POSTBAG : Do Thais need democracy ?

POSTBAG : Do Thais need democracy ?

The real power of democracy is in avoiding the single idea environment, which can lead to big mistakes.

In a true democracy, all sectors are heard from, the best ideas survive the vetting process, and the worst ideas are soundly beaten to death before they get started.

Unfortunately, this ideal is elusive. In a typical two-party system, both parties devolve towards sameness, where the only difference is the rhetoric and who is in charge of looting the national wealth.

Large commercial interests control the press, and thus the information flow to the voters.

They perpetuate the two-party system with a wink-and-nod system that in reality lets them pursue their own commercial interests.

This is the current situation in the USA, and probably is the future of Thailand as well.

The problem is that the alternatives to pretend-democracy are much worse, and do nothing to encourage new ideas or the purging of those whose hold on power (and corruption) gets too tight.

The big trap about democracy is that it is misused.

Democracy is not about control by the majority, but about respect for the minority, and that concept is critical to any new system you put in place.

The biggest thing Thais might do to help democracy would be to insert some strong term-limits into your new constitution, along with some super-majority requirements for major changes, or even require that some changes and new laws require multiple votes among different congresses to implement.

Keeping a very close eye on lawyers and politicians is a necessity in a true democracy.

I still hope that I may retire to Thailand someday, so I watch events with great interest.

BOB COSTA
Florida, USA

Truth, reconciliation, and a little patience

I was quite impressed with Archbishop Desmond Tu Tu writing about "Lessons from South Africa" (Bangkok Post, 6 Jan 2007).

There is no doubt in my mind that we in Thailand can learn from South Africa regarding democracy.

I disagree with the coup, but be that as it may, we definitely need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Sa-maan-na-chun (reconciliation) is the way to go.

I agree with PM Surayud's way of doing things - slowly but surely.

Democracy is like a growing tree, you must be patient. I still remember when my grandfather planted a coconut tree and I expected to get to eat the fruit in a week.

After waiting for nine days and there was no fruit, I was so angry I kicked and kicked and stepped on the plant and finally pulled it up and threw it away. Unfortunately, grandpa saw everything and gave me a long lecture, saying "you must be patient boy", and finally punished me with a cane on my legs.

PM Surayud, go ahead with your agenda.

Deliver what you promised, and then get of politics.

GOO GLOMSAGOON
Kalasin

To each his own cyber pace

Re: The Post's January 7, 2007 article on Geriatric Googlers.

Elderly people are highly respected in Thai society. Seeing friendly wais and elderly farang hand in hand with young Thais in downtown Bangkok is proof enough.

What a wonderful place.

Aging grandparents are capable of far more than just looking after babies, playing classical music and sleeping. They can catch up with their net-savvy grandchildren and get to know their way of thinking a bit better.

I sometimes struggle to get the curls the right way round when trying to write the Thai word ngoo (with a falling sound) - and to know that being ngoo doesn't hurt.

It is so comforting to know that even though I might not be successful in learning Thai, I would at least have stimulated my brain regularly to prevent Alzheimers.

And when I see my husband sitting at his computer swearing, I realise that he, too, belongs to the snail's pace group.

RUTH RICHARD
Switzerland

Scouts not prepared for bomb threats

A fine example of coup management is displayed on the front page of the Bangkok Post on 5 January 2007.

There was a picture of a boy scout being taught how to deal with a suspicious object.

Unfortunately, in the current current climate of the country we must assume that there is an all-too-high probability that such suspicious objects might turn out to be bombs.

The image with the boy scout begs many questions.

For one, why would we want any untrained person, much less a boy, to go anywhere near a possible bomb, much less try to defuse it?

Should not anything remotely sinister be avoided and the appropriate authorities called?

Handling and defusing bombs is work that requires years of special training of a kind not generally offered in the worldwide scouting movement.

However, more interesting is the implicit message from the army: You lead and we follow (at a good safe distance where we cannot be harmed or blamed if anything goes wrong).

THE COLONEL (RTD)

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Perspective
Bangkok Post
Monday January 15, 2007