effectively hands power to the junta’s handpicked Senate to install an unelected prime minister if elected parties fail to agree on a candidate.

 

Elections in countries where democracy is deeply rooted are the best platforms for political parties to contest their policies. But that principle will not apply in Thailand, where party policies must accord strictly with the junta’s 20-year national strategy.

 

No matter what policies they campaign on, winning parties that form the government must enforce the junta-dictated national strategy otherwise they can be impeached. In this light, as an exercise of the people’s will, the election is meaningless.

 

Sending the military back to barracks and correcting the mistakes made by the junta are two major challenges the parties should be campaigning on to win the people’s mandate.

 

Voters will expect the parties to produce clear policies on how to forge a professional Thai military that refrains from interfering in politics and respects civilian supremacy.

 

Coups and military regimes have never brought development for any democratic country. It’s time that the Thai people exercised their right to vote and wrested the democratic destiny of this country back from the arrogant and destructive rule of a self-serving military elite. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion//30363191

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-30

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

that ends military rule.

the threat of the military cements their role in this place; the cycle of coups will continue

[marcusarelus]

I guess the OP has never visited Singapore. 

[Longcut]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

soldiers whose expertise is limited to the field of combat

Not even that! When was the last time the Thai military was in actual combat? I am not talking about a skirmish with locals down south. I mean actual combat. 

[tifino]

3 minutes ago, Longcut said:

Not even that! When was the last time the Thai military was in actual combat? I am not talking about a skirmish with locals down south. I mean actual combat. 

Well... WW1; but technically they were known as Siam at the time...

 WW2 was a Claytons when the door was opened for the Rising Sun. Some Thai Naval  officer was actually  punished for shooting back with real ammo... when it was all planned to be just 'for show' 

[jayboy]

13 minutes ago, Longcut said:

Not even that! When was the last time the Thai military was in actual combat? I am not talking about a skirmish with locals down south. I mean actual combat. 

Last time was the Thai-Lao border war in 1988/89 which though minor was a humiliating defeat for the Thais.

 

But the point of the Thai army is not to fight wars but to maximize business opportunities, explore corruption options, interfere in politics and when necessary murder their own people. Defending the nation - not that Thailand has any enemies - is not high on the list of priorities.

[Emdog]

"Democratic will"? Perhaps in sense that the last will and testament is read after the funeral.

I always enjoy a laugh in the morning. other than looking at myself in the mirror.

[neeray]

39 minutes ago, jayboy said:

Last time was the Thai-Lao border war in 1988/89 which though minor was a humiliating defeat for the Thais.

 

But the point of the Thai army is not to fight wars but to maximize business opportunities, explore corruption options, interfere in politics and when necessary murder their own people. Defending the nation - not that Thailand has any enemies - is not high on the list of priorities.

Stated well, very, very well. Voted post of this thread (by me).

[yellowboat]

Nice article, three years late, but nice.  They did provide peace.  The usurped power from the people of Thailand.  Not the same thing.

[neeray]

4 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Nice article, three years late, but nice.  They did provide peace.  The usurped power from the people of Thailand.  Not the same thing.

In my traditional Western way of thinking, utilizing the army to stabilize a country is acceptable but to take over and run the country including rewriting the constitution and determining its direction for the next 20 years is completely undemocratic and unacceptable. And equally unacceptable and disgraceful is to (allegedly) rig an election to that army's benefit in order to appear legitimate.

Following is an example of how this can, and should, happen. Peace can be re-established but then get out !

 

The War Measures Act was a Government of Xxxxxx statute that allowed the government to assume sweeping emergency powers, stopping short of martial law, i.e. the military does not administer justice, which remains in the hands of the courts. ... In 1988, the War Measures Act was replaced by the Emergencies Act.

[Longcut]

1 hour ago, tifino said:

Well... WW1; but technically they were known as Siam at the time...

 WW2 was a Claytons when the door was opened for the Rising Sun. Some Thai Naval  officer was actually  punished for shooting back with real ammo... when it was all planned to be just 'for show' 

With all the medals these guys wear, you would think they won every Asian war ever, by themselves.

[Lupatria]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Democratic will can loosen military’s grip

With the level of "democratic will" or even the knowledge about democracy among the masses, they may as well tend to meditation or Yoga. For those in doubt- ask my neighbors.

[neeray]

7 minutes ago, Lupatria said:

With the level of "democratic will" or even the knowledge about democracy among the masses, they may as well tend to meditation or Yoga. For those in doubt- ask my neighbors.

I respect your words. But I am sensing the opposite from my contacts (even though one said "oh, we love that little man").

The vibe that I am getting is one of interest in change.

[PatOngo]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Democratic will can loosen military’s grip

Just as greed will tighten their grip! I think greed will top democracy!

[Lupatria]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Scandal-tainted projects such as the grounded airship and the fake GT200 bomb detectors have been whitewashed. Meanwhile the national anti-graft agency has cleared Prawit over his failure to declare a collection of luxury wristwatches, accepting his dubious story that it was borrowed from a friend who had since died.

