I argued that all of the justifications announced by the NCPO and military are unreasonable and invalid because those justifications were driven solely by the NCPO’s perceptions.
Indeed, no political activities should have been prohibited in the first place, and political parties should have been permitted to function freely soon after the 2014 military coup d’état.
I argued that the central reason for the continuation of the political ban is fundamentally based on the NCPO securing and maintain its grip on power; by limiting freedom of expression, there is no credible threat to the NCPO’s absolute power. Meanwhile, the political ban is also an effective way of controlling what people know, through the NCPO’s control of access to alternative sources of information ensuring that people only get a one-sided view.
It has been observed that the ban of political activities have been implemented in a very selective manner, because a few members of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) are able to meet with local communities without being identified for what they are; a political organisation. Similar actions from opponents of the NCPO, however, are normally accused of being politically motivated.
Disagreements are normal in a democratic society, therefore, if the NCPO argues that disagreements are a threat to security, this reflects a lack of understanding of some basic principles of a democratic culture.
It has been rather clear that the NCPO and the military will maintain its grip on power if there is a General Election in 2018. Thus, elections are not an indication for the end of military control and dictatorship. Instead, it is likely that the military is consolidating a Thai version of “illiberal democracy,” characterised by imposing limitations on freedoms and liberty. This form of democracy will not be in the interests of the country, because such a scenario will ensure that the state will have greater power than the people. As a result, the state machinery will be less transparent, and exacerbate Thailand’s existing corruption problems.
-Titipol Phakdeewanich-
