This is what we were talking about ― the manner in which the “amnesty bill” has been rewritten for just one man and then rushed through the House of Representatives. This is why the term “abuse of democratic mandate” was invented and then unfortunately mistaken as an effort by “coup apologists” to defend all the things that happened to Thaksin Shinawatra. This is why the Thai democracy is so associated with corruption, so much so that we can never be sure which one is the real driving force.

This is what made many Thais so ambivalent about the coup in 2006. This is why those Thais decided to endure the scorn of the international community, who might not get the whole picture. This is why those Thais allowed themselves to be labeled pro-dictatorship and naively lacking patience to let democracy correct its own wrongs.

This is what we were talking about ― crimes or problems that democracy should have dealt with but those wielding its power wouldn’t allow it to do so. This is why an asset examination committee had to be set up following a coup to investigate cases like the Ratchadapisek land purchase scandal, which was a plain violation of the pre-coup law. This is why many Thais dread and doubt every legislative move of the ruling party, every spending of state budget by its government and every overseas trip taken by the prime minister.

This is what makes the independence of the judiciary something of utmost importance. This is why we need an independent Constitution Court, a fearless National Counter Corruption Commission and a neutral political section of the Supreme Court. This is why, to many Thais, the coup and the assets clampdown were consequences of democratic failures, not causes of the decline of Thai democracy.

This is what we were talking about ― the rule of law giving way to the rule of the ballot box. This is why Thais have become a people who can tolerate corruption as long as it benefits them. This is what corruption-guided democracy, albeit with a “giveaway” mentality of Santa Claus, does to the national psyche.

This is why Thailand cannot move forward, reconciliation is impossible and the highest law of the land reflects only the need of those in control of the parliamentary majority. This is why the vicious circle which caused the coup, bloody uprising, “democratic” elections and finally corruption, is very much alive. This is why, even after the disgrace in Parliament on Halloween night, we are not even halfway through.

This is what we were talking about ― the bad examples at the highest political level. This is why many Thais avoid paying taxes, bribe the police and exert influential personal “connections” for fun. This is why a lot of people are saying “Let’s cheat on taxes and break other laws because the others are doing it and, if bad comes to worse, an amnesty is due sooner or later.”

This is what makes any constitutional “reform” irrelevant. This is why more charters will be torn up, rewritten, only to be torn apart again. This is why the 1997 Constitution, dubbed one of Thailand’s best even by all the current political enemies, had to go. This is why there can be no real “charter for the people,” because parliament can always make unilateral changes that only benefit the individuals who control it.

This is what we were talking about ― that the real “casualty of war” is anyone but those who started it. This is why, whether Thaksin engineered the amnesty bill alone or through a conspiracy with high enemies does not matter. This is why his coming home, with the support of a former coup-maker and God-knows-who-else, will only inflame the national strife, not end it as claimed by Pheu Thai members who advocate the bill.

This is what the “Thaksin system” looks like, some say. This is why the acrimoniously divided nation will go on searching for those elusive common values. This is why many of those involved in such debates will again feel cheated along the way, because while the “casualties of war” can be genuinely ideological, those who started the war are not, and good manipulators can pacify, betray and pacify some more.

This is what we were talking about ― a “Set Zero” that would serve just certain people. This is why participatory politics, which many thought was beginning to bloom in Thailand, could in fact be just an illusion. And this is why tens of thousands of whistles are being blown in a last-ditch effort to win the war after losing the battle.

By Tulsathit Taptim

Tulsathit Taptim is the editor of The Nation. ― Ed.

(The Nation)

(Asia News Network)