PAD's model of democracy quite undemocratic

Proposing that a national assembly made up of the elite few run the country because the citizens are too 'stupid' to elect a good government is hardly a cry for freedom

Published on July 9, 2008

It boggles the mind how leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who claim to be lovers of democracy, would have come up with a proposed model of democracy that calls for, among other things, a so-called 30:70 representation in Parliament.

According to PAD leaders, only 30 per cent of all available seats in the House of Representatives should come from direct election, while the remainder be filled with "well-qualified" appointees.

PAD leaders have suggested that Thailand make a clean break from corrupt politicians, dirty politics and the seriously flawed electoral system to give genuine democracy a chance to take root and thrive in the future. During the proposed transitional period, which may take four years or longer, Thais should be educated on how democracy works and how to effectively exercise their rights.

Archaic theories

This idea is not new. Actually it is outdated and should have gone the way of the dinosaurs - extinct, dead and buried. And coming from people who claim they are the only true patriots, it is enough to make one sick to the stomach.

What is more interesting is what the PAD leaders have left unsaid. Their assumption is unmistakable: people in this country are far too stupid to be allowed to elect their own government because it invariably turns out to be corrupt, stupid and inefficient.

In one grand dismissive gesture, they, in effect, discounted everything that people in a democratic society hold dear, including the supremacy of the rule of law as well as people's inalienable right to freedom and liberties.

They want some members of the elite to come together in the form of a national assembly that knows better and can make all the important decisions, including who should have the legitimacy to rule, what policies they should make and how the national development plan should be implemented.

The idea is to make people's welfare and the country's best interests the focal point of Thai politics. And all that should be achieved without requiring the obedient and unthinking citizens to lift a finger.

Is this how PAD leaders propose that we teach people to think for themselves and become better citizens while they wait for a perfect democracy, which will only be given to them if they are well behaved?

This is an insult to the intelligence. And if PAD leaders do not recognise this, they must have gone too far down the path of pathological self-delusion.