What makes 'Thai-style democracy' globally palatable?

[Chris Lawrence]

Pravit Rojanaphruk was locked up by the Government. Maybe he is doing penance at the moment? It is a dictatorship which is defined as:

"Government by a single person or by a junta or other group that is not responsible to the people or their elected representatives."

Other than that first of April has come early?

[Eric Loh]

We keep using the same excuse of a coup to achieve our Thai style democracy and in all 18 coups, we arrived at the same spot we started. Every coup made the same promises to reform and return the country to democracy. Why Thais need to resolve a poltical problem by a self satisfied elite by staging a coup? Why are they unable to oust Taksin or his allies without resorting to another anachronistic military intervention.

After all these years, Thais are slowly but surely learning more about democracy and rule of law and we should allowed that maturity to progress but alas we keep regressing with each intervention. Learn from Indonesia and Philippines which has abandon the use of military might to break a poltical impasse. They too have their own style democracy but have made tremendous strife in economic and politics development when people is the power; not the military.

People power will break the current elite oriented and hierarchical structure which are stumbling blocks to established stronger democracy; military intervention safeguard these institutions and we will never progress.

[wwest5829]

The electorate don't have sovereign power in the vast majority of so called democracies. Limiting the power of politicians is not necessarily undemocratic either,.

Please to explain how in the vast majority of the so called democracies, you judge that the voters do not have sovereign power? As to limiting the power of politicians, fine, let's have public debate and vote on it.

[Just1Voice]

Now tell me, does anyone think the US is a "democracy"? Hmm, dead silence....

Learn your history. The US is NOT a "Democracy", it's a Republic.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands...."

[Publicus]

The OP said,

Calling Thailand a semi-dictatorship doesn't sound good to the international community, however, and so instead of calling a glass half empty, they refer to it as half full.

The glass is empty.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Publicus

[h90]

Now tell me, does anyone think the US is a "democracy"? Hmm, dead silence....

Well East Germany and Soviet were a Democracy....just a one party system.

USA has a 2 party system....even we can't see any differences between the 2 parties. People are allowed to decide the color and the gender of their president. The politics is decided somewhere different.

[wwest5829]

Now tell me, does anyone think the US is a "democracy"? Hmm, dead silence....

Learn your history. The US is NOT a "Democracy", it's a Republic.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands...."

Hmmm, a democratic republic, I believe, where the citizens have an equal vote to choose their representatives. Quite correct that there are no pure democracies (certainly was very limited in Greece which is often cited as the birthplace of western democracy). Can you see each citizen showing up in London, Washington, D.C. to propose, debate and vote on bills? Although there is an interesting possibility using current technology to broaden the people's voice, it raises the question of whether this is a good idea.

[lvr181]

Democracy - Key Elements

In order to deserve the label modern democracy, a country needs to fulfill some basic requirements - and they need not only be written down in it's constitution but must be kept up in everyday life by politicians and authorities:

• Guarantee of basic Human Rights to every individual person vis-à-vis the state and its authorities as well as vis-à-vis any social groups (especially religious institutions) and vis-à-vis other persons.
• Separation of Powers between the institutions of the state:
  Government [Executive Power],
  Parliament [Legislative Power] und
  Courts of Law [Judicative Power]
• Freedom of opinion, speech, press and mass media
• Religious liberty
• General and equal right to vote (one person, one vote)
• Good Governance (focus on public interest and absence of corruption)​

Can Thai peoples accept or do this?

Churchill on Democracy «No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time»

Excerpts from: http://www.democracy-building.info/definition-democracy.html

[tbthailand]

Now tell me, does anyone think the US is a "democracy"? Hmm, dead silence....

Learn your history. The US is NOT a "Democracy", it's a Republic.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands...."

it is also a democracy. They are not mutually exclusive.

Edited August 13, 2014 by tbthailand

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

What makes 'Thai-style democracy' globally palatable?

If "globally" is the same as N. Korea, Iran and China, it's maybe palatable, but that's just maybe

[trainman34014]

Farang no unerstan Thainess; so no unerstan Thai style Democracy !!

[Always18]

Thai style democracy means reversing all the political reforms and human rights of the common people and giving complete power back to the ruling elites.Simple really

Does it include taking produce from farmers and then not paying for it? Does it include amnestying criminals because they control and fund the party of government? Does it include controlling street militias to threaten and intimidate opponents and the judiciary? Does it include ignoring the parliamentary rules and procedures whenever it suits your needs? Does it include passing bills after the opposition has left, because they were told business for the day was over? Does it include voting for your absent colleagues?

Yep - it apparently includes all of the above if you listened to some of Yingluck's ramblings, when she was off on one of her foreign shopping jaunts, extolling the virtues of "Thai-style democracy" to other SE Asian countries whilst urging Thai ex-pats to spread their "Thainess" abroad......................

[sharpjwe]

democracy is the ditaturship of 51% over 49%

example 71 % used to smoke

democratically they can kill 39% non smokers .

there are more selfcentere people than altruist ones

humanity needs some kind of good dictator ( who sadly ofer goes bonkers if unchalanged )

Thai seem to think a college of intelectuals can do it

true it is the rich on the poor

the other way round we just saw democracy at work

the poor elected the Taksin system

(corruption on all floors , desastrous rice subsidies never work!)

we have all to agree the military todate have done lots of needed cleaning .

Let the thai learn it takes time .

real democracy is when 99% disagree

with 1% but still allow them to have their way !

[Thailand]

Thai style democracy is one that allows military intervention if the ruling classes consider the elected government to be the wrong one.

