By Thanong Khanthong
The Nation
Published on September 1, 2008
Thailand is facing a democratic dilemma:
Thailand is facing a democratic dilemma: Can a minority voice unseat a democratically elected government, voted into power by a majority vote?
The answer is yes.
There are three processes involved with political power - the process of assuming power, the process of managing power and the process of stepping down from power.
Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, and the People Power Party have been arguing that since they have been democratically elected by a majority of the people, they must be allowed to run the country till the end of the term stipulated by the Constitution. Any objection to their rule is looked upon as undemocratic because it represents a minority voice, which does not play by the rules or does not honour the outcome of the majority votes.
This sounds plausible on the surface. But practically all acknowledged the outcome of the December election in 2007 that brought the People Power Party to power. Samak led his party to a victory and formed a coalition government with five other coalition partners with 315 MPs in Parliament.
After having formed his government, Samak and his Cabinet completed the process of assuming political power. That initial stage of the process is over. Nobody objected to that.
The next stage, in which we are now, involves the Samak government's managing of political power.
To manage the country through the four-year term, the Samak government must try to build a consensus and get broad-based support among the people, who either voted for it or voted against it. In other words, it must try to keep its supporters happy and have the least number of people objecting to its rule.
If Samak fails to manage power by bringing the minority on board, as is now the case, he can't continue to rule. The voice of the minority is legitimate too.
The protesters under the umbrella of the People's Alliance for Democracy have taken over Government House since last Tuesday to air their grievances against the prime minister and his administration. They are demanding Samak's resignation on the grounds that he is acting as a nominee for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra; his government has sold off the temple of Preah Vihear to Cambodia; his government has tried to amend the Constitution to protect the interests of some politicians; his government is corrupt.
Which brings us to the third and final stage, which involves the process of stepping down from power. If Samak manages political power to the satisfaction of most, he can survive four years. If not, he has to explore the process of stepping down. This is common knowledge for CEOs in the corporate world. And this is true in democracy.
The Nation
Published on September 1, 2008
Thailand is facing a democratic dilemma:
Thailand is facing a democratic dilemma: Can a minority voice unseat a democratically elected government, voted into power by a majority vote?
The answer is yes.
There are three processes involved with political power - the process of assuming power, the process of managing power and the process of stepping down from power.
Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, and the People Power Party have been arguing that since they have been democratically elected by a majority of the people, they must be allowed to run the country till the end of the term stipulated by the Constitution. Any objection to their rule is looked upon as undemocratic because it represents a minority voice, which does not play by the rules or does not honour the outcome of the majority votes.
This sounds plausible on the surface. But practically all acknowledged the outcome of the December election in 2007 that brought the People Power Party to power. Samak led his party to a victory and formed a coalition government with five other coalition partners with 315 MPs in Parliament.
After having formed his government, Samak and his Cabinet completed the process of assuming political power. That initial stage of the process is over. Nobody objected to that.
The next stage, in which we are now, involves the Samak government's managing of political power.
To manage the country through the four-year term, the Samak government must try to build a consensus and get broad-based support among the people, who either voted for it or voted against it. In other words, it must try to keep its supporters happy and have the least number of people objecting to its rule.
If Samak fails to manage power by bringing the minority on board, as is now the case, he can't continue to rule. The voice of the minority is legitimate too.
The protesters under the umbrella of the People's Alliance for Democracy have taken over Government House since last Tuesday to air their grievances against the prime minister and his administration. They are demanding Samak's resignation on the grounds that he is acting as a nominee for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra; his government has sold off the temple of Preah Vihear to Cambodia; his government has tried to amend the Constitution to protect the interests of some politicians; his government is corrupt.
Which brings us to the third and final stage, which involves the process of stepping down from power. If Samak manages political power to the satisfaction of most, he can survive four years. If not, he has to explore the process of stepping down. This is common knowledge for CEOs in the corporate world. And this is true in democracy.
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