Time for the military to withdraw

[webfact]

Time for the military to withdraw

By The Nation

 

 

Thailand has swapped rule of the bullet for rule by ballot  – the Army must respect civilian supremacy 
 

The furious horse-trading now underway following Sunday’s election leaves the military with a stark choice: join the scramble for power, or act like a professional army and butt out of the civilian democratic process.

 

Plainly, the junta will exhaust all means to extend its rule through its electoral wing, Phalang Pracharat, despite winning fewer seats than the opposition Pheu Thai.

 

Phalang Pracharat appears to have won the popular vote, but this gives it neither legitimacy nor a mandate to form the new government. Under the current parliamentary system, only the number of seats won in the House of Representatives matters.

 

Prior to the election Phalang Pracharat exploited its junta links to coax parties to join its camp. But its failure to win a simple majority in the lower house means wooing partners will now become more difficult. 

 

While the junta-sponsored charter stipulates that agreement by more than half of the Senate and House of Representatives combined is needed to install a new prime minister, his or her government would need a simple majority in the lower house alone to support the administration.

 

To hoist General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who staged a military coup to seize power in 2014, into the prime minister’s post, the junta needs only 126 votes in the lower house since it will already have 250 hand-picked senators in its pocket.

 

In contrast, if Pheu Thai, whose election win gives it the legitimacy to form a government, wants its candidate to become PM, the party needs to collect at least 376 votes from both houses.

 

Unless the anti-junta camp gets unexpected backing from some senators, it needs almost all parties in Parliament (minus Phalang Pracharat) to support its proposal. That scenario is possible only if the military remains neutral.

 

For the past five years, military top brass have lent the full weight of their support to the junta, whose leaders are effectively their supervisors and commanders. Senior military officers occupy powerful positions in the ruling structure of the junta, known formally as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), and in the national strategic committee. And, of course, they will be picked in significant numbers for the Senate.

 

Prayut’s deputy Prawit Wongsuwan has the authority to handpick the senators and has said he will not select anyone he cannot command.

 

Though the junta has co-opted the military to support its rule, it can no longer claim the Army has a legitimate place in politics. General Prayut is unpopular across large swathes of the country while his deputy Prawit declined to run for election after his high-profile luxury watch saga. The two generals have no right to call on the military for political support.

 

Army chief Apirat Kongsompong made a mistake just prior to the election by siding with the junta. He betrayed a lack of professionalism and abject failure to respect the voice of the people when he let anger over a proposal to cut the defence budget get the better of him. His outburst cleared any doubt about the military’s lack of neutrality in politics.

 

However, the people have cast their ballots, and the civilised world does not accept the legitimacy of the bullet. It’s time for the Thai military to do its duty and act with professionalism, respecting the principle of civilian supremacy. This is what the military in a modern state is supposed to do.

 

For nearly a century, the Thai military has maintained an appalling reputation for political intervention. The result has been a vicious circle of election and coup. The 2014 coup led by General Prayut brought nothing good for the country. This fact along with Sunday’s election results should be enough to convince most neutral observers that Prayut should step aside from politics. Military chiefs should say goodbye to their former boss and return to barracks. He simply has no electoral legitimacy to continue in a post he initially seized by force.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30366613

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-27

[Somtamnication]

It ain't gonna happen. This quasi-democracy has about 50 more years of breast milk before being weaned.

[Odysseus123]

Amazing stuff...

 

Full credit to the writer and the editor who let it thru.

[Thaiwrath]

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

The 2014 coup led by General Prayut brought nothing good for the country. This fact along with Sunday’s election results should be enough to convince most neutral observers that Prayut should step aside from politics. Military chiefs should say goodbye to their former boss and return to barracks. He simply has no electoral legitimacy to continue in a post he initially seized by force.

 

!00% true, but I am sure the despot will not take a blind bit of notice.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Thaiwrath

[dcnx]

Withdrawal? 

 

The screwing has just begun.

[Oziex1]

The reality of course is Prayut is a nobody, a puppet for the true evil. 

Edited March 26, 2019 by Oziex1

[steven100]

34 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Amazing stuff...

