I was recently invited by the British ambassador to attend a performance of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' organised by The British Council and the British embassy at Chulalongkorn University. I must admit to never having seen Hamlet but I'm glad I finally did because it rather reminded me in parts of what's happening here in Thailand.
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but in the past year Thailand has been in the headlines of international news desks several times. It started off with the military coup, then Yingluck Shinawatra's impeachment, then the gruesome murders on Koh Tao, then the Rohingya crisis, then Thaksin's passport once again being revoked, and finally, with the players of Thai-owned Leicester City Football Club caught on tape misbehaving with Thai bar girls.
"To be, or not to be: that is the question" for Thailand. Do we want to create a more free and fair society and stake our claim on the international stage, or do we create an unjust and unequal society that benefits the few, closing ourselves off to the modern world like a hermit?
As a country, there is no reason why Thailand can't achieve what South Korea has in terms of development. We have the hardware for it. But the reason we fail is down to the software. It's outdated, slow, old fashioned and obsolete. Our leaders must learn to let go of the old and embrace the new, because "all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity".
Just take for example the daily prime-time slot designed to publicise the regime's policy achievements. You'll find it difficult not to fall asleep unless you have a sharp pencil handy to stab yourself in the leg with when you feel you're about to zonk out. The prime minister's weekly TV shows have become so long, even German operas seem short in comparison. This outdated way of communicating with the public is useless. No one is paying attention. Only the funny bits where the prime minister loses his temper go viral on YouTube.
In all honestly, I don't at all feel that Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is a sinister character. To me, he doesn't seem to be vindictive, vengeful, self-serving, capricious or malicious like Hamlet. But he does sometimes remind me of Polonius. But amusing as he was, Polonius's advice to Laertes is particularly relevant to Thailand: "To thine own self be true".
Basically, we must stop lying to ourselves. We are not on the path to reconciliation. As a country we are more divided than ever, because just one silly interview by Thaksin has the junta screaming "O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!"
We are not on a path to democracy. This constitution has declared war on elected representatives and placed ultimate power in the hands of unelected officials in the form of "independent bodies" like the National Anti-Corruption Commission or the judiciary. But more depressingly, we are not on the correct path to creating a better and more harmonious society.
Our politics over the past 10 years has been one huge Shakespearean tragedy. A bitter feud between two rival camps which has resulted in many needless deaths on both sides. A politics fuelled by revenge that would put Hamlet to shame. And many once bright and aspiring leaders now have their lives in tatters for daring to pursue a life in Thai politics.
The Shinawatra clan faces a barrage of criminal court cases. Hundreds of political actors are doomed to eternal political exile. Meanwhile, the aspiring new generation of leaders like Abhisit Vejjajiva and Chaturon Chaisaeng have had their names, quite unfairly, dragged into Thailand's brand of gutter politics.
If the National Reform Council (NRC) really wants to change this country for the better, they should also seek to create an arena where capable, honest and hardworking leaders can participate in politics without sacrificing their reputations, right to privacy, livelihoods and sometimes even their lives.
Because in this political environment, the only people that would gravitate towards a career in politics are the completely insane with suicidal tendencies, or narcissistic career politicians that see politics as a quick way to make a name for themselves.
The NRC must realise that in Thailand the law is an instrument used by those in power to enforce their will upon society. It's nothing to do with justice. Thaksin's passport has been revoked and reinstated several times through different administrations by invoking the same law.
An amnesty bill has been declared unconstitutional when it's for Thaksin but totally constitutional when it's for the junta, by invoking the same law. Multi-billion dollar high-speed train projects have been quashed under the Pheu Thai government, but approved without the Constitutional Court raising an eyebrow, all by invoking the same law.
As Hamlet said in his soliloquy, "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all". Thailand desperately needs leaders to be capable of not just doing what is legal, but leaders with the conscience to also be willing to do what is right.
Songkran Grachangnetara is an entrepreneur. He graduated from The London School of Economics and Columbia University. He can be reached at Twitter: @SongkranTalk