My interview with respect to the meeting between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his cabinet members, and Chart Thai Party during the mobile Cabinet meeting in Supanburi Province, and its implication on the continuing role of the military in Thai politics.
Regardless of the support for the military among politicians or political parties, there is already a strong indication that the military intends to maintain their grip on power, and continue to govern Thailand for perhaps the next ten years or so. The military has already structurally embedded itself in the Thai political landscape through the 2017 Constitutions, through the creation of new government agencies, and via military appointments to various independent organisations.
The meeting between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Chart Thai Party is not unprecedented in the context of Thai political history. Instead, the meeting merely demonstrates a repetition of the game of power, in which it is quite common for Thai politicians to submit to the military for their own political gains when the military is in charge.
Unfortunately, the cosy relations between the military and politicians only reflects their mutual interests at the expense of democracy. The Chart Thai Party’s support for the military will continue to damage the Thai democracy.
Indeed, the military should have only a very small role, or even none at all in the democratisation of the country. Therefore, the continued role of the military in Thai politics does not indicate a bright future for Thai democracy.
