NCPO legacy will compromise human rights policies: analysts

[webfact]

NCPO legacy will compromise human rights policies: analysts

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation

 

File photo

 

Ensuring human rights protection and social justice will remain a big challenge for the next democratic administration due to the 20-year national strategy created by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and its other legacies in the form of the Constitution and laws, analysts warn.

 

Though some political parties have included human-rights protection and policies for advancement of social justice in their election campaign, they will encounter obstacles, said academics and top human rights campaigners. They said that even if these champions of human rights wer to get elected and successfully form a new government, they would find the administrative structure created by the NCPO blocking any real implementation of their policies. 

 

Assoc Professor Gothom Arya of Mahidol University’s Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies said Thailand still has a long way to go for its human rights and social justice standards. Even though the country will soon have a democratically elected administration, the situation related to human rights protection and social justice is unlikely to improve much. 

 

“From my observation of election campaigns, human rights and social justice promotion are not really incorporated into mainstream political debate yet, as most political parties are still fighting to win public approval by using populist economic policies,” he noted.

 

“This relatively weak political will on human rights and social justice in mainstream politics is a product of a conservative patronage culture and it will not provide a supportive atmosphere for the promotion of human rights.”

 

 

He said that though there were some new progressive political parties actively promoting human-rights protection in their campaigns, he predicted they will encounter difficulties in implementing these policies.

 

He explained that this was because the junta has laid down many blocks in the country’s administrative structure that will allow them to continue to have an influence over the future administration and force the new government to stay on the NCPO’s preferred path.

 

“One of the most prominent mechanisms that will force the new government to continue the governing style of the NCPO is the national strategy. The new government is obligated to follow the 20-year national strategy, drafted by NCPO-appointed panels,” he said.

 

“The new government will also be heavily influenced by the group of senators directly selected by the junta. So, whatever plan the new government has for improving human- rights protection and social justice is unlikely to be pushed forward smoothly.”

 

 

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher on Thailand for Human Rights Watch, said it was not about how good the human-rights promotion policies were, but the administrative structure that would allow the junta to keep a hold on power and allow them to violate human rights even after the election. This will deter the situation of human rights and social justice in Thailand for years to come.

 

“The current Constitution, which was drafted by an NCPO-appointed committee, will enable every NCPO order to be effective even after we have a newly elected government and allow many oppressive and harmful orders to continue violating the rights of the people,” Sunai said.

 

“The only way we can avoid this unfortunate future is to let the political parties join forces and overthrow all the legacies of the NCPO, so we can really have a fresh start for the country’s advancement towards a just and free society.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366123

 

 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-20

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“The only way we can avoid this unfortunate future is to let the political parties join forces and overthrow all the legacies of the NCPO, so we can really have a fresh start for the country’s advancement towards a just and free society.”

ouch; dismal future then, the major thai political forces will never join each other; they want the exact opposite

[chainarong]

The National Council for Peace and order may in the long term regret the terminology, Peace and order.

[Lupatria]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

will compromise human rights policies

Newspeak gets weirder every day.

[Lungstib]

After feeling the need to resurface very few years, remove politicians, shoot some demonstrators and continue in a way that suits their interests, the military have now laid down a long term plan that avoids all those messy things. So, disappearing people, torture, free speech and most regular features of human rights can be swept off into the distant future. Truly amazing, even more so when you consider the public have no choice. And if you do voice a complaint they have made more laws to ensure your arrest for defiance.

[neeray]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“The only way we can avoid this unfortunate future is to let the political parties join forces and overthrow all the legacies of the NCPO, so we can really have a fresh start for the country’s advancement towards a just and free society.”

Saving the best until the last.

 

This last paragraph is the most meaningful to me in the entire article.

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

let the political parties join forces and overthrow all the legacies of the NCPO

That will require an overthrow of the 2017 Constitution provisions that embed the NCPO legacies.

• Never been a problem for the military - it just abolishes constitutions with legal "concurrence."

What are the solutions for the Thai Electorate who do not really own sovereignty of their nation, ie., through democratic representation?

NCPO legacies are not only contained in the 20-year National Strategy but also within all the agencies that supposedly serve as a check & balance to prevention of government abuses, ie.,  vis-à-vis appointment of members.

Thailand's middle class income trap is nothing compared to the Thai People's trap of rights and liberties.

 

[holy cow cm]

Sorry. decided to delete.

[hotchilli]

As Trump would say... "time to drain the swamp"

[Eligius]

The junta's 'legacy' (in reality - continuation of power) compromising human and civil rights?! No way!!!

The junta has been the best thing that could happen to individual liberty, human rights, human dignity, freedom of expression and enhancement of creative and analytical thinking.

 

I don't know why every country in the world does not have a military junta!