OK so this may be a controversial
post, but probably not for the reasons you’d expect. I want to talk about the
recent arrest of the former cabinet minister of the Thai government, as he denounced
the coup. It’s an interesting conversation, because we Americans believe in Democracy
to such an extent, that it seems like any breach of that democracy must have
been done by malicious forces. I can tell you that I can’t find one piece of
evidence to support this. For those not familiar with what happened Tuesday,
AFP reported “Bangkok (AFP) - Thai soldiers swooped to detain a fugitive former
cabinet minister on Tuesday after he emerged from hiding to become the first
member of the ousted government to publicly denounce a military coup.” The former
official held a press conference in which he stated his opinions openly about
the coup. He knew that he would be arrested, and he still firmly believed that
it was the right thing to do.
Here’s the thing, maybe he’s not
wrong, but I also don’t think that the military is wrong. At least in Lampiog,
there doesn't seem to be a negative view on the military. Even university
students here, a demographic notorious for political angst, seem to see the
military in a less negative light than many in the western media has portrayed
them. As I walked next to a train station/ pop up market yesterday I saw military
men in full uniform carrying automatic weapons. This, of course, can be
disheartening or generally scary for American tourists. The two young Thai university
girls with me, they took the opportunity to take selfies. They asked if I
wanted to try and get one with a solider. I declined, though when I tell this
story later in life I’ll fudge that part. That’s a humorous slant on a very
serious issue but it is a reaction indicative of a general feeling. Thailand is
not a violent place. There are low crime rates, and the popular sport Maui Thai
(A mix of kick boxing and other fighting styles native to Thailand) is general
disliked by Thais because of their feelings towards aggression. Overwhelmingly,
it is foreigners who really enjoy and support the sport. But, during the
protests people were actually dying here. From everything that I have seen of
Thailand that doesn’t make sense.
So the military stepped in and
seized power, not granting it to one side over the other through political-gainsmanship,
rather they stepped in and removed both sides of the conflict. Now perhaps this
move doesn’t make sense to Americans. But let’s give this some serious and
critical thought. Both sides of the conflict seemed completely entrenched in
the idea that their side was the legitimate voice in Thailand. In my last post,
I talked about the necessity for someone to be willing to lose for a democracy
to properly operate. In a situation in which both sides showed less than superb
leadership to end the conflict peacefully for the sake of saving lives, there
was a force whose whole mission is to protect a nation, that stood there with
enough power to act, and what they say, was a legitimate reason to—to ensure
peace only. This reminds me particularly of the Egyptian army.
The Thai military didn’t really seize power,
so to speak. They always had power. During the revolts in Egypt some questioned
the role of the military really without thinking about a possible motive. Militaries
are often painted as power hungry factions within foreign countries but neither
the Thai nor Egyptian army are power hungry. I’m not saying that they are
benevolent, but rather that they already held the largest share of power within
their respective countries. The Egyptian army corners basically most of the
major economic markets within Egypt and is the most stable organization within
that country by far. This is similar to Thailand. In Thailand the military has
not had to face the political drawbacks of democracy (unhappy citizenry entitled
to a voice). The royal family enjoys a large amount of popularity as I have noted
but though everyone seems to love the king and his daughter, there are those
who worry about who will take over if the aging king passes. (Let me be clear
to any possible Thai readers, this is not a criticism. This is simply a
restatement of some of the things I have heard from the Thai people.) The
military however, does not have to operate in such a strong feedback loop. In
both Thailand and Egypt, the military has had really one motive: ensure stability
regardless of the leader because that is their job, and to their advantage.
Often we good liberals can paint a reactionary and negative picture of
military forces without really thinking about it critically (note I include
myself in those that make this mistake). In truth, militaries were devised to
organize a citizenry against a physical threat that looms too large for individuals
to combat or police forces to police. Perhaps, one could object that these have
to be external threats, but I think only the most radical of thinkers would object to the military in
America, attacking credible threats of domestic terrorism or mass violence committed
by citizens. If twenty people died in an American protest tomorrow, we would be
clamoring for the National Guard to swoop in and restore order. What I’m saying
is that, in an ideal world. Democracy and the agency it affords individuals
should be cherished and held in the highest of regards. However, in a world in
which two opposing political parties start killing each other, someone has to
consider the right of impartial parties to ensure their security and life. I’m
not taking a side here. I love democracy, but I’m just saying, it’s also nice to
know that I won’t be caught in the cross-hairs of an unreasonable political
actor.
Lastly I want to make two notes. First,
everyone was asked by the military to turn themselves in for questioning, and
some who complied have even been already released. He was already wanted, not
because of his denouncements, in which he said “from now on there will be more and
more resistance”, which was a poor choice of phrasing. Secondly, the curfew,
that was already lax in enforcement, was eased today from 12(midnight) to 4(in
the morning). Thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment