Lessons In Democracy That Thailand Can Learn From The U S

[webfact]

Lessons in democracy that Thailand can learn from the US

Dr Kuldep Nagi

Special to The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The US election held on November 6 showed that the American voting public has not only become more diverse in its makeup, but also in its mindset. Barack Obama won the election on the assumption that the electorate would retain much of the age, ethnic and racial diversity he brought out in 2008. But across the country voters affirmed changes in social policy that show a culture changing along with it.

Embracing change has always been the hallmark of American society. However, this time it caught Republicans off guard. They banked on an electorate more monolithic and more conservative than four years ago. And it foreshadowed changes over the next generation that could put long-held Republican states into a very different political map of the future.

During his victory speech, President Obama gave credit to the coalition he had held together. "It doesn't matter if you're black or white, or Hispanic or Asian, or Native American, or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight," he told his supporters gathered in Chicago. "You can make it here in America if you're willing to try."

Can we say the same thing about Thailand?

Not yet. Not for few more decades. Let us look at the political environment in Thailand. In any progressive democracy people give importance to the rule of law. But in Thailand the laws are made to be broken. And they are broken by all factions - red, yellow and the rest. Thailand is a constitutional democracy but the scenario on the streets makes it look like anarchy. It is only in "Amazing Thailand" that factions such as yellow shirts and now Pitak Siam continue to believe that the current Pheu Thai-led government is not a legitimately elected government.

For most of the last century politicians in America have used "fear" as a tool to sway voters. Fear of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, fear of communist Cuba, the Sandinistas and China worked miracles for the Republicans. In fact, George Bush Jr got elected twice by raising hell about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. In the aftermath of 9-11 the misplaced fear of a fictitious enemy has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Politicians in America have mastered the art of creating external enemies and threats just to win elections. Politicians in many other countries also use the same tactics. The supposed existence of external enemies has become an integral part of the political game everywhere.

Unfortunately, in Thailand, besides external threats there are lots of enemies within. And every other month a new enemy emerges. Enemies from within a society are much more dangerous and destructive. Ongoing attempts by such enemies to trample the will of the majority are nothing but trampling democracy. And as we saw in the military crackdown in 2010, it comes with a very heavy price - the death of innocent people in the streets.

In addition, political corruption is a real problem in Thailand. It continues to be fuelled by the traditional patronage system and greased by huge amounts of cash. Just like in other democracies, it will be hard to tighten the regulatory screws in Thai politics, where just about everyone is in on the game. In any country, the elite, the powerful and privileged will always hit back to protect their own interests. To meet their goals, the votes of common men and women can be bought.

But there is no reason to despair. The power of the ballot can still be used to hold politicians accountable. At a time when powerful groups keep threatening, there is reason to believe that grassroots changes in Thailand can get some long-overdue leverage against those who use elections as a path to personal fortune. As is evident from the red-shirt agitation, the poor and the disfranchised will continue to fight back for their own rights.

There are some important lessons to be learned from the American elections. To begin with, Thai politicians need to work towards creating a democratic framework where the losing side accepts defeat and allows the winning to side to pursue its economic agenda and policies. Instead of causing more traffic jams, the losing side should put all its effort into doing better in the next round.

All factions should refrain from acting like hooligans. It is not the way to win a game. Political hooliganism will only lead to more division, violence and bloodshed in the streets. This is also very clear from the aftermath of the Arab Spring. It is not good politics when the losing side takes to the streets rather than accept an election defeat, and the winning side keeps struggling to unite the nation. A constant tug of war among the various factions is an obstacle to bringing reconciliation and creating a more perfect union.

Why does political chaos continue to exist in Thailand? It is quite clear from past trends that lower-income Thais tend to vote based on economic issues, while richer voters in cities consider social and cultural issues in their political decisions. Unfortunately this trend has lead to increased polarisation in which a few individuals and groups in Thailand tend to exploit traditional institutions, such as the monarchy, for personal gain. The so-called culture war between red, yellow and now Pitak Siam clearly reflects this tendency.

Full credit must be given to the Thai media, especially TV stations, for enthusiastically covering the US election. They should show the same vigour in dissecting and discussing the problems of Thai democracy.

Although not perfect, there is a lot to learn from US elections, especially how to concede an defeat and move on. Maybe the losing factions and opposition parties in Thailand should listen to Mitt Romney's concession speech, just for inspiration.

