All dressed up in riot gear and nowhere to go. Such was the plight of two dozen Thai police officers stewing in boredom last weekend near one of Bangkok's busier nightlife districts.
Thai elections tend to be anarchic affairs for the keepers of order, with protests often deteriorating into violence. This time was different; tear gas canisters sat unused after the victory of allies of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
...
Much is forgiven when an economy scores high growth rates. In 2010, Thailand grew the fastest in 15 years. Yet stability matters, too. The longer Thailand goes without it, the further it falls behind China. Just a decade ago, Thailand was a democratic oasis in a region of autocrats. Today, it's a political basket case.
That gets at a bigger question: why is Asia's democratic process so messy?
Thailand is Exhibit A; political demonstrations last year alone led to 91 deaths. What Thailand and its 67 million people prove is that elections aren't enough, says a report from the United Nations Development Program, titled Understanding Electoral Violence in Asia.
In recent decades, a view developed that untroubled contests were the ultimate prize. Yet, the report says, ''seeing elections as a test of democratic development, rather than a goal in themselves, provides a better conceptualisation of the processes that are needed to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections''.
read full article:
Shinawatra's likely return good for Thaksin Inc but not for Thailand
No comments:
Post a Comment