EDITORIAL
The jingoistic drumbeat has got louder after cameras at a Manchester City football game spotted a Thai flag bearing the name "Thaksin". The local press has called it a "scandal" and activist Veera Somkwamkit wants police to arrest former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who owns Manchester City, for allowing the flag to be displayed.
Even the opposition Democrat party is calling for an investigation. Democrat MP Sirichoke Sopha called a press conference to announce that he had never seen a flag that large in his 10 years studying in England.
The flag is a country's symbol. The concern that the honour of the Thai flag could be compromised by the incident is understandable and justified, but it shouldn't be fanned into nationalistic fury. In fact, as many football players have pointed out, enscribing a flag with a football player's name is fairly common practice. This implies that some unwitting fans most likely are to blame. Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama has already said that Mr Thaksin was "uncomfortable and upset" to learn that his name was printed on the flag and displayed during the game. For his part, Mr Thaksin has already asked supporters not to do it again.
It would be a waste of time for Parliament to debate this any further. It is precisely the kind of non-issue designed solely to divide society and play on base emotions of fear and hatred.
It is certainly common for the country's conservative forces to accuse its political opponents of trying to undermine the pledge to uphold "Nation, Religion and King". But it is unwise to walk down this road once again. The petty politicking that has become commonplace is truly a disservice to the country, and all politicians who engage in these tactics are actually hurting the nation much more than someone who stitches a name on a flag.
The opposition party has been particularly disappointing in this regard. Instead of holding press conferences to demand that the government investigates a flag displayed halfway across the world, Democrat party leaders should get together and come up with a coherent stance on constitutional changes.
According to Democrat spokesman Ong-Art Klampaiboon, the party still hasn't reached a conclusion on whether it supports changing the controversial Articles 237 or 309. What is it waiting for? The opposition should be providing real leadership on this issue, instead of hiding behind the radicalism of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which opposes anything that might slightly benefit the PPP rather than looking at how the country's democracy might be improved.
As more "sensitive" patriotism issues come to the fore, it is obvious that some in the country's corridors of power are seeking to divert attention away from real progress that could make the country a better place.
The same fissures that led to the 2006 coup remain today, and the most extreme voices in society still manage to grab all the headlines. In some cases, the most fanatical voices are the journalists themselves.
It is time for the moderates to stand up. The country's leaders - whether they are in or outside of the political sphere - must adhere to the sufficiency economy philosophy of His Majesty the King and find a middle way. The voices of reason must overtake those who care only about their own power. Unfortunately, none of our leaders - whether in the government, opposition, bureaucracy or military - has shown the courage to really put the country first. That is the real patriotism problem facing Thailand; not some flag shown at a football stadium in England.
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