Dr Kuldep Nagi is a Fulbright Fellow working at the Graduate School of eLearning (GSeL), Assumption University, Bangkok. He can be contacted at: DrKuldeep [at] Live.com.

-- The Nation 2012-11- 20

[123thaibourbon]

Excuse me Dr. Nagi. GW Bush was elected in Nov 2000 the first time. The 19 renegades who attacked this country met their just demise as well as bin laden, laid to not rest.. agree, there should have been more time before US forces lit the places up. I think the WMD's were thrown down a gas well or warehoused in a nearby cave or country, just my opinion. planning to read book 'The Road to 9/11' and get some more facts in order for myself. the ideas about 72 virgins and jihad is the real crock!

as thailand circles the wagons, other ASEAN nations have begun to make laps around 'the chaos'. The real problem is not polit corr, but an entrenched mindset of elitism among a miority populus who are considered 'educated'. meanwhile the majority 'uneducated' are looked down upon and considered not worthy of 'voting' or being bought off instead of being solicited with a small forest of campaign mail. US system is far from perfect, but our culture seeks mutual respect and equality. not an easy row to plough. granted, 30% + of Americans have not finished high school and 50% + do not show up at the polls. almost every American seems tired of the two peckered bipartisan pony show, wheras Thailand is mounted atop a buck'n bronco!

Edited November 20, 2012 by metisdead
: There is no need to be posting using bold font. Bold font removed.

[asiawatcher]

1. But in Thailand the laws are made to be broken. And they are broken by all factions - red, yellow and the rest.

2. Unfortunately, in Thailand, besides external threats there are lots of enemies within. And every other month a new enemy emerges.

3. ~ political corruption is a real problem in Thailand. It continues to be fuelled by the traditional patronage system and greased by huge amounts of cash.

4. ~ the votes of common men and women can be bought.

Anyone believing Thailand is a democracy or has aspirations of it actually becoming one, can clearly see at present there is no chance. As long as bodies such as DSI, NACC and the Police have no real power to prosecute and remove corruption, including from within their own ranks, fail to uphold the letter of Thai law, there can be no end to the present 'system'. Sadly T.i.T. A good article by the Professor.

[ratcatcher]

The United States of America, Canada,Australia and some European countries (Germany being the most significant) are nations that have grown strong (and some may say weak) by immigration and integration. Thailand being xenophobic is for the Thais. Selected foreigners and migrant labourers from neighboring countries are tolerated.

Until Thailand opens up its borders a little more, the gene pool will remain somewhat stagnant. Immigrants are beneficial to some societies yet are treated with suspicion and some contempt by Thais..

[retarius]

From my experience of voting in US elections, I doubt it has much to teach Thailand about democracy...unless turning the country over to corporate interests is what democracy is all about.

An elite run the US and they flout the law much in the same was as elite Thais do...the democracy thing is just cosmetic dressing, and is often used as a rhetorical ruse as in Israel good because it's a democracy: Palestine bad because although it's people vote,they vote for the wrong people, and therefore it is not a democracy.

[hellodolly]

What a nonsense article.

George Bush one an election on a minority vote before the 9/11 It was only the second election he won on fear mongering..The reason he won an election with a minority of votes is because the United States is not a democracy any more than Thailand is. It is a Rebublic in a democracy Al Gore would have been the president and the U. S. would have been more concerned with enviormental needs that can have a much farther reaching effect on all of humanity.

Here in Thailand we use the Parlamentary system which does not need a majority of the voters to rule. It so happens that the present government does have a majority of the votes. But their number of seats is way out of proportion o the votes they got.

The article stated

"It is only in "Amazing Thailand" that factions such as yellow shirts and now Pitak Siam continue to believe that the current Pheu Thai-led government is not a legitimately elected governmen"

That is not at all what they are saying they are saying that it is a no good government. The author knows that to be true but being a PT Red Shirt sympathizer it was the only way he could think of to defend his interests.

I like the list of credits for the author.

"Dr Kuldep Nagi is a Fulbright Fellow working at the Graduate School of eLearning (GSeL), Assumption University, Bangkok. He can be contacted at: DrKuldeep [at] Live.com."

Just more proof that academics should stay out of politics they know nothing about it.

[yourauntbob]

"In fact, George Bush Jr. got elected twice by raising hell about Osama Bin Laden and al-Qadea"

Two things, George W. Bush is not "Jr"

He did not get his first term due to Osama bin Laden and al-Qadea, before 9/11 most Americans didn't know who Osama was. In fact, through 3 presidential debates in 2000 the topic of terrorism only came up once in passing.

