As long as our culture is deeply rooted in militarism and racism, don't expect a smooth ride towards democracy. I've come to this conclusion after trying to understand why a large number of educated middle-class people still support military dictatorship or why the so-called pro-democracy groups refuse to question Thaksin's authoritarianism.
You might argue that as arch enemies, the Prayut and Thaksin rules are worlds apart. But are they?
The Thaksin-Yingluck governments provoked widespread anger for glaring abuse of power that mocked ethical standards and implied large-scale corruption. They pushed for megaprojects that will destroy local livelihoods and the environment. They turned a blind eye to state complicity in human trafficking and slave labour. They allowed abuse of the lese majeste law for political gains. And they dismissed not only the aspirations of the southern Muslims for administrative decentralisation, but also the same calls for other parts of the country.
What difference has the military regime made?
Admit it, had it not been for boycott threats from the European Union and the United States, there would have been no policy moves to clean up the fishing industry and crackdown on human trafficking rackets.
The military regime has not only pushed for environmentally-destructive projects of its arch enemy, it has also passed laws and regulations to speed them up. Local resistance is silenced by military might. Controversial projects include mining in protected forests, fracking in Isan villages, a deep-sea port at Pak Bara that will annihilate the Andaman Sea, and the promenade that will destroy a long stretch of the Chao Phraya River.
Meanwhile, crackdowns on the forest poor have become more lethal. So has the abuse of the lese majeste law to silence political dissents.
All these moves - including pushing the Rohingya boat people out to sea, the PM's daily blitz against the press, his disdainful remarks about "stupid" rice farmers, or his latest gaffe by comparing the Uighurs migrants with breeding animals - are outrageous and unacceptable. Yet they are understandable given where he comes from.
Like other soldiers, PM Prayut has been trained in a system that is deeply feudal and authoritarian. Its patriotism is one that is rooted in the myth of racial purity of ethnic Thais, or racism. Its main mission is territorial defence against outsiders, who then need to be dehumanised first before being obliterated. Meanwhile, the Thainess it advocates means complete submission to authority, military-style.
Should we be surprised then with what he is doing and saying?
As national leader, his views that are out of touch with the modern world are worrying. But what is a lot more alarming is how they still strike a chord with a large segment of society, particularly those who consider themselves urbane and well-educated.
For me, it is more shocking to see supposedly educated people pouring hate on migrants and asylum seekers and lambasting international organisations and the West as imperialists for interfering with our internal matters.
In fervent support for the regime, they casually discard the fact that labour exploitation violates both human rights and basic morality.
Education is believed to be a panacea for many ills in society. It is supposed to bridge disparity and teach us a sense of decency. We must ask what kind of education we have that teaches people it is okay to discriminate and exploit while keeping the door to life's opportunities open only to the privileged few.
Despite our economic advances, our society is still deeply hierarchical - and patriarchal - with widening disparity. Unfortunately, our education system hasn't helped. Apart from catering for the privileged few, it functions as a tool to instil militarism and cultural bigotry in young minds. It is why exploitation of the poor - and women - has not disappeared with economic development. And why ethnic discrimination is still alive and well among supposedly cosmopolitan city people.
To restore democracy, the military must return to the barracks. But that's not enough.
The charter writers want to make us believe the new constitution will pave the way for real democracy. That's nonsense. Unless we get rid of the militarism in our heads, the weak and poor will continue to suffer under ballot-box democracy. And doing away with military dictatorship will remain a mere illusion.
Sanitsuda Ekachai is editorial pages editor, Bangkok Post.