Gothom pushes for democratic Thailand

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Gothom pushes for democratic Thailand

Published: 4 Oct 2012 at 10.52
Online news: Politics

A veteran peace advocate is proposing a new platform for political dialogue and peace with key issues such as charter amendment and decentralisation being discussed in a bid to create an environment conducive to finding a way out of the long-running, polarised conflict.

Gothom Arya, lecturer in human rights and peace studies at Mahidol University, said he began his year-long "Platform for a Peaceful and Democratic Thailand" project in February and plans to put forward some ideas for national discussion on Oct 27 and 28.

The project, sponsored indirectly by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses on four issues -- participatory constitutional amendment, equality and dignity, education for civility, and decentralisation.

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Aussie John
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Discussion 1 : 04 Oct 2012 at 12.451
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Gothom might start with one of the core origins of conflict in Thailand that what comes out of the archaic 'patronage system'. A system that is a hotbed of nepotism and corruption across all of the kingdom. A democracy can not flourish as long as there are patrimonial elite families controlling the economy and the nation. The public needs to be educated how democratic values are the opposite to the social enigma of a neo-feudal state. Its a major socio/cultural issue that's only ever discussed but never dealt with. Breaking its hold in the fledgling democracy would go a long way.
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Gothom pushes for democratic Thailand | Bangkok Post: news