Its sad that so called "reporters" are either so ill informed or simply dont check facts.

[rotary]

I am not so sure what Thailand can learn about democracy from the USA but I hope they learn nothing about fiscal policy on running their business from the USA who are very near Greece in their manner of spend more than you make and let the great great grandkids pay for it.

[rotary]

What a nonsense article.

George Bush one an election on a minority vote before the 9/11 It was only the second election he won on fear mongering..The reason he won an election with a minority of votes is because the United States is not a democracy any more than Thailand is. It is a Rebublic in a democracy Al Gore would have been the president and the U. S. would have been more concerned with enviormental needs that can have a much farther reaching effect on all of humanity.

Here in Thailand we use the Parlamentary system which does not need a majority of the voters to rule. It so happens that the present government does have a majority of the votes. But their number of seats is way out of proportion o the votes they got.

The article stated

"It is only in "Amazing Thailand" that factions such as yellow shirts and now Pitak Siam continue to believe that the current Pheu Thai-led government is not a legitimately elected governmen"

That is not at all what they are saying they are saying that it is a no good government. The author knows that to be true but being a PT Red Shirt sympathizer it was the only way he could think of to defend his interests.

I like the list of credits for the author.

"Dr Kuldep Nagi is a Fulbright Fellow working at the Graduate School of eLearning (GSeL), Assumption University, Bangkok. He can be contacted at: DrKuldeep [at] Live.com."

Just more proof that academics should stay out of politics they know nothing about it.

Obama won by less than 3% of the popular vote, that's hardly a majority in real world numbers. Errors in voting can be near that much. The Electoral College is an outdated thing that should be done away with if for no other reason than most people whether American or other do not understand. In this case it would have made no difference but it still needs to be stopped as it skews the figures and gives the wrong impression on how voting really was. When you look at the popular vote in the USA there is some serious facts, many states were well over 60% against Obama(I hesitate to say for Romney) and some well over 70%. In many counties in certain states over 80% against Obama and I believe some counties were right at 90% against Obama. The states that did go for Obama the % was closer than states that voted against Obama. If you look at the red vs blue map state wise or county wise for many states I believe it shows a disturbing trend of turmoil in the US elections in basic values. Also look at the Republican states to see what is produced in these states and look at the Democratic states to see the same. I make no judgement either way but looking at real % and facts it puts lots of questions in my mind and shows the internal problems in the USA that seem to linger on and appear to have a good chance to increase.

[Khun Jean]

In my understanding the US was successful when it was a republic with rights for individuals and not groups.

Democracy (tyranny by the majority) was only for use on local and state levels.

Once that changed...... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar . Pretty similar of what is happening.

[manfrommanteo]

The U.S. has gone backwards, which some say is a deliberate planned event. The United States is NOT a democracy. Nowhere in it's constitution is the word democracy mentioned. It is a Republic. However, it has been taken over by special interest groups and is on the fast track to becoming a second or third world nation in terms of the amount of corruption. Thailand could learn much from the U.S., but it seems that the States are duplicating the corruption found in much of the world's governments. I'm an American, so I speak from personal observation. Obama didn't win by a great majority, and America is a divided nation now. Special interest groups control the government and both major parties. Sound familiar? A great deal of people still want to come here, and opportunity is still available, but it's not easy. A government ruled by law, one that adheres to the law and boundaries of set of laws laid out in it's constitution is one that will deliver prosperity and growth for all it's people. That is something lost upon those who are taken advantage of by those less ethical who exploit them, promising them something they cannot or will not deliver, or buying their votes in exchange for some "benefits". Actually, it sounds like the American politicians have learned a lot from other nations politicians, and they're duplicating it quite successfully.

[tragickingdom]

Maybe the elite should get mandatory lessons together with privy council members and generals in the US that a long jail time will wait when you plan to overtrhow the government through a putsch.

[ridkun]

The article should be renamed to "I think the Democrats and all smaller opposition groups should shut up and let government do whatever they like because they got 15M votes and Democrats already lost the election so you have no right to anything and you should not criticise on any policies from the winning party because if you do so it means you are against sympathetic grassroots and majority and do not respect democracy". Sorry for long name anyway I think I'm not good at naming at all.

