For the past 50 years, Thailand has been tinkering with constitutions and electoral systems in an attempt to produce good governments. Each attempt has failed, but once again another round of charter re-engineering is being proposed.
Surely the lesson of the past month is that power lies in the hands of the people, not just at election time but at all times, and if the people make their voices heard any government _ no matter how great their electoral mandate _ must react accordingly or suffer the consequences.
The solution for Thailand is to encourage the growth of civil society, NGOs and pressure groups to hound politicians every time they stray from the straight and narrow.
As Noam Chomsky said, ''To some degree it matters who is in office, but it matters more how much pressure they are under from the public.''
Dom Dunn
JUST THE FACTS PLEASE
Some writers to PostBag have been lashing out at foreign media for their ''ignorance'' of Thai politics. They frown when the BBC, CNN or the Washington Post refer to the current government as ''democratically elected'', and want these outlets to say the election victories were bought. However, foreign media has a code of ethics. Foreign media reports facts, not speculation, hearsay and rumour.
To those who say this government came to power by buying votes or committing political shenanigans, let them prove it. Otherwise, they should keep their mouths shut.
Somsak Pola
Samut Prakarn
A REALLY GREEN US PRESIDENT?
I was amused to read in last Sunday's Spectrum that New Jersey governor Chris Christie may be considered ''too fat'' to get elected as president of the United States.
When John F Kennedy was president, he urged the American people to exercise more and to even consider taking a 50-mile hike.
And the current first lady, Michelle Obama, has made it her number one cause to urge children to eat more fruits and vegetables.
My advice to Mr Christie if he wishes to improve his chances of becoming president is to read the book The China Study, which notes that among the thousands of Chinese observed who almost exclusively consumed low-fat, plant-based diets, ''obese people simply did not exist''.
Following the dietary guidelines of the book could be Mr Christie's ticket into the White House.
Eric Bahrt
Pattaya
SEVEN-SIDED FOUNDATION
Once again, I'd like to ask readers to remember former PM Anand Panyarachun's Seven Pillars of Sustainable Democracy as a yardstick against which to measure alternatives to move the country forward. These pillars are: elections, political tolerance, the rule of law, freedom of expression, accountability and transparency, decentralisation and civil society.
For example, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra failed in the areas of political tolerance (ramming the amnesty bill through), rule of law (not going after her brother or those who killed 92 red shirts during the 2010 unrest), and accountability and transparency (rampant corruption), but receives a passing mark on elections.
On the other side, Suthep Thaugsuban's proposed people's council fails on freedom of expression and civil society (not allowing politicians or party members to join the People's Council), and elections (appointing the majority of Council members), but passes with respect to decentralisation (direct election of governors and having police report to their provincial governor).
To make progress, Ms Yingluck should, above all, show more integrity in deeds, not just words, and respect the rights of the minority. Mr Suthep should either reform the Democrats from top to bottom, or form a third party that meets the legitimate needs of the underprivileged (for example, universal health care, housing for the poor, an educational system that teaches the poor how to think, not just what to think) so that the party might obtain electoral legitimacy.
For all sides, civil society should be a key player. This means universities should evaluate proposals and play a role in such things as reforming the rice scheme, while the media can promote accountability through unbiased reporting.
The way ahead is hard and long, but we do have Khun Anand's Seven Pillars to guide us.
Burin Kantabutra
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