Bangkok Post: Opinion

Sanitsuda the first thing that needs to happen before any form of reconciliation can take place is for all people involved to understand what the word DEMOCRACY really means, both factions have this word in their names and both factions are about as democratic as Myanmar.
I come from the UK the world's oldest democracy and this is what I consider democracy to be.
Democracy is the power of the people, by the people, for the people where everybody abides by the rule of law and peaceful protest to resolve conficts.
The minute any person crosses the line with regard to the rule of law and attemps to change things by violent means they become anachists and not protesters, and that's what the red and yellow shirts are.

To me, democracy has to start with good foundation and the system of democracy must be built from that good foundation. The voters are just a part of the system. So just to blame the red shirts and the yellow shirts for all the trouble is oversimplification. The voters must be educated so that they understand why they have to cast thier votes. Right now the majority of the voters do not understand this. So forget about the red shirts or the yellow shirts and spend some time on the important things first, e.g. land reform, wealth distrbution, fairness, education, e.c....etc...

The Buddha's teachings are the closest thing we have to a uniform Thai experience.

If we seek enlightened ways to move the nation towards the middle path, the current 'attachment' problems will begin to fade away.

Unfortunately, Enlightenment does not just "happen," it needs conscious effort to cultivate the mind on The Right Path.

The moral/ ethical crisis we have now in Thailand reflects that we as a society have not paid enough attention to the training of the mind, arguably the most important element of Buddhism.

Google "mindfulness" today and you will find how much the West has embraced the gem of Buddhism, vipassana meditation.

Mindfulness, Sati, is what we need. Sati in Buddhist context is not what we normally know. It takes a lot of effort to cultivate but it guarantees wisdom and peace.

The government should effectively promote mindfulness training at all level, starting from the administration itself.

Yes, this is the forceful commentary I was yearning for. Yet, philosophically, I have two objections: (i) a social good need not be framed in a religious context, may it be Judeo-Christian, Buddist, Taoist, Hindu, or any other and (ii) strong idealism and conviction are must from the grassroots and up to ensure meaningful dialogue for a structural democratic change. Let me clarify. A true democracy is evolutionary and not pegged to any religious commandment. Anyone that believes true democracy posses a particular hue or authority is gravely mistaken. The Ancient Greeks essentially coined the term democracy as we make practical use of today in the 6th Century BC, though other ancient cultures also made contributions beforehand to the concept. To anyone reading this post I surely need not describe who participated in the democratic process of that era – MEN of privileged birth and wealth and so forth. Centuries passed before universal sufferage was achieved, that too in limited scope and societies. Plato took a critical swap at democracy even then, as documented in The Republic, in his categories of governance: aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, and tyranny/mob rule. Some Asian societies, including that of Confucian thought, assumed democracy results in the people’s distrust and disrespect of governments or religions. So then, the need of the hour is to define the term democracy as we want to practice today. It can take you to task; you are hard pressed to find an accepted leader of any recognition, local, national, or international willing go on record and claim he or she is not democratic. Don’t be distracted by the term alone. Everyone is a claimant to this idiom. Ultimately it is incumbent on your own society to define and practice what is democratic! My thoughts are that Thailand needs to find ways to not alienate its marginalized populations; it needs to be inclusive. We need to strive for pluralism but be willing to accept pragmatic changes. In order to do that an impeccable leadership is helpful but not compulsory. There are certain milestones in the history of democracy, such as the events of the ancient participatory states of the Indian Subcontinent, Roman Republic, Magna Carta, De Monfort’s Parliament, American Revolution, French Revolution, etc. If you step back and look at these events individually, participatory democracy has always evolved. It is rather naïve to pretend we have mastered democracy as it stands today in the US or Europe. It is often done for self serving purposes to prolong existing socioeconomic structures by the privileged, the members of the leisure class. There are fissures within these societies, too. Supremacy of any thought gains and loses, rises and falls. So in a taxonomic exercise, where would Plato have placed the Thai system of governance? There are certain natural rights that need not be mandated at the benevolence of the state. A compelling self conviction is necessary of the citizens to assert that right. Don’t misunderstand me. I do not advocate violence and heed the message from Gandhi’s “[A]n eye for an eye leaves a whole world blind.” Indiscriminate violence is not the answer, but persistent advocacy for a citizen’s fundamental rights is indispensible. The right to organize for social EQUITY!

Despite rhetoric, there are plenty of studies and publications globally that find homogeneity affords satisfaction and happiness. In other word, we are most satisfied when we are surrounded by those that we assume are just like us. For example, an international survey of a number of countries found the respondents of Sweden, which is one of the most homogenous societies on Earth, are one of the happiest in the world. But what about when we are surrounded by those that we deem are not like us, for example in the Thai society? This is the challenge at hand for the political class, find ways to convince members of the Thai society by action that we’re all in it together. Else the natural level of conflict that exists in all societies simmers and advances to boil. There are way too many unkind examples of what happens when a society rages uncontrollably!

Well to me regardless of democray or dictatorship or whatsoever name you put it.As for religion involve it make thing more complex.I found that so far the best system in this world is namely Nepal & singapore is the best.Nepal it simple life without all the jealous and politician power crazy.Singapore not really demotrcatic/dictatorship but both nation give it people is really call life.Ask ourselves regardless the western or asian countries do they have the way nepal/singapore give life to their people.

Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" more than 40 years ago.

It rings true today.

Red shirt, yellow shirt, who do you think you are to protest during a buddhist holiday. You are all going to Hell. I wish sooner, as you disrespect your country, your country men and women,,,,and YOUR OWN RELIGION!!!!! What gives you the right, either side, to dishonor, discredit and ruin your country.

Take another poll, how many people would prefer the military rule to this shameless fisco.

I have great respect for K. Sanitsuda and for her writting, and I do agree with her points, but the reality is different. In Thailand morality, decency, restraint, honor, and greed all have a higher place in the Thai way of thinking than Buddhist teaching, as evidenced by the current social and political situation in Thailand. Unfortuately, the PR pictures of pius Thais waiing before the Buddha images are mostly good travellog pictures and have nothing to do with the reality of life in modern Thailand.

I live and work in China and when I read about all the recent demonstrations and acts of public disorder in Thailand I was thinking along the same lines as Sanitsuda. Both the yellow and red shirts have been engaged in the very activities that Lord Buddha said would not only hinder our path to enlightenment but destroy the very conditions which would allow individuals to follow the path. If the purportrators of violence want to ignore Lord Buddha then maybe they should think of the Western maxium: a country can only call itself democratic when the party that loses accepts the result. Whether you are a Buddhist or a pro-Western Thai there's no excuse for what has happened.

Re Comment 5 "For example, an international survey of a number of countries found the respondents of Sweden, which is one of the most homogenous societies on Earth, are one of the happiest in the world."
I would be most interested if Khun Sanisuda could find out and give her interpretation as to what make Sweden the happiest society. (What political system, etc. and how the Swede arrive at this state?)