By Mark X

Current Thai Protests Maybe a Neccessity for Future Stabilty

Talked with a businessman from Bangkok recently in a small, Chiang Mai restaurant. I asked him how life had changed in the capital since the beginning of the anti-government protests and the occupation of the government house by anti-People Power Party (former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s party) demonstrators.

Even though the Thai economy has slowed dramatically because of the political turbulance—tourism is down 40 percent by some estimates and Thailand’s famous beaches are virtually empty—he reassured me that despite that, life goes on as usual.

Though far to the north of Bangkok, looking around us, life seemed to echo his sentiment. No one is tuned in to the news. People are shopping for groceries, watching sports (English soccer is a passion around here) or listening to pop music. Though presently no one seems to be making any executive decisions other than who should or shouldn’t be making executive decisions, Thailand just keeps going. Would that be possible anywhere else?

What really worries him and may be the cause of some unease around the country is the eventual death of the current king who is 82 and is so revered by Thais that his decisions supercede every other authority in the country. “When the king says calm down, Thai people listen,” said the businessman adding that most Thais see the best qualities of themselves in King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a sort of every day man who just happens to be King of Thailand. By Mark x

The crown prince Vajiralongkorn, on the other hand, isn’t so revered. His ascension to the throne would mean that Thais would look to the prime minister for leadership and decision making rather than the king. Thailand would then become more Republic and less kingdom.

The political turmoil we see now could be be even worse because of the lack of a unifying authority in Thailand.

This is only a guess (why this a blog and not a vetted news analysis), but It could be that what were seeing now on the streets of Bangkok is an effort find a common ground between
simmering class, regional and political differences throughout he country and strengthen the parliamentary government. In effect, an attempt to prevent any serious conflict and/or violence when there is a new king. That may be why Thailand’s powerful military has stayed out of the current conflict so far.

In an interesting side note, my lunch companion told me that princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is second in line to the throne, is extremely well respected. Should she somehow ascend to the throne then the monarchy would continue to hold on to its influence among Thai people.

That left me thinking that the effectiveness of governments, whether monarchies or democracies, depend entirely on their credibilty with the people(s) they govern.