OPINION

Battle for democracy

Re: "Tradition corrupts", (Postbag, Jan 10)

In his letter, Felix Qui has some fine ideals and aspirations for democracy. What he forgets, though, is the fact that democracy has to be fought for. History tells us that it takes time and effort and anyone with any basic knowledge of history knows this as an indisputable fact.

Thailand has been in a struggle to achieve democracy since 1932. Things have changed little in the past 88 years. Military or ex-military rule has been in place after coups galore, and almost all of them made possible because nepotism has been used to further personal financial agenda.

Let's not forget that Thaksin Shinawatra won by a landslide thanks to unrealistic promises. He ordered a "drug war" in which 2,500 people were killed and used government projects for the benefit of his and his family.

His sister, Yingluck, was no better as she was merely his and his cronies' puppet, allowing corruption and trying to get a pardon for her brother.

As an example of democracy can we consider history again for a minute? The UK achieved the basis of a constitutional monarchy over hundreds of years between King John and the Magna Carta (1215) and when Charles I was beheaded in 1649.

France came later in 1789 with a bloody revolution that led them into a ruinous dictatorship under Napoleon, while Russia also launched a rebellion and instigated a communist dictatorship in 1917.

China did the same more recently when Mao Tse-tung starved more than 40 million people to death in a move to consolidate the country under communist ideals. Now it is under a dictatorship that is somewhere between communist and capitalist but certainly oppressive.

Democracy, by its very nature, is subject to criticism and from time to time is tested. The strength of a developed democratic society is how voters react and how much elected people in charge take heed of their voters' wishes, and yet remember those who voted in the minority.

The UK election last year proved that democracy can work. Some might argue that Britain's electoral system is not a true reflection of voters' wishes, but a referendum does provide an unarguable definitive decision.

Thailand has a lot to learn. An overblown army with far too many generals, ingrained corruption in every government agency and scant regard for the workers who have made them rich needs to be addressed.

This cannot be achieved in a few months, years or even decades and the young Turks, billionaires or not, need to prove themselves worthy of the task and not fall into the usual trap of the money trough as has happened time and again.

Tradition is safe

To claim that tradition corrupts is a rather fallacious, far-flung statement. To claim that a few traditions might corrupt would be more to keeping with the reality of things. Most traditions, whether we see them as good or bad, depending on our personal backgrounds and cultures, are what keeps most societies bound together, and have done so for ages.

Cannibalism was, (and still is in New Guinea), a tradition. We do not condone it, but then, we do not eat each other, (thus far). Most religions follow tradition.

Most societies follow tradition. Monarchies the world over are traditional. Traditions make us feel safe, part of a whole, and protected. Yes, some traditions should either be changed or abandoned, but this is in the eyes of the beholder.

Don't blame the sun

Although 99% of scientists agree climate change is happening and that humans are the primary cause, Michael Setter clearly knows better. No amount of evidence will change Mr Setter's mind, of course, because it is set on what he wants to believe.

Maybe he should watch the TED talk by Philip Fernbach on "Why do we believe things that aren't true?" in which he uses the Flat Earth Society as an example of people who are incapable of changing their minds.

Mr Setter picks on one of a number of myths being circulated, often by conspiracy theorists, that the sun is the most significant cause of climate change.

The evidence against this myth is extensive and anyone can read it on the internet. But allow me to quote a summary from one site, www.skepticalscience.com:

"Over the last 35 years the sun has shown a cooling trend. However global temperatures continue to increase. If the sun's energy is decreasing while the Earth is warming, then the sun can't be the main control of the temperature.

"Some people try to blame the sun for the current rise in temperatures by cherry picking the data. They only show data from periods when sun and climate data track together. They draw a false conclusion by ignoring the last few decades when the data shows the opposite result."

Jennifer Hertzberg, a US paleoclimatologist, said: "Global temperatures that we're seeing now are higher than they have been in the last 2,000 years. What we're seeing now is uncharted territory. It's time for everybody to wake up and make changes now."