[3SoiDogNight]

Dr Kuldep Nagi

Are you kidding? As an American, the LAST thing I'd want to see Thailand do is to adopt American styled 'democracy'. Keep the system you have in place. It may not be ideal but I fully understand why Thailand does things the way they do. There is nothing to get excited about with the re-election of Obama. I voted for him the first time around and was glad to see my country being able to elect a person of color to the White House. I was supportive of him initially until I ran out of reasons to support him and eventually voted against him. Obama used fear-mongering as well and played the race-card as well to win a second term. I've never seen an incompetent politician get so many free passes like Obama. People are so afraid to criticize him out of fear of being labelled a racist. The entitlement class has grown substantially in the United States and the number of freeloaders is growing and the number of job creators are decreasing.

The US debt is over $16TRILLION! ! !

There has always been an under-class of derelicts in the US that never participated in elections. Obama reached out to them with promises of free stuff; mobile phones, money, etc. Why on earth would Thailand want to copy that model? When I went to the polls in 2008, I saw all sorts of crack addicts and winos at the voting booth. Sure there were a lot of party-line liberal Democratic voters that voted for Obama but they were not the ones that put Obama over the top. It was the under-class that normally do not vote and the motivating factor that drove them to the polls was the expectation of free handouts. I love the US but my country is not a shining example of democracy and certainly nothing Thailand should copy.

[Samuimike1]

I think, the Swiss ist a democracy where other country can learn from, but not from a two party system where the money says where to go.

[BeforeTigers]

The US is a Representative Democracy, not a Republic.

The only kink in that definition is the Electoral College- which is a weird and flawed invention- but still doesn't take us out of By The People territory.

[BeforeTigers]

Good article. To me it seemed to have a few flawed readings on the US system. But it's still nice to read something like this inside Thailand.

I would say this whole "enemies within" idea has to go. If everyone always agreed we wouldn't need an election, now would we?

You can have political rivals and you can enemies of Democracy- but political foe and enemy of the state are two very different things.

[Khun Jean]

I think, the Swiss ist a democracy where other country can learn from, but not from a two party system where the money says where to go.

Switserland is just as the US a federal republic. Difference is that hey don't have a president (head of state) but a council.

Edited November 20, 2012 by Khun Jean

[hellodolly]

I am not so sure what Thailand can learn about democracy from the USA but I hope they learn nothing about fiscal policy on running their business from the USA who are very near Greece in their manner of spend more than you make and let the great great grandkids pay for it.

Kinda like being on the road to rice subsidy is leading Thailand down. 15 months in office and more in debt than when they took over and shifted a large portion of their dept off to the banking system

[hellodolly]

What a nonsense article.

George Bush one an election on a minority vote before the 9/11 It was only the second election he won on fear mongering..The reason he won an election with a minority of votes is because the United States is not a democracy any more than Thailand is. It is a Rebublic in a democracy Al Gore would have been the president and the U. S. would have been more concerned with enviormental needs that can have a much farther reaching effect on all of humanity.

Here in Thailand we use the Parlamentary system which does not need a majority of the voters to rule. It so happens that the present government does have a majority of the votes. But their number of seats is way out of proportion o the votes they got.

The article stated

"It is only in "Amazing Thailand" that factions such as yellow shirts and now Pitak Siam continue to believe that the current Pheu Thai-led government is not a legitimately elected governmen"

That is not at all what they are saying they are saying that it is a no good government. The author knows that to be true but being a PT Red Shirt sympathizer it was the only way he could think of to defend his interests.

I like the list of credits for the author.

"Dr Kuldep Nagi is a Fulbright Fellow working at the Graduate School of eLearning (GSeL), Assumption University, Bangkok. He can be contacted at: DrKuldeep [at] Live.com."

Just more proof that academics should stay out of politics they know nothing about it.

Obama won by less than 3% of the popular vote, that's hardly a majority in real world numbers. Errors in voting can be near that much. The Electoral College is an outdated thing that should be done away with if for no other reason than most people whether American or other do not understand. In this case it would have made no difference but it still needs to be stopped as it skews the figures and gives the wrong impression on how voting really was. When you look at the popular vote in the USA there is some serious facts, many states were well over 60% against Obama(I hesitate to say for Romney) and some well over 70%. In many counties in certain states over 80% against Obama and I believe some counties were right at 90% against Obama. The states that did go for Obama the % was closer than states that voted against Obama. If you look at the red vs blue map state wise or county wise for many states I believe it shows a disturbing trend of turmoil in the US elections in basic values. Also look at the Republican states to see what is produced in these states and look at the Democratic states to see the same. I make no judgement either way but looking at real % and facts it puts lots of questions in my mind and shows the internal problems in the USA that seem to linger on and appear to have a good chance to increase.

