The Jolly Ol' Coup

When the news broke, it did come as a surprise. Military coups just don't happen a lot nowadays, compare to a few decades ago at the height of the Cold War. At least that was my impression. The last major coup I know was when General Pervez Musharraf took over the government in Pakistan in 1999. There had been feeble attempts by factions of the Philippines army to stage coups but failed ignominously. So when the news about the Thai coup reached me, it sounded almost surreal. At the same time, in the back of my head, I thought: "Hey, after all, this is Thailand. Those people over there have coups almost as often as people change underwear." Certainly not a politically-correct sentiment to have, but then I don't want to assume to know what's best for the Thai people, as if the kind of soft authoritarian rule in Malaysia is significantly better. Still, the coup didn't come as a total surprise for the Thai people; the rumor mill had been whirring on for quite a while, spreading morsels of half-truths about possible intervention of the military to break the political impasse. But then, after fourteen years of democratic lull, people didn't really lend much credence to the possible reassertion of military in Thai national politics. I bet it was still somewhat a rude awakening when people got out of bed that morning (the coup happened at night).

What's even fascinating and a bit frightening is that an overwhelming majority of Thai people support the coup. I was at aacaan Kannikar's house having dinner last Friday and I was a bit surprised that she and Laa (another native Thai) evinced an implicit support for the coup throughout our conversation on the topic. Both of them are educated and enlightened enough that one think they would be quick to condemn anti-democratic maneuvering in any manifestations. Prajaak, another Thai friend of mine who was also at the dinner, shared his discomfort of this outpouring of support for the coup. He said that most Thai people called it a "democratic coup," the coup to save Thai democracy. This is wrong on so many levels. In a literal sense, the term "democratic coup" itself is an oxymoron. If one practices democracy, there will be no coups. If coups exist, then there is no democracy. And the carousel goes on. Democracy should be, to use a hackneyed political science dictum, "the only game in town," in which the rules of political engagement have to be respected and obeyed by all, winners and losers alike. And the phrase "the coup to save Thai democracy" is so damn lame, just like the infamous WWI epithet "War to end all wars." There will never be any more coups in a democratic Thailand, just like we never again have to suffer through any wars after WWI.

I don't want to sound pessimistic but if this is the excuse for the coup, Thai democracy is in for a long, drawn-out struggle. How can one have a fully functioning democracy when the military comes storming in at the slightest bit of trouble? This coup will set a bad precedent for the future. It means that democracy is NOT "the only game in town," and its rules can be subverted at will by any non-democratic elements in the society. One must remember that democracy is not all bed of roses, and it cannot be simply assembled and dissembled like blocks of Lego; Iraq's case is a perfect example. Democracy is about negotiation and compromise; though frustrating at times, there are no other options unless if one regresses to absolute rule. I'm sure there are forces within the Thai society and the royal palace that long for the golden days of absolute monarchy. Will that be you, Privy Councillor Prem? Still, no coup could ever be carried out without the consent of the King, and the question remains if this coup was personally engineered by King Bhumibon himself or by his royal consorts and the pro-royalist faction? The answer is irrelevant; the bottom line is it's undemocratic and it should be roundly condemned.

Note: Both pics are from the NY Times. The first one shows the military junta giving press conference in a very austere and spartan (how apt!) room (except for the Thai military emblem in the background). The second pic shows a couple of monks taking pictures with the tank as a way to symbolize the widespread and popular support of the people for the coup.