Writing an article in the midst of martial law is not the most intelligent thing to do. But I’m going to do it anyway because I believe what I’m about to write is in the public interest.
An armed soldier stands guard at Ratchaprasong intersection after the declaration of martial law. Somchai Poomlard
As soon as martial law was declared my Facebook and Twitter account were buzzing with people asking me what this declaration meant and questioning whether we are heading towards our 19th military coup.
Let me put my head on the chopping block and put forth my own analysis. If I’m wrong I deserve a big slice of humble pie for supper.
In my view martial law will not be the pretext for another military coup; rather it is the pretext for People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban and his followers to be able to step down with minimum humiliation.
Ask any military general — if someone has to hoodwink their troops into fighting 13 “final” battles to save the nation, it’s a genuine sign of desperation. Out of political options, out of allies and more importantly out of cash, Mr Suthep is, in a way, begging to be put out of his misery.
The PDRC, in essence, want what President Nixon wanted towards the end of the Vietnam War — “Peace with honour”, and a face-saving measure for a war that could never be won.
This declaration of martial law is being stage-managed and all the actors are ready to play their part. But for once this may be a good sign. I vehemently believe that anyone who has been on the side of the PDRC in this epic political struggle will be on the wrong side of history.
The Democrat Party’s intimate association with a movement brimming with fascist tendencies was more or less the final electoral nail in its coffin and will probably permanently taint the once spritely careers of many promising politicians, several of whom are my best friends.
The PDRC has failed miserably. They won’t admit it, but the truth hurts and so it should. These protests have more or less wiped a couple of percentage points off our GDP. They have made our society even more divided and irreparably damaged our reputation as a peace loving Buddhist nation.
More pertinently, they have raised reasonable doubt about the impartiality of our judiciary and independent agencies, which has shaken Thailand’s political and social foundations to the very core.
However, our immediate future rests upon the broad shoulders of the army chief, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha. All eyes will now be on him and the international press are all but ready for another modern-day military coup to make headlines.
I come from a family with a proud military tradition. Therefore, I realise the sense of responsibility these men feel when the nation is on the brink of civil war. Although their natural instincts tell them to do so, they have yet to give in to their desires and have so far resisted the urge to seize power. This is encouraging.
Once again the mighty military will play the role as final arbiter in our conflicts. But this time history doesn’t have to repeat itself. The army will be fully aware that there is a huge difference between seizing power and governing a nation of 67 million people.
By all accounts the last coup-installed government under Gen Surayud Chulanont was an unmitigated disaster. The army-backed Abhisit Vejjajiva administration was a belly flop of biblical proportions.
But more importantly, this time, a military junta will have a steaming mass of red-shirt activists to contend with because it’s unlikely they will take this one lying down.
Therefore, I would urge the army to take this rare opportunity to bring peace back to this nation.
Only the army can force both sides of this conflict to come to heel. Thaksin Shinawatra and his political machinery should also take this opportunity to put the public interest before their own political machinations, while the PDRC and the Democrat Party have to acknowledge that suspending democracy whenever it suits them can never be the answer.
We all know reform is desperately needed but the army must realise that the nation is too divided for an appointed prime minister who lacks legitimacy. We must cease and desist in doing the right thing the wrong way. We must take the high road and do the right thing the right way for a change, and that means a programme of reform that is done within the parameters of democracy.
Forget about an “impartial” prime minister. There is no such person at this stage of the conflict, and it would be naive to think otherwise. The only “impartial” individuals in Thailand at this point are “the people”, and in a democracy the highest office of the land has to be occupied by someone who the people have chosen.
Songkran Grachangnetara is an entrepreneur. He graduated from The London School of Economics and Columbia University. He can be reached at Twitter: @SongkranTalk