Fifth, democracy has to have the components which are the requisites of a democratic system. These components include the existence of a sizable middle class, a somewhat high degree of educational attainment among the populace, a moderate degree of urbanization, the presence of responsible mass media, etc. But of most importance is the economic factor. It is a cliché that if one is not economically independent, one cannot be politically independent. As long as the people cannot make both ends meet, it would be difficult to talk about democratic ideology and political responsibility. As an army walks on its stomach, so is the democratic process. Ideal and ideology may nurture the soul and maintain dignity, but the stomach must be filled before one can talk about the abstract values of idealism and egalitarianism. This economic factor could be supportive of democratic development as attested by the case of South Korea. The economic growth of South Korea helped bolster the country’s democracy. In the same vein, an under-developed economy with an inequitable income distribution could pose asa big hurdle for a sustainable development of a viable democratic political system. If the country is plagued with poverty most notably among the rural poor or the grass roots, the chance for a smooth development of democracy is slim. In the case of Thailand, the economic factor can be argued to be partly responsible for the rampant vote-buying which negatively affects the democratic system in operation most notably in the past three decades.