 

Full credit to the writer and the editor who let it thru.

What a load of nonsense .... typical Nation editorial.

[steven100]

10 minutes ago, Oziex1 said:

The reality of course is Prayut is a nobody, a puppet for the true evil. 

Obviously the majority of Thailand think different to that of yourself.

Suffice to say I believe you couldn't hold a candle to him.

[gunderhill]

7 minutes ago, steven100 said:

the majority of Thailand

Really!

[steven100]

1 minute ago, gunderhill said:

Really!

According to Sunday's election result ...  although not yet fully finalized.

[gunderhill]

24 minutes ago, steven100 said:

According to Sunday's election result ...  although not yet fully finalized.

Thankfully  no vote  buying then.

Or stacked  deck, not  just stacked   but leaning heavily.

Edited March 26, 2019 by gunderhill

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

the Army must respect civilian supremacy 

not in any thailand that i know

[Lungstib]

As stated by YetAnother, history will tell you the military does not respect civilian authority. They will shoot people on the street if they think its necessary, hold off a few years if they think its needed and remove another govt when it suits them. Anyone who thinks Thaksin just doesn't know when he is finished would do well to consider that the army has been at this since the 1930's.

[NCC1701A]

so they block the BBC and other external news sources when they report unfavorably about Thailand but this article is OK?

[nong38]

Until the next time then, I would have hopped that they would have grown out of coups by now, surely 12 goes and it has not changed things might just have rung a bell, the political parties have to find their own way and learn from their mistakes. The military should now return to barracks and serve the people not dominate them.

[Lupatria]

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

not in any thailand that i know

[Artisi]

5 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Amazing stuff...

 

Full credit to the writer and the editor who let it thru.

That's is due to there being a likely change of direction. 

[Khun Paul]

Asking the military to withdraw is like asking the RTP to stop being corrupt, NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN !! 

[Anagami]

5 hours ago, Oziex1 said:

The reality of course is Prayut is a nobody, a puppet for the true evil. 

How dare you question our great, 100% democratically-elected leader.

[VintageTQ]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

Obviously the majority of Thailand think different to that of yourself.

Suffice to say I believe you couldn't hold a candle to him.

 

Majority of Thailand?? PPRP received 7.7 million votes out of a population of over 60 million. They didn't even receive a majority of the votes cast. Maths not your strong point?

Edited March 27, 2019 by VintageTQ

[pornprong]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

Obviously the majority of Thailand think different to that of yourself.

Suffice to say I believe you couldn't hold a candle to him.

Majority

noun

1. 1. 

   the greater number.

   "in the majority of cases all will go smoothly"

7,939,937 is not a greater number than 33,353,459

 

137 (Pheu Thai) seats is greater than 97 seats (Palang Pracharat)

137 (Pheu Thai) is greater than 118 (Palang Pracharat with added party list seats)

 

Other points worth noting:

 

1. Pheu Thai only contested 250 out of 350 constituencies, had they contested all 350 they would have beaten the junta by over a million votes - but the cost would have been the loss of a significant number of the 57 party list seats now with Future Forward.

2. Pheu Thai was awarded ZERO party list seats - this exposes the reason why the junta reduced the constituencies from 400 down to 350 and increases party list seats from 100 to 150 in their gerrymandered constitution.

 

The majority of the Thais clearly don't want a continuation of military rule, however, it must be acknowledged that a significant minority of Thais DO want a continuation of military rule.

 

Cue 12 to 18 months of chaos before we are all welcoming General Prime Minister Apirat.

 

[Benmart]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

What a load of nonsense .... typical Nation editorial.

Please elaborate point by point. Otherwise, your statement lacks merit.

[billd766]

5 hours ago, Lungstib said:

As stated by YetAnother, history will tell you the military does not respect civilian authority. They will shoot people on the street if they think its necessary, hold off a few years if they think its needed and remove another govt when it suits them. Anyone who thinks Thaksin just doesn't know when he is finished would do well to consider that the army has been at this since the 1930's.

And they don't seem to have got it right yet.

[Golden Triangle]

9 hours ago, steven100 said:

What a load of nonsense .... typical Nation editorial.

