DEC 12 — Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has finally yielded to the intensified street protests after more than a month and dissolved parliament for a snap election.
The move was meant to ease the flaming sentiments of the street protests and avoid bloodshed. Opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban, however, was not satisfied and called for another massive demonstration to maintain the pressure.
It is the worst political crisis in Thailand since 2009. Dissolving parliament is only an expedient measure. It does not help solve the political impasse. It could even lead to a confrontation and conflict between the “Red Shirts” and “Yellow Shirts”, pushing Thailand into a more chaotic plight.
The dissolution of parliament might be just the start of another round of fierce political struggle. Thailand is still far from the end of chaos.
Thailand has had five elections since 1992 and Thaksin Shinawatra’s faction has always been the winner. Even after Thaksin was exiled, his younger sister still won the election in 2010.
It is expected that Yingluck still has a chance to win the election next year. It is worrying that the goal of Suthep is not to win the election, but to replace the current parliament with a “people’s parliament”, so that he can escape from a murder charge by making use of the power of the people.
Politicians’ desperate manipulation of populist power has left the Land of Smile in a jittery state.
Democratic politics allows the people to protest, express public opinion and fight for their rights. However, once street demonstrations are over-controlled by politicians who incite and instigate the people to rebel for their own interests, it will trample the principle of democracy.
Overturning elected legitimate government with populist forces shows that the democratic system and spirit can no longer be found in the country.
After the basic rules of democratic politics are destroyed, even if an election is held, the future new prime minister and government can still be overturned by protesters. Such a vicious cycle will make it impossible for the country to achieve peace, and the people will be the biggest losers.
In addition to trying to get rid of the criminal charges, does Suthep ever think of the possible harm brought by excessive manipulation of populist forces to the people and the country’s legal system?
“We must not regard this as a win-or-lose situation,” Yingluck told reporters at parliament. “Today no one is winning or losing, only the country is hurting.”
The dissolution of parliament is the biggest personal victory for Suthep. Does he feel the same as Yingluck that the country is hurting?
Suthep is a Democrat Party leader. It is shameful of him to play with democracy, while it is a pity for the people to blindly follow the move of anti-ruling, trampling their rights granted by democracy.
It has been said that democracy is a hammer that can build and demolish a house; a glass that can hold wine and poison; and a knife that can chop vegetables and kill.
Excessive manipulation of democracy will turn democracy into a hammer that demolishes a house, a glass that holds poison and even a knife that kills. — Sin Chew Daily
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
