An Opportunity For Thais To Rebuild The Ties That Used To Bind

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

An opportunity to rebuild the ties that used to bind

By The Nation

Can Thais find it in themselves to abandon the hatred and prejudice that marked a year of social division?

Last year left us with a very big scar. We have bid farewell to 2010 without knowing for sure whether the calamity, chaos and, most of all, the unprecedented hatred toward each other are part of a national growing-up process or whether they are signs of a curse that will be with us for a long time to come. We have either learned a very painful lesson, or we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

It's easy to switch from an emergency to a philosophical mode when things have begun to calm down. As far as Thailand is concerned, however, the big question remains as urgent as ever: How can we really pick ourselves up and restore what matters most - the bond that made Thais what we were?

People will talk about constitutional amendments or the restoration of "justice", but make no mistake: those are important but they are political issues. Our problems run much deeper than that.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva may never be friends with the red shirts. Sondhi Limthongkul may become Thaksin Shinawatra's pal again overnight. Newin Chidchob may somehow become the military's best friend. But whatever happens as far as they are concerned, it will not solve the biggest problem. Only through the resurrection of brotherly sympathy and compassion among Thais will 2010 not be a tragic waste of time - and life.

We have been drawn into a corrosive political battle. It is all right to take a stand for rights, for democracy, or against corruption, but what went wrong was that we crossed a line that we were not supposed to cross. We have let some of our compatriots' political thinking block out the very fact that they were our friends, or even our brothers or sisters. Whether we were carried away or shrewdly manipulated, that must change, or we won't stand a chance, new election this year or not.

Idealism played its part on both sides of the political conflict last year, but it's fair to say that dubious elements with bad intentions still lurk in the two camps. Whatever kind of evil afflicted this country, it turned us against each other. Back in the 1970s it was always "people against the powers-that-be". It took us 40 years to discover the harsh reality that we can be so deeply divided among ourselves. What caused it? Year after year of social disparity, or simply a power struggle that has evolved with time and grown more manipulative and malicious?

We have come to a point where posing such questions could re-open old wounds and put people at each other's throats. The point is that it shouldn't be this way. This year should be the year that brings back the spirit of the old days, when we can tackle any serious issue without breaking the national bond. The New Year resolution for all Thais should be an all-out effort to rebuild the ties that bind, to not drift further apart.

It won't be easy. With a general election expected as early as the first half of the year, our dark sides stand ready to re-impose themselves and dictate our course, like they have done over the past few years. We have no choice but to resist them. This year can be the year we deal with our problems in the way a confident, strongly bonded nation is supposed to, or we will hit the rest of the iceberg.

Politicians will try hard to keep us convinced that "we" are "right" and "they" are "wrong". We must not let them. The trick - and a difficult trick it will be to pull off - will be for everyone to recognise his own flaws and accept that nobody has been right all along, or wrong all along. In the past, Thailand never bothered much about who were the "takers" and "givers", and the new debate on this is welcome. But we have to do it without the prejudice and hatred that were the hallmark of our epic failure in 2010.

-- The Nation 2011-01-01

[yellow1red1]

NO!

[SomTumTiger]

Reconciliation is overrated - How about peaceful disagreement - that would be a better step towards functioning democracy.

[asiawatcher]

Its a bit like Muslim and the rest of us, the infidel - will they ever 'want' to be friends. The best you can hope for is 'tolerance' but for how long until one or the other wants control of the other. Same same different day!

[jayjay0]

when we can tackle any serious issue without breaking the national bond.

that was taken out of text but o so true.

Unfortunate for Thailand the people with a very comfortable income have gotten greedy and are now out to get more by what ever means. If turning social divisions into armed conflict is what it takes it is OK with them.

Say what you want about the social elites the fact is they were in no position to do that kind of damage until the upper middle class arrived and was willing to do it. From there on it was easy to recruit support.

Edited January 1, 2011 by jayjay0