Re: ''Business groups stand down after Yingluck issues pledge,'' (Business, Nov 11).
I back the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand and Federation of Thai Capital Market Organisations which have ended their involvement in the protest movements now that the government has apparently agreed to kill the expanded amnesty bill _ although I'm sure they'll be wary that Thaksin Shinawatra will try to revive the concept at the first opportunity.
Standing down from the protests now has many benefits for democracy, and no costs: (a) It will give everybody time to cool down, so light, not heat, can be shed on the issues. The cooling-off period will also allow the public to separate the bill from the Preah Vihear case.
(b) The goal of most protesters was to kill the amended bill _ not to overthrow the government by undemocratic means. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has agreed to that aim, and must now be allowed to show if she's in good faith.
(c) Pheu Thai's dogged insistence on expanding the bill, even though all parties except Thaksin had repeatedly said that they didn't want an amnesty, to me clearly showed that Thaksin was very willing to trade off seeking justice for the 92 killed in return for his money and a whitewash _ which is why Nattawut Saikuar, Weng Tojirakarn and others didn't vote for the amended version. A cooling-down period will give red shirts more time to ponder this key point, rather than being swept up in their leaders' attempts to divert their attention to defending the Yingluck government against mob rule.
(d) It will give the Democrats time to realise that having lost election after election, they've lost touch with the voters, and they must reinvent themselves and articulate a long-term vision, philosophy and course of action to again make them a viable, attractive alternative.
Stand down, but be alert.
BURIN KANTABUTRA
Maybe it's election time
In a mature democracy, there is one simple rule. If you want to run things, win an election.
The Democrat Party, which has not won a national election in 30 years, is attempting to punch above its weight.
As an expat, I don't care which party wins an election _ that is the business of Thai people. But I do care about living in a civil society with a functioning democracy. When Abhisit Vejjajiva speaks against reconciliation _ egged on by the media, the banks and unelected ''experts'' whose opinions can always be found in the Bangkok Post _ he does not speak for the Thai people.
In The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton warned against what he characterised as ''the violence of faction'', where a minority impose their will on a majority. Far too many of my countrymen hate Barack Obama more than they love the United States. Conversely, far too many Bangkok Thais hate Thaksin more than they love Thailand. What kind of patriots are such people?
Incorrect ideas are reinforced by living in an echo chamber where everyone around you reinforces your thoughts. But the Thai people get to decide with their votes the path of the nation. Not The Nation, not Bangkok Bank, not the Chamber of Commerce, not the yellow shirts.
In the US, my choices have won elections and lost elections. When they won, they governed. When they lost, I respected the democratically expressed will of the voters, and the beaten party learned from the defeat and worked hard to win the next time around. In the interim, the winner governed.
The Thai people voted overwhelmingly for Pheu Thai, and its predecessor Thai Rak Thai. Pheu Thai represents the democratically expressed hopes and aspirations of the Thai people. Had the Democrats won, they could have made the same claim. But they didn't. So they can't.
Perhaps it is time to call snap elections and once again let the Thai people decide. Maybe this time the losers will respect the results.
THE MAD FARANG
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