GUEST COLUMN / INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The US government should study the historical, political, economic and social background of its allies before delving into their internal affairs, writes AMARIN KHOMAN
The recent visit of US Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates has instilled a surprising sense of anti-Americanism in many Thais. What business of his was it to deliver a message to Thai leaders on Sunday, June 1, 2008 that Washington expected the Thai military to respect its civilian control and refrain from any attempts to seize power?
Before coming to Thailand, did Mr Gates have the chance to study the history, politics, economics, and social background of Thailand? Did anyone inform Mr Gates of how Thai politicians gain the power to establish a government in Thailand? In other words, did anyone mention to him that in a Thai democracy, almost all political parties buy their votes in order to be elected and form a government, and when these politicians gain power, they will try to recoup their investment?
For decades the Thai people have been misled and misinformed by those in power, and have therefore never experienced the true values and benefits of democracy. Those in power continue to mislead the Thai people in order to reap benefits through corrupt governance, which in return results in the continual poverty of the Thai populace. As the suffering increases, these past and present powers have steadfastly insisted on taking advantage of the people for their own personal gain.
All this notwithstanding, Mr Gates' message clearly shows interference by the United States government in Thai domestic affairs. We are not one of the 50 US states. Why doesn't Mr Gates mind his own business?
Don't forget that about 12 years ago US hedge funds attacked the Thai currency and created tremendous economic and social disaster for millions of Thais and others throughout the region. US hedge funds, together with inept and corrupt Thai politicians, attacked the currency and made millions of people suffer. This exploitation is worse than robbery or terrorism.
US hedge funds are today causing an enormous number of problems, through speculation on agricultural products and oil, creating widespread hardship throughout the world.
Mr Gates mentioned that the United States has "no better ally in Asia" than Thailand. But in the past several decades, not only have we been attacked by US hedge funds, the US has also taken advantage of every aspect of its trade with Thailand, without thinking of how it would impact the livelihood of its people.
The US government should learn to solve its own problems first - such as Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran and even certain Latin American countries - before delving into the internal affairs of its allies.
Cycle of government
During the events prior to the September 2006 coup, thousands of Thai people took to the streets to chase away what they thought was one of the most corrupt governments in the history of Thailand. Before the situation got any worse, the Thai military intervened and kicked out the government in order to restore order.
However, due to decades of being weakened by politicians, the military formed an ineffectual government that did almost nothing to get rid of corruption or build a solid democratic society, much less tackle domestic issues and the economic crisis. After one-and-a-half years of military-backed rule, the problems of the Thai people continued to worsen with each passing day.
With the passage of power to a new elected government in January of this year, the crucial matter is that the Thai people believe the old and corrupt powers are still in control. It is a well-known fact that during the last election there was a considerable amount of vote-buying. The old powers had once again interfered with Thailand's democratic institutions, continuing to mislead the people for personal benefit.
Mr Gates, in consideration of the aforementioned events in Thai politics, do you consider Thailand a democracy? You visited Singapore before you came to Thailand. What hidden agenda did you have to discuss with the Singaporean government? The United States and Singapore share a strong bond, but Singapore has a lot of interests in Thailand as well.
News headlines proclaim that the "US wants Thailand to remain a democracy," but first of all, one must know about Thai political history. For 76 years Thailand has vacillated between a civilian democratic government and a military government. In most cases, when the civilian government became corrupt and created hardship for the people, the military intervened for a certain period of time. When and if the military government does not perform well, the people then will ask for a new elected government.
This cycle between civilian and military government in Thailand can be looked on as a sort of checks-and-balances mechanism. It could also be said that in general military governments have been much less corrupt than civilian governments, as they operate on a more straightforward basis. Several military governments in the past have actually contributed a lot to Thai society, while civilian governments, on many occasions, have created corruption and hardship for the people.
This is not to say that the military governments have been ideal; they have delivered their share of bad governance as well. By far the worst military government in Thailand was the previous one, which did almost nothing other than lower public morale.
A visitor to Thailand today can see thousands of people taking to the streets again, to chase away what they consider to be a nominee government of the old powers.
Nowadays almost every Thai economic sector, such as agriculture, suffers a lot from the free trade agreements previous governments made with other countries without first seeking public consent. Small-to-medium business owners are suffering as certain foreign investors pour into Thailand and place them at a competitive disadvantage.
These actions have ruined the livelihood of many Thais as they are forced to close down their shops and companies. It is clear that government has not been looking after the best interests of the Thai people.
Many-faceted democracy
We Thais want a "real" democracy. We want a "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."
We do not want a government of a certain group, by a certain group, and for a certain group. We do not want a democracy that resorts to closing the eyes and ears of the nation's citizens, and misleads them into selling their votes.
The late US president Abraham Lincoln once said, "I have faith in the people. Let them know the truth and the country is safe."
The Thai armed forces are entrusted with the main duty to protect and serve the Kingdom, the Buddhist religion, the King, and the Thai people.
If any of those institutions suffer, it is the responsibility of every Thai sector, including the military, to help solve the nation's problems.
Mr Gates, when one talks about democracy, one has to understand the entire background of the country.
One cannot compare the democratic system implemented in the UK, in Scandinavian countries, and in the United States, to that of Thailand.
There are many facets and dimensions to democracy in every country, and Thailand is no exception.
What we want in Thailand is to have a government that really dedicates itself to work for the well-being of the people, for the stability of the country, and for the King.
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