The military take-over in Thailand has not come as a surprise. In fact, it has been somewhat a logical corollary to the developments that had been going on in this south east Asian nation for last several months. The elected government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra landed itself from one trouble to another and finally the prime minister and her many other cabinet colleagues were ordered out of office by the constitutional court. Undaunted, the ruling party named a new prime minister as the head of an interim government that was to oversee the fresh elections on August 03, despite opposition's vow against any other voting taking place under a party government.
However, the removal of the prime minister and announcement of fresh polls offered no panacea to the lingering political crisis and the military declared martial law without overthrowing the interim government headed by acting prime minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisa, a cabinet colleague of the ousted prime minister. The military stopped short of taking power, but that "formality" appeared inevitable. The army allowed the bickering politicians to settle their problems, which was quite difficult because of the nearly divergent positions taken by the government and the opposition on the key issues.
The military has now given the final push, blaming the political leaders of failure to resolve the country's lingering trouble. They said it is their bounden duty to restore law and order, and prevent any loss of life and property because of political mayhem. Another military coup has now taken place in Thailand with the army chief declaring himself as the interim prime minister.
Thailand has been under democratic rule for quite long, but the army coup is not a new phenomenon in a country that is known for tourist attractions as well as an emerging economy in the South Asian region. The elected government of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra had been facing challenges from main opposition Democratic Party from the beginning of her rule. But the government confronted with bigger problems when protestors outside the main opposition began demanding its resignation and formation of a "People's Council" to run the nation. Their view has been that the people have lost confidence in the "so-called democratic governments", suggesting that the "People's Council" should comprise the professionals. Not surprisingly, this proposal was rejected by the government. But both the Democratic Party and protestors kept up pressures for the resignation of Yingluck authority as Thailand witnessed continued political unrest.
As a way out of this situation, Yingluck announced mid-term polls much ahead of expiry of her term, but the balloting was one-sided in the absence of opposition participation. The anti-government agitation continued and a fresh poll was announced that was scheduled for August 05, this year. Yingluck has now been removed and the army decision to take over power has come as a last nail in the coffin of democracy in Thailand against the backdrop of the current long-running political unrest.
Yingluck's main trouble started when her government wanted to facilitate the return of her elder brother and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives abroad to avoid a jail-term for the offences that were allegedly committed when he was in power. Though a stranger in politics, she demonstrated considerable ability in bringing back the "Thai Puei Party" to power through elections even though its main leader was abroad under compelling circumstances.
Yingluck came to power on the coat-tail of her brother's success, but she should not have attempted to pardon Thaksin's sentence given by the court. The attempt failed, but Yingluck's luck began to fall with that gravely wrong decision as the protestors launched severe agitation to, what they said, rid the nation of "Shinawatra's family". Yingluck faced other problems including charges of abuse of power that forced her out of the office by the court.
As the opposition cheered the trouble that the government was faced with, things took a new twist as the supporters of the ruling party known as the "Red Shirts" threatened movement, taking a pro-government stance. Thaksin and Yingluck are quite popular in the rural areas of some parts of the country while the elites in Bangkok and army establishments are known to be not cooperative to them. Thaksin, too, was toppled by the army in 2007.
Probably, the army was waiting in the wings to strike at the right moment. But the political parties should not have given the handle to the military for taking such steps. Long bickering among them and absence of a credible election compounded the situation. Thailand can ill-afford street agitations and prolonged troubles and the military has hit when the iron is red. Reports from Thailand said the country looked normal with few anti-coup demonstrations, which, in any case, are least expected under tight condition.
The United States, Japan and several other democratic nations have deplored the coup, expressing the hope that the army rule will be a short-lived one. It is important that the new rulers of Thailand pay heed to such pieces of advice by other democracies. It is also disquieting that the authorities are taking on the former prime minister Yingluck and many others; they have also barred a large number of persons from leaving the country. While those accused of having committed offences like corruption deserve harsh treatment, others must not face any unkind treatment for political reasons.
Thailand must return to representative rule and it is important that all inclusive elections are held there and the military takes steps in that direction and does not prolong their stay in power. Any deviation from the pluralistic pattern of government is fraught with grave consequences; the political parties should also keep it mind that politics is for good governance and people's welfare - and not serving any selfish ends in the name of democracy.
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