What next after judicial deja vu?

POLITICS

Published: 13 Jul 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The sense of deja vu that pervades Thailand's political landscape in the lead-up to the Constitution Court's decision Friday on whether the lower house has violated the charter by trying to amend it harbours short- and longer-term implications.

Police stand ready at a reinforced Constitution Court, for the Friday the 13th verdict. (AFP Photo)

In the immediate term, the court can either back off to allow the legislation to run its course or opt for a jugular verdict that would unseat the national assembly and upend the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. A middling outcome would be to hedge against wholesale revision of the charter and to circumscribe amendments to certain articles and sections.

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majority
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Discussion 23 : 13 Jul 2012 at 17.2023
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"Thailand's problem is that those who keep winning elections are not allowed to rule, whereas others who ultimately call the shots cannot win elections." Exactly!
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hawaiiman
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Discussion 22 : 13 Jul 2012 at 16.4622
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One explanation of the threats and extreme remarks credited to some of the red leaders: they're like a new driver, not used to control and wildly swinging the car from one side of the road to the other. Sometimes they don't know whether to watch the road ahead or the rear view mirror.
I am hoping they will calm down and get more comfortable and responsible with the trust the voters have given them.
Congratulations are due for the wise decision of the court today. I hope those same red shirt leaders realize it was a ruling of law, not a response to their threats and intimidation.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 21 : 13 Jul 2012 at 16.1521
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@hillfarang #18: Should we all also all respect the military arm of this government or do you want to argue that the red-shirt and their often threatening behavior has nothing to do with the Shinawatra government?
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samut
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Discussion 20 : 13 Jul 2012 at 14.2120
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These are the pictures to boost investor’s confidence and keep the ordinary citizen happy.
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wakeup
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Discussion 19 : 13 Jul 2012 at 13.3319
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Ian #15 - EXACTLY - the people elected, PTP cannot call the shots, the people unable to be elected (because they are hiding abroad & are convicted criminals), like Thaksin Shinawatra, keep calling the shots. What a disgrace and at the root of the problem. Couldn't agree more!
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hillfarang
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Discussion 18 : 13 Jul 2012 at 13.0818
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"They [the reds] see the judiciary, along with the army and the Privy Council, as going against their electoral choices and rights."

Exactly... I concur, a well thought out & written article. But here, in his own words is the difference: The previously disenfranchised rural North are now well-organized and potentially militant. They are tired of the conundrum expressed by D@15 that those who will elections are constantly thwarted or side-tracked by the judiciary (appointed by the military) or hidden threats of coups.

Here's the "new reality:" The country is coup-weary & expects there to be respect of their elected government by the ruling elite. That's where the tension resides.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 17 : 13 Jul 2012 at 12.2917
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@bkposter #14, you write: “In my opinion military coups are the biggest subversion of Democracy that is possible”
How about trying to destroy all checks and balances? How about super corrupt politicians? How about mob rule? How about changing laws and the constitution for the benefit of one fugitive criminal? Are these also subversions of democracy?
I don’t say the coup or the military government after that or the Abhisit government was good but what the Shinawatras do has little or nothing to do with democracy!
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ricefield
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Discussion 16 : 13 Jul 2012 at 10.3716
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Disc 10 - The fact that we are all sitting waiting for a verdict shows that the present charter has some, if not a lot of, flaws.
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Ian
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Discussion 15 : 13 Jul 2012 at 10.2515
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"Thailand's problem is that those who keep winning elections are not allowed to rule, whereas others who ultimately call the shots cannot win elections."

In a nutshell, perfectly expressed.
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bkposter
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Discussion 14 : 13 Jul 2012 at 10.0814
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Re: D3 Whatajoke you claim: "Peua Thai are subverting the spirit of democracy" How so?
It seems the opposite is what is happening.
We still have the same courts that were appointed by the military the day after the coup.. them seem to following the same agenda as the military had. Would you call that a democratic process in the "spirit of democracy"?
In my opinion military coups are the biggest subversion of Democracy that is possible..and it has happened 19 times already..so ask your self why 19 coups and 33 constitutions were necessary? and none of those were with the input of the electorate. does re-gain the power lost in the election come to mind? does might make right?
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