Stifling public discourse will only provoke dissent

Stifling public discourse will only provoke dissent

The key phrase, in Thai, is eud ad. It means frustrated, ill at ease, feeling discomfort, cramped, suffocated or stifled.

It was the word that prompted the military to come down hard on Nattaya Waewweerakoupt, the host of the Voices of the People that Change Thailand programme on Thai PBS.

The episode that irked the military into action was produced in the southern city of Hat Yai and aired on Nov 8.

The programme normally starts with a short documentary to introduce the issues to be taken up in the following group discussion featuring people from various walks of life.

In her introduction of the discussion, Nattaya told the audience her initial attempt to engage the speakers on the chosen issue — the development of the Southern peninsula — failed to elicit as lively responses as could be expected.

She said she felt the speakers were being restrained from expressing themselves in the way they normally would. She then decided to ask the speakers what was causing the state of unease among them.

That had the effect of opening the proverbial can of worms. Speaker upon speaker poured out their thoughts about how oppressed they feel by the current situation under military rule.

"When we talk about reform, we talk about doing something progressive, leading to significant change. Only progressive and fair rules will lead to just reform," said one speaker.

"The problem is such rules do not exist. Whatever good ideas, strategies or plans of action we may have, they cannot be carried out under the existing conditions."

Another speaker said: "I feel oppressed. I am confused about who I am and what country I live in. Where are my rights as a citizen?

"I love this country just like anybody else, and I want to see reform to solve national problems. But reform under restrictions that allows no difference of opinions is not reform. The voices of the people are nothing; there are none."

A third speaker summed it up: "I feel stifled. I'm frustrated with the military and with the National Council of Peace and Order (NCPO), who don't understand the people.

"Nothing the regime has done so far will lead to any real solutions because they don't understand the people. That's why I feel stifled."

At the outset of the programme, Nattaya let on that her guests would be making comments that few would dare utter in the open. But now these words were being broadcast for all to hear.

No wonder the military was upset. These candid comments went against the NCPO's explicit order prohibiting criticism of the military regime by anybody including the media.

When Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha launched the coup, his rationale was to prevent possible bloodshed from ongoing political conflicts and to bring about national reconciliation and reform.

The imposition of martial law brought calm to the country initially. However, it is becoming evident that a strong undercurrent of discontent remains and is growing as time passes.

We were led to believe that Gen Prayut's regime would limit itself to trying to accomplish its stated goals within a limited time-frame of no more than a year and a half. His would be an administration in transition, trying to keep the country afloat while the reform agenda was formulated and a new charter drafted.

Nothing in what he initially told the nation prepared us for what would follow. Through martial law, the military not only put the lid on political opposition between the red and yellow camps, but on all forms of expression.

What's worse, the regime has reinstated development projects that aroused fierce protests during the previous administration. But this time it refuses to hear opinions that are different to its own and any dissent is dealt with swiftly.

The military putsch may have taken the country back five decades in political terms. But nothing can stop time advancing. Nor can wider progress be reversed.

Arguments can be made about the degree to which Thai people understand true democracy. But the public has undeniably become familiar with how democracy works over the past few decades, however flawed that familiarisation has been.

We have learned that we have basic rights, including the right to privacy and freedom of expression.

We have also learned that we have the right to access justice and to participate in decision-making on matters affecting our lives, natural resources and the environment.

Now those rights have been stripped from citizens. But no force will be able to strip the people of their shared experience and aspirations.

The military junta should be cautioned to remember that whatever action it takes could be perceived as suppressive and would only intensify those aspirations.

A tight lid on a boiling kettle will soon blow off. That's a truism. Public expression in violation of martial law has so far been peaceful. But if the steam cannot be let off in constructive ways, the state of peace will inevitably be broken.

But perhaps there's a silver lining. The stifled political atmosphere may be leading to shifting alliances in political forces. The more moderate factions of the red and yellow camps may now find common ground to mend fences.

Some portions of the silent majority have meanwhile been roused from their slumber. These two factors could make a formidable argument for lifting martial law.


Wasant Techawongtham is former news editor, Bangkok Post.

Wasant Techawongtham

Freelance Reporter

Freelance Reporter and Managing Editor of Milky Way Press.

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