Are you sayin g there could have been a 3% error in the vote counting and Obama could have won by 6%.

No America is not a good model for various reasons. I like the way France narrowed it down to the two most popular vote getter and then had an election between the two of them.

[theslime]

From my experience of voting in US elections, I doubt it has much to teach Thailand about democracy...unless turning the country over to corporate interests is what democracy is all about.

An elite run the US and they flout the law much in the same was as elite Thais do...the democracy thing is just cosmetic dressing, and is often used as a rhetorical ruse as in Israel good because it's a democracy: Palestine bad because although it's people vote,they vote for the wrong people, and therefore it is not a democracy.

.

[JeffreyWitty]

Advice to TVers:

"...George Bush Jr got elected twice by raising hell about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. In the aftermath of 9-11..."

At this point I stopped reading the *EDITORIAL* cause the guy can't even fact-check to back up his argument. You all should save yourselves the heartburn and move on to the next article when reading swill like this - not worth your time to respond.

(FYI - When Bush jr. was first in office - 9/11 hadn't had happened and almost NOBODY had known about Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda.)

[Thai at Heart]

For a moment, I thought someone from the Nation had written this, thoughtful, insightful, provocative, reasoned, logical and well meant piece.

[me313]

What a nonsense article.

George Bush one an election on a minority vote before the 9/11 It was only the second election he won on fear mongering..The reason he won an election with a minority of votes is because the United States is not a democracy any more than Thailand is. It is a Rebublic in a democracy Al Gore would have been the president and the U. S. would have been more concerned with enviormental needs that can have a much farther reaching effect on all of humanity.

Here in Thailand we use the Parlamentary system which does not need a majority of the voters to rule. It so happens that the present government does have a majority of the votes. But their number of seats is way out of proportion o the votes they got.

The article stated

"It is only in "Amazing Thailand" that factions such as yellow shirts and now Pitak Siam continue to believe that the current Pheu Thai-led government is not a legitimately elected governmen"

That is not at all what they are saying they are saying that it is a no good government. The author knows that to be true but being a PT Red Shirt sympathizer it was the only way he could think of to defend his interests.

I like the list of credits for the author.

"Dr Kuldep Nagi is a Fulbright Fellow working at the Graduate School of eLearning (GSeL), Assumption University, Bangkok. He can be contacted at: DrKuldeep [at] Live.com."

Just more proof that academics should stay out of politics they know nothing about it.

GW Bush "won" the election because during the Florida recount less than 600 votes swayed the win of Gore towards Bush--less than 600 votes in a country of more than 300 million people. Even if "less than 50%" vote, the fraction of one percent of voters whose votes got counted, in Florida, a state I lived in during the 2000 election does not mean that Bush "won". The elections were highly rigged with a lot of manipulation. America is far more a Democratic system than in Thailand, far far more. Thailand has a lot to learn from Americans. One of the things they should "learn" is that it's not always cool to wear a swastika and salute Hitler. I hope when the American military shows up in this region, that some of the more politically correct Americans will change the brainwashed minds of these Thais who long to get the money from European investors. There also needs to be more rights for women in Thailand and less emphasis on serving tourists who come here for their sex vacations--let's face the truth.

As for corporate interests, yes, America has many lobbies which sway politics, but people outright quoting the conspiracy theories raging in America (i.e. David Icke, Jessie Ventura) are unwitting parts of a system to bring down Democracy, believe it or not. America can strengthen it's Democratic system, and Thailand can begin to foster this sensibility in it's truest sense without resorting to violence and coup d'etat's to establish change of power.

[me313]

What a nonsense article.

George Bush one an election on a minority vote before the 9/11 It was only the second election he won on fear mongering..The reason he won an election with a minority of votes is because the United States is not a democracy any more than Thailand is. It is a Rebublic in a democracy Al Gore would have been the president and the U. S. would have been more concerned with enviormental needs that can have a much farther reaching effect on all of humanity.

Here in Thailand we use the Parlamentary system which does not need a majority of the voters to rule. It so happens that the present government does have a majority of the votes. But their number of seats is way out of proportion o the votes they got.

