For those of you who listened to western media and wonder what is wrong with Thailand…It is democracy that creates the problem and I really mean that.
This is not to say I am against democracy. In fact, it is the best system in the world still. Democracy is the rule by a majority. It may not necessarily be the best system but it is the rule by a majority. If the majority is misled then it is too bad for the country I suppose… Let me talk in Thai boxing terms:
In the red corner sits the champion with dirty tricks, the red shirt factions which comprise 4 main sub factions:
First, Taksin loyalists. Don’t get me wrong. This former prime minister did a lot of good things for those poor rural folks who had been ignored by politicians in the past. Taksin knows he can rely on them for votes but, instead of promoting productivity, he poured money from either his pockets or the country budget, directly into the villages. Money is always money and it does not matter to the folks on the intention and whether they will benefit in the long run. The folks are forever grateful for the short-term money they received. Thais are not freeloaders and they will always return favors. In this case, they don’t really mind that the government is corrupt as the money is coming from taxes they hardly pay. So it is an easy decision to vote for the guy who pays them and does not take away money from them. A win-win for Taksin’s supporters and Taksin. Is there anything wrong with that? Nothing as long as we maintain our blind faith in democracy.