For all those still searching for an explanation in this case, sometimes it is hidden in the ads.
The art of placing ads in website design to make a profound but subtle statement seems to be highly underappreciated. However here is another fine example of an artist who knows how to do the job. I like his/her work: 

[Eric Loh]

I only have one word for this article.

 

"AWESOME"

 

????✌️????

[klauskunkel]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

soldiers whose expertise is limited to the field of combat

They have a field for that? I wonder if one can visit it.

Probably have to pay 10 times the price of the ticket compared to a Thai.

[GarryP]

50 minutes ago, Longcut said:

With all the medals these guys wear, you would think they won every Asian war ever, by themselves.

Battle of the Bulge........ing ego.

[GarryP]

15 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

They have a field for that? I wonder if one can visit it.

Probably have to pay 10 times the price of the ticket compared to a Thai.

Actually it is a sandbox. They get all excited playing with their plastic soldiers and toy tanks. 

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, tifino said:

Well... WW1; but technically they were known as Siam at the time...

 WW2 was a Claytons when the door was opened for the Rising Sun. Some Thai Naval  officer was actually  punished for shooting back with real ammo... when it was all planned to be just 'for show' 

 

Franco-Thai War - Wikipedia

 

Military alliance with Japan (1941-1945)

 

Thailand in the Korean War - Wikipedia

 

Thailand in the Vietnam War - Wikipedia

 

 

 

[JAG]

2 hours ago, Longcut said:

Not even that! When was the last time the Thai military was in actual combat? I am not talking about a skirmish with locals down south. I mean actual combat. 

Well, there was a bit of a tussle up at the local barracks the other day, I hear.

 

They were queuing up to collect their new parachute wings ( they had all carried out the required number of jumps out of the back of a pickup truck) and the queue got a bit unruly apparently...

[klauskunkel]

The only recent combat experience were when they gang up on recruits and beat them to death, and the torturing of a couple of soi dogs.

[Enoon]

 

Military will not give up power until it is wrenched from their "cold, dead hands".

 

That cannot be done through pieces of paper in a ballot box.

 

It will never be done by "civil" means.

 

End of.

 

 

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

hand that power back to voters

One cannot "hand back" power to voters when power was never possessed by voters.

[marcusarelus]

2 hours ago, jayboy said:

Last time was the Thai-Lao border war in 1988/89 which though minor was a humiliating defeat for the Thais.

 

But the point of the Thai army is not to fight wars but to maximize business opportunities, explore corruption options, interfere in politics and when necessary murder their own people. Defending the nation - not that Thailand has any enemies - is not high on the list of priorities.

Wanna bet?  Was not the last time.  Try a bit more research.  Hint the countries below also sent troops to the conflict.

Australia – 5,500

New Zealand – 1,200

Thailand – 1,600

Brazil 

Canada 

Fiji 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy

United Kingdom

Also sent troops.

[scorecard]

Yep, some nice textbook stuff but lacking in solid effective reality on the ground.

[holy cow cm]

The 20 yr lock down plan. This is the key problem along with the 250 MP's they will have free.

Every time someone does something to change the plan, even writing a new draft, they are banished and probably arrested I would gather. The only means would be a gathering of the masses of everyone has had enough or maybe a plea to the King?

[jayboy]

34 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Wanna bet?  Was not the last time.  Try a bit more research.  Hint the countries below also sent troops to the conflict.

Australia – 5,500

New Zealand – 1,200

Thailand – 1,600

Brazil 

Canada 

Fiji 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy

United Kingdom

Also sent troops.

Maybe it's you that needs to do the research if you mean the Iraq War. The small Thai contingent was made up engineers and medical workers and was specifically excluded from combat duties - which was what the question I responded to was about.

 

Having said that it's only fair that I point out - with the benefit of personal knowledge from a former American army officer - that some Thai troops performed very well and courageously in Vietnam under American direction. My informant was however fairly contemptuous of the posturing and ineffective Thai officer corps.

[neeray]

2 minutes ago, jayboy said:

Maybe it's you that needs to do the research if you mean the Iraq War. The small Thai contingent was made up engineers and medical workers and was specifically excluded from combat duties - which was what the question I responded to was about.

 

Having said that it's only fair that I point out - with the benefit of personal knowledge from a former American army officer - that some Thai troops performed very well and courageously in Vietnam under American direction. My informant was however fairly contemptuous of the posturing and ineffective Thai officer corps.

I seem to recall the words "you're either with us or against us" in order to coerce some of these countries into supporting the Iraq war. Maybe at the time, it was deemed smarter by Thai authorities to be part of the "with" group.

 

BTW, did Prawit go to Iraq and fight, being the brave soldier that he is?

[Eric Loh]

4 hours ago, Longcut said:

Not even that! When was the last time the Thai military was in actual combat? I am not talking about a skirmish with locals down south. I mean actual combat. 

To be fair, the Thai army was involved in the Korean and Vietnam wars and fought alongside USA military. One notable battle in the Korean war was the Pork Chop Hill where Thai soldiers were awarded bravery medals by the US Army. In Vietnam, they were involved with fighting the Vietcong and suffered lots of casualties. That said, the Thai army in those years in the 50s and 60s were different from the current soft belly generals who more interested in fighting their own people and filling their bank accounts.