The article stated

"It is only in "Amazing Thailand" that factions such as yellow shirts and now Pitak Siam continue to believe that the current Pheu Thai-led government is not a legitimately elected governmen"

That is not at all what they are saying they are saying that it is a no good government. The author knows that to be true but being a PT Red Shirt sympathizer it was the only way he could think of to defend his interests.

I like the list of credits for the author.

"Dr Kuldep Nagi is a Fulbright Fellow working at the Graduate School of eLearning (GSeL), Assumption University, Bangkok. He can be contacted at: DrKuldeep [at] Live.com."

Just more proof that academics should stay out of politics they know nothing about it.

GW Bush "won" the election because during the Florida recount less than 600 votes swayed the win of Gore towards Bush--less than 600 votes in a country of more than 300 million people. Even if "less than 50%" vote, the fraction of one percent of voters whose votes got counted, in Florida, a state I lived in during the 2000 election does not mean that Bush "won". The elections were highly rigged with a lot of manipulation. America is far more a Democratic system than in Thailand, far far more. Thailand has a lot to learn from Americans. One of the things they should "learn" is that it's not always cool to wear a swastika and salute Hitler. I hope when the American military shows up in this region, that some of the more politically correct Americans will change the brainwashed minds of these Thais who long to get the money from European investors. There also needs to be more rights for women in Thailand and less emphasis on serving tourists who come here for their sex vacations--let's face the truth.

As for corporate interests, yes, America has many lobbies which sway politics, but people outright quoting the conspiracy theories raging in America (i.e. David Icke, Jessie Ventura) are unwitting parts of a system to bring down Democracy, believe it or not. America can strengthen it's Democratic system, and Thailand can begin to foster this sensibility in it's truest sense without resorting to violence and coup d'etat's to establish change of power.

when I bring up the topics of Nazis influencing Thais, and sex tourism as a future career choice for many poor women, I am talking about forms of slavery that exclude Democracy and people having a voice. Nazism is fascism which means individuality gets lost in the power of the state, and in Thailand that means the power of the investors from Europe who want to build a Nazi satellite "paradise" in Thailand. Prostitution is a form of slavery. When Thailand emphasizes individuality, freedom, and choice and opportunity instead of cow-towing to foreigners with money, they will begin their journey towards a more Democratic society.

[EarthAlien]

Lessons in democracy that Thailand can learn from the US

1. Make bold claims and promises about restoring power to the people within a framework of much needed "Change" and win government under false democratic pretenses when in fact socialism and autocracy are your main agendas.
   
2. Introduce populist programs which have the potential to bankrupt the country but that will win you favor and sweep you into power.
   
3. Obtain power under a veil of democracy whilst ushering in massive socialistic systems which rob people of their independence and increase national debt.
   
4. Lie about the country's national debt and insolvent policies in support of favored industries and rich power mongers.
   
5. Pretend that you're the best and most important country in the world when in fact everyone with half a brain know much better.
   

Yes,.. all of these lessons (and more) could be taught by our friends in the good ole US of A,.. but somehow I see such striking similarities I doubt that Thailand really has anything at all to learn as they appear to be covering all of the bases themselves already!

Edited November 20, 2012 by EarthAlien

[uptheos]

In a real democracy the military is answerable to the government NOT the other way around.

Until this changes + the laws on free speech etc, Thailand cannot truly call itself a democracy.

[Thai at Heart]

What a nonsense article.

George Bush one an election on a minority vote before the 9/11 It was only the second election he won on fear mongering..The reason he won an election with a minority of votes is because the United States is not a democracy any more than Thailand is. It is a Rebublic in a democracy Al Gore would have been the president and the U. S. would have been more concerned with enviormental needs that can have a much farther reaching effect on all of humanity.

Here in Thailand we use the Parlamentary system which does not need a majority of the voters to rule. It so happens that the present government does have a majority of the votes. But their number of seats is way out of proportion o the votes they got.

The article stated

"It is only in "Amazing Thailand" that factions such as yellow shirts and now Pitak Siam continue to believe that the current Pheu Thai-led government is not a legitimately elected governmen"

That is not at all what they are saying they are saying that it is a no good government. The author knows that to be true but being a PT Red Shirt sympathizer it was the only way he could think of to defend his interests.

I like the list of credits for the author.

"Dr Kuldep Nagi is a Fulbright Fellow working at the Graduate School of eLearning (GSeL), Assumption University, Bangkok. He can be contacted at: DrKuldeep [at] Live.com."

