EDITORIAL : THE BANGKOK POST, THAILAND

 

 

It's not too late for intelligent debate

 

The news last week that a joint task force made up of officers from the Internal Security Operations Command, the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission and the Crime Suppression Division raided 13 community radio stations in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces accused of broadcasting a speech allegedly containing comments offensive to the monarchy is troubling on several scores.

In the first place, it is almost impossible for the general public, and even the media, to know if such actions were justified because very few people outside the red camp have heard the speech. If the speech is truly offensive, it clearly should not be made public, and if it is not offensive, it is still dangerous for anyone to publicise it for obvious reasons.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajjiva quite rightly came out against politicians from all parties making any references to the monarchy in their campaigning. This should include accusations of lese majeste since the public has no way of knowing if they are justified.

Yet it is clear that the issue will not go away as long as army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha is determined to continue his campaign to stamp out behaviours he deems offensive to the monarchy. It was Gen Prayuth who ordered that lese majeste charges be filed against three United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) leaders for their alleged remarks in their speeches marking the one-year anniversary of the day the UDD/red shirt protests turned lethal on April 10 of last year.

It is now up to the courts to decide their guilt or innocence. Lese majeste should not go unpunished, but the media and the public must resist any push to make this issue central to the upcoming campaign. Genuine acts or statements constituting lese majeste have almost zero support among Thais, no matter what their political affiliation. Therefore, this should not be a defining issue of the campaign; rather it is a non-issue.

It's not as if there aren't plenty of real problems for politicians to focus on. As pointed out in the Bangkok Post editorial yesterday, this is an ideal time to explore solutions to long-neglected labour