 

Along with all your other asinine posts,

 

You've stopped taking your Meds again haven't you ?

[steven100]

 

3 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

Along with all your other asinine posts,

 

You've stopped taking your Meds again haven't you ?

lol ... Thailand is what it is. It is governed by the Junta and Khun Prayut is in charge.

You can't change that and I can't change that so what's the point in whinging about it over and over as some TV keyboard warriors seem to do.  If one doesn't like the place they are in then there is only one answer .....  leave. 

[Captain_Bob]

Kind of lost me at the end: 

"It’s time for the Thai military to do its duty and act with professionalism, respecting the principle of civilian supremacy. This is what the military in a modern state is supposed to do." 

This "election" proves once again LOS is not yet "modern", while Prayut and his fellow dinosaurs have spent the past 5 years ensuring it stays that way. Keep them dumb, keep them scared, keep them obedient. Animal Farm anyone? 

[Golden Triangle]

37 minutes ago, steven100 said:

 

lol ... Thailand is what it is. It is governed by the Junta and Khun Prayut is in charge.

You can't change that and I can't change that so what's the point in whinging about it over and over as some TV keyboard warriors seem to do.  If one doesn't like the place they are in then there is only one answer .....  leave. 

What you don't seem to be able to grasp is the fact that the political scene is changing, and changing quickly, the junta will do all in their power to stay in control, and if that means drumming up false, ludicrous & downright dirty tricks (shares and the fake tape, for example) they are now using their EC puppets to discredit members of the newly formed coalition so that they (the junta) remain in power.

 

The electorate will not stand for this interfering and it could well end very badly for the junta - I remain hopeful of that. But you are so in love with Prayut and the watchman Prawit that you are either too blind or stupid to see it, it may well be that, to use your rather poor choice of words it is you that may have to.........Leave.

 

 

[candide]

7 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

so they block the BBC and other external news sources when they report unfavorably about Thailand but this article is OK?

Why they blocked the BBC and others remains a mystery. There are much more critical information in Thai news (check Khaosod) or social media. 

I talked with Thai people of different educational background, included people such as shop staff or security guards. They are all better informed than us about all the rigging that happened during elections.

[seminomadic]

18 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

What you don't seem to be able to grasp is the fact that the political scene is changing, and changing quickly, the junta will do all in their power to stay in control, and if that means drumming up false, ludicrous & downright dirty tricks (shares and the fake tape, for example) they are now using their EC puppets to discredit members of the newly formed coalition so that they (the junta) remain in power.

 

The electorate will not stand for this interfering and it could well end very badly for the junta - I remain hopeful of that. But you are so in love with Prayut and the watchman Prawit that you are either too blind or stupid to see it, it may well be that, to use your rather poor choice of words it is you that may have to.........Leave.

 

 

You are delusional. You are delusional because you clearly hold this naive notion that things will change. You scupper your own credibility saying that Steven100 should leave, when he's resigned to Thailand *as it is*, and commenting as he sees fit on the editorial, which is in one sense truly smoke an mirrors ('let's signal that we hate this state of affairs') It's YOU who should leave if you can't accept that there are two political entities in Thailand - those who want things to stay the way they are, and those who want change - either incremental or otherwise. The former has an overwhelming and immutable advantage. That isn't something I say with delight. It's just the way things are.

 

If you didn't pay attention that the latter had a nice run about 15 years ago, and put in place more policies that are still benefitting Thais to this day than any previous administration ever had, but was finally ousted for 'corruption' then you're not exactly a quick study. Thai history has proven that change, no matter how good, is unwelcome unless that change is bestowed upon the masses by the largess of the former.

 

Grow up, learn to love Thailand as it is, faults and all, or go suck your thumb and hug your pink bear muttering "duh ewectowate wiw not stand fow dis!" ad nauseum to yourself.

[GarryP]

6 hours ago, Artisi said:

That's is due to there being a likely change of direction. 

Do you know something we don't? The Nation has direct links to the junta party, otherwise known as Palang Pracharat, and was smearing the other camp (anti-junta) with wild abandon before the election.  So this editorial seems out of place. 

 

Give us a hint. Please, pretty please.