OZ - 60 Minutes - Seeing Red

[gobbledonk]

... Thailand has to come to grips with the fact that it is a democracy in name only. ...

 

This is classic big lie' date=' repeat it enough and often enough and it becomes a fact.

 

That seems to be the basis for you entire analysis.

 

The real fact is that The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) monitored the December 2007 election and though they made several recommendations, their report (look it up on their web site) in no way said the results was not democratic.

 

Name me one Member of Parliament that was not elected then you can say Thailand is a democracy in name only.

 

The fact is these same MP’s , plus the ones 29 constituency and 14 Party list MP’s elected to replace the banned executives of the PPP and Chart Thai, are still sitting in Parliament and elected Abhsist PM.

 

TH

 

 

[/quote']

 

The basis for my entire analysis is that the Police, Military and everyone else in my country, and wherever you originated from, takes its orders from the elected government of the day. As others have pointed out, I dont believe that to be the case in Thailand - the people can elect whomever they damn well please but there are no guarantees that those representatives will be there till the next election. Keep telling yourself that this situation is 'normal' and you might just start believing it - perhaps you've gone native.

 

[ThaiHome]

... Thailand has to come to grips with the fact that it is a democracy in name only. ...

 

This is classic big lie' date=' repeat it enough and often enough and it becomes a fact.

 

That seems to be the basis for you entire analysis.

 

The real fact is that The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) monitored the December 2007 election and though they made several recommendations, their report (look it up on their web site) in no way said the results was not democratic.

 

Name me one Member of Parliament that was not elected then you can say Thailand is a democracy in name only.

 

The fact is these same MP’s , plus the ones 29 constituency and 14 Party list MP’s elected to replace the banned executives of the PPP and Chart Thai, are still sitting in Parliament and elected Abhsist PM.

 

TH

 

 

[/quote']

 

The basis for my entire analysis is that the Police, Military and everyone else in my country, and wherever you originated from, takes its orders from the elected government of the day. As others have pointed out, I dont believe that to be the case in Thailand - the people can elect whomever they damn well please but there are no guarantees that those representatives will be there till the next election. Keep telling yourself that this situation is 'normal' and you might just start believing it - perhaps you've gone native.

 

If as you say, there are no guarantees that those representatives will be there till the next election, then surely you can answer the question you ignored. Name me one member of parliment that was not elected.

 

I have not said the situation is "normal" and I don't appreciate you and others putting words in my mouth I did not say.

 

I am asking a question, time and again that nobody seems to be willing to answer.

 

TH

 

[gobbledonk]

Note that I am not defending the action or the Red Shirts, nor am I suggesting that we enjoy 'perfect democracy' anywhere else, but a military coup, (regardless of who rubber stamped it..) is inconceivable to most of us in our home countries. I think the death penalty was abolished in Oz sometime in the 60s, but prior to that they still hung people for treason.

 

The coup is the mark of a banana republic, not a developed market economy with strong fundamentals and an correspondingly strong currency. We are all tip-toeing around the issue here, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who found the deafening silence from a certain source very alarming.

[gobbledonk]

If as you say, there are no guarantees that those representatives will be there till the next election, then surely you can answer the question you ignored. Name me one member of parliment that was not elected.

 

I have not said the situation is "normal" and I don't appreciate you and others putting words in my mouth I did not say.

 

I am asking a question, time and again that nobody seems to be willing to answer.

 

TH

 

You've got me there, but we clearly see it from different perspectives. As a taxi driver said to me on my last trip 'Even if Thaksin is bad, let *us* decide when he should go ! Why have elections if the Army can just kick the government out ?' - I dont know how many times that pattern has been repeated in Thailand, but it doesnt happen too often in modern France/Germany/USA/Britain/Australia/Denmark - even the Russians seem to have a handle on the concept that you win elections by getting rid of your opponents, not rolling tanks down the main drag.

 

[ThaiHome]

What different perspective? One that analyzes the facts and then forms an opinion or one that listens to rhetoric and hyperbole and forms an opinion based on that?

 

The fact remains, each and every member of the Thai Parliament was elected.

TH

[LizardKing]

The coup is the mark of a banana republic, not a developed market economy with strong fundamentals and an correspondingly strong currency. We are all tip-toeing around the issue here, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who found the deafening silence from a certain source very alarming.

That exactly do you think Thailand is mate? They've only had a small amount of democracy (i.e., a constitution) since 1997. And that's obviously just a bit more than they can handle right now, until they learn more about cause and effect and playing nice with others.

 

We are all guilty of judging Thailand by our home country standards, all of which have had democracies for 200+ years, not 13.

 

BTW, like Lizzy, [sorry, we don't mention him - KS]. I do find the silence from PTP very telling.

[Wallenda]

The coup is the mark of a banana republic' date=' not a developed market economy with strong fundamentals and an correspondingly strong currency. We are all tip-toeing around the issue here, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who found the deafening silence from a certain source very alarming. [/quote']

That exactly do you think Thailand is mate? They've only had a small amount of democracy (i.e., a constitution) since 1997. And that's obviously just a bit more than they can handle right now, until they learn more about cause and effect and playing nice with others.

 

We are all guilty of judging Thailand by our home country standards, all of which have had democracies for 200+ years, not 13.

 

BTW, like Lizzy, [sorry, we don't mention him - KS].I do find the silence from PTP very telling.

 

Hey if any of you guys wanna discuss parts of what you're talking about in a place where you can speak openly about certain unmentionable topics, shoot me a PM - that's to anyone and everyone who's interested. (a few from this forum discussing over there already)

 

Sorry it's not PM on this forum, but Private Topic. If you click on my name at left you should be able to contact me privately.

[gobbledonk]

That exactly do you think Thailand is mate? They've only had a small amount of democracy (i.e., a constitution) since 1997. And that's obviously just a bit more than they can handle right now, until they learn more about cause and effect and playing nice with others.

 

We are all guilty of judging Thailand by our home country standards, all of which have had democracies for 200+ years, not 13.

 

BTW, like Lizzy, [sorry, we don't mention him - KS]. I do find the silence from PTP very telling.

 

Agreed - its easy to sit here in a stable democracy and cast aspersions on Thailand's chronic instability. Reading the 'Rural Farang' thread reminded me that some of us have a lot more to lose than a holiday destination.

[gobbledonk]

What different perspective? One that analyzes the facts and then forms an opinion or one that listens to rhetoric and hyperbole and forms an opinion based on that?

 

Jesus, is there an Option C ? If not, I'm going to run with that rhetoric and hyperbole thing, but my views are irrelevant - as I said in the previous post, I dont live there.

 

If the 60 Minutes story, particularly the interview with the expat who has lived there for 30 years, was unduly biased toward the Red Shirts, I didnt pick up on it. Time will tell if the report sensationalised the prospect of more trouble in the future, but that isnt a novel prediction.