Just more proof that academics should stay out of politics they know nothing about it.

Obama won by less than 3% of the popular vote, that's hardly a majority in real world numbers. Errors in voting can be near that much. The Electoral College is an outdated thing that should be done away with if for no other reason than most people whether American or other do not understand. In this case it would have made no difference but it still needs to be stopped as it skews the figures and gives the wrong impression on how voting really was. When you look at the popular vote in the USA there is some serious facts, many states were well over 60% against Obama(I hesitate to say for Romney) and some well over 70%. In many counties in certain states over 80% against Obama and I believe some counties were right at 90% against Obama. The states that did go for Obama the % was closer than states that voted against Obama. If you look at the red vs blue map state wise or county wise for many states I believe it shows a disturbing trend of turmoil in the US elections in basic values. Also look at the Republican states to see what is produced in these states and look at the Democratic states to see the same. I make no judgement either way but looking at real % and facts it puts lots of questions in my mind and shows the internal problems in the USA that seem to linger on and appear to have a good chance to increase.

At the end of the day, someone has to win. The system of the senate and congress, provide excellent balances to the tyranny of the majority, so yes indeed, there is something to be learnt from the system about how it achieves this. If the USA avoids falling off its fiscal cliff, it will be because of a negotiated plan between the President and other parties to reach agreement. That's democracy. If it doesn't, the ensuing crisis will in some way trigger some kind of change to the way government will operate financially. That's democracy.

One thing Thailand definitely doesn't need to learn is that the nomination of the opposition leader should take 2 years, and cost an arm and a leg and damage the winner politically on the way through, and that the final Presidential election should take a year where the President is essentially hamstrung politically. Crazy system. In fact, by the time Romney had got the end, he had been campaigning for almost 3.5 years. It is in some way amazing that the opposition ever wins after having your life raked over for that long.

As for Thailand, well, we have a huge amount of appointed MP's on party lists, who never ever have to even touch the hand of any constituents, and a senate that is 50% appointed. It has achieved the absolute opposite of what was hoped, and leads to a complete and utter winner takes all situation.

One can say there are other systems in the world that mimic this system. Yes there are. But, there is an entire, complete legal system around them, with minimal corruption to hold parliamentarians to account. Sometimes these similar systems go wrong, but at the end of the day, the media do a brilliant job, in say, the UK of uncovering dodgy deals and corruption, which is then prosecuted or punished.

If I could recommend anything, it would be that if and when Thailand does have its coup, which is pretty likely, that instead of employing bunches of Thai academics, they get hold of constitutional legal experts from all over the world for advice about how to set up a water tight constitution that will deliver what is best for the country. It is patently obvious, that so called experts who sit and write constitutions in Thailand leave loopholes so big you can drive a chang through them.

Just look at the mess that was caused with the constitutional court intervening into something it wasn't even known if they could intervene. Beyond that, the system has a political appointee filtering which cases can go to the constitutional court. Which idiot thought that one up?

Edited November 20, 2012 by Thai at Heart

[theslime]

Advice to TVers:

"...George Bush Jr got elected twice by raising hell about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. In the aftermath of 9-11..."

At this point I stopped reading the *EDITORIAL* cause the guy can't even fact-check to back up his argument. You all should save yourselves the heartburn and move on to the next article when reading swill like this - not worth your time to respond.

(FYI - When Bush jr. was first in office - 9/11 hadn't had happened and almost NOBODY had known about Bin Laden or Al-Qaeda.)

Bin Laden family are very very well known and Ol, Osama was a paid CIA Dude.

[DocN]

Lessons in democracy that Thailand can learn from the US

1. Make bold claims and promises about restoring power to the people within a framework of much needed "Change" and win government under false democratic pretenses when in fact socialism and autocracy are your main agendas.
   
2. Introduce populist programs which have the potential to bankrupt the country but that will win you favor and sweep you into power.
   
3. Obtain power under a veil of democracy whilst ushering in massive socialistic systems which rob people of their independence and increase national debt.
   
4. Lie about the country's national debt and insolvent policies in support of favored industries and rich power mongers.
   
5. Pretend that you're the best and most important country in the world when in fact everyone with half a brain know much better.
   

Yes,.. all of these lessons (and more) could be taught by our friends in the good ole US of A,.. but somehow I see such striking similarities I doubt that Thailand really has anything at all to learn as they appear to be covering all of the bases themselves already!

Yeah...Bush really had some nerve!