[Misterwhisper]

Somehow the rather vague term "Thai-style democracy" causes me hiccups and heartburn, perhaps because it reminds me of some unsavory experiences with other "Thai-style" aspects of everyday life here, such as...

Thai-style customer service;

Thai-style business ethics;

Thai-style honesty;

Thai-style diligence;

Thai-style transparency;

Thai-style responsibility-acceptance;

Thai-style face-saving;

Thai-style thoroughness;

Thai-style better-than-thou-attitude;

Thai-style public education;

Thai-style materialism;

Thai-style driving

...and so on and so forth.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Misterwhisper

[cms22]

Well. It's true that the word democracy is debatable.

But without free speech and without the freedom to stand for election no matter what your political views then I think it's safe to say that Thailand will have no democracy at all.

You can debate this all you like but the most basic of democratic principles (free speech and freedom to stand for election) will be a long long time coming here, but I hope I'm wrong.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Just1Voice]

Now tell me, does anyone think the US is a "democracy"? Hmm, dead silence....

Learn your history. The US is NOT a "Democracy", it's a Republic.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands...."

it is also a democracy. They are not mutually exclusive.

Googe "Type of governments" and you will see a clear distinction between a Democracy and a Republic. A Republic does have Democratic philosophies, but is still technically different. Our Founding Fathers were dead set against a Democracy per se due to the inherent properties in, and problems with it, and therefore settled on a Republic with democratic philosophies.

[bkkgooner]

Thai style democracy is this

Gather all of the old money families together and decide amongst themselves who should sit around a table and rule a nation of 65 million people.

Basically it's the same exact same as what they have in Westeros in Game of Thrones.

It is very clear from his recent speeches that the new direction Thailand is heading towards will have much more of an authoritarian style government ruling it. I can't see much in the way of proper elections for the forseeable future.

[Krataiboy]

If it walks like a dictatorship and quacks like a dictatorship. . .

[DrTuner]

Nothing will make it palatable. Politicians will fight until the last breath to hold on to their seats of corruption in any country.

[laocowboy2]

Military rule is hardly democracy, people have been appointed by coup leaders and not elected. people don't have a voice so you can hardly call that democracy.

no can't be called democracy, but does it matter if it is democracy or not? Other countries don't have democracy and do well. China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam....a lot more are on the edge with just a 2 party system....

Not too sure I would describe either Saudi Arabia or Vietnam as 'doing well'. The former is essentially an oil-fuelled open prison where women have no rights and where non-Saudis are treated poorly - and where the practice of any religion except Islam is prohibited. Even Shia Saudi Muslims are treated as third class citizens. And don't forget this is a country with a religious police.

Ahhh... Vietnam. Inflation, corruption, dysfunctional banking system ......

[Thai at Heart]

Numb taste buds from too much chilli?

[jayjayjayjay]

how can what is basically a dictatorship be called democracy/

Because it's from The Nation!

[tbthailand]

Now tell me, does anyone think the US is a "democracy"? Hmm, dead silence....

Learn your history. The US is NOT a "Democracy", it's a Republic.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands...."

it is also a democracy. They are not mutually exclusive.

Googe "Type of governments" and you will see a clear distinction between a Democracy and a Republic. A Republic does have Democratic philosophies, but is still technically different. Our Founding Fathers were dead set against a Democracy per se due to the inherent properties in, and problems with it, and therefore settled on a Republic with democratic philosophies.

I'm American and it is a democracy. The two 'labels' are not mutually exclusive.

'Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens are meant to participate equally – either directly or, through elected representatives, indirectly – in the proposal, development and establishment of the laws by which their society is run.'

[bheard]

Whatever 'Thai style democracy' means either before or after the coup, it was/is a long way from 'normal style democracy' at least because 'Thai style' does not include free speech . . . .

[Pattszero]

Only an idiot believes that democracy is important. It's an irrelevance - and far too many in the west have fallen for the lie.

What makes it even more shameful is that most westerners have convinced themselves they live in democracies - an idiotic stance, embarrassing to behold.

The only thing that matters in any society is the rule of law.

[tbthailand]

Only an idiot believes that democracy is important. It's an irrelevance - and far too many in the west have fallen for the lie.

What makes it even more shameful is that most westerners have convinced themselves they live in democracies - an idiotic stance, embarrassing to behold.

The only thing that matters in any society is the rule of law.

if that is your definition of idiot, then call me 'stu-peey'

and proud of it.

I'll take democracy over the alternative any day of the week.

[Pattszero]

Only an idiot believes that democracy is important. It's an irrelevance - and far too many in the west have fallen for the lie.

What makes it even more shameful is that most westerners have convinced themselves they live in democracies - an idiotic stance, embarrassing to behold.

The only thing that matters in any society is the rule of law.

if that is your definition of idiot, then call me 'stu-peey'

and proud of it.

I'll take democracy over the alternative any day of the week.

You've never lived in a democracy.

[tbthailand]

Only an idiot believes that democracy is important. It's an irrelevance - and far too many in the west have fallen for the lie.

What makes it even more shameful is that most westerners have convinced themselves they live in democracies - an idiotic stance, embarrassing to behold.

The only thing that matters in any society is the rule of law.

if that is your definition of idiot, then call me 'stu-peey'

and proud of it.

I'll take democracy over the alternative any day of the week.

You've never lived in a democracy.

you have no idea what you are talking about

[3NUMBAS]

they just have to understand a cosh over the head is just a small cosh and dont worry about it ,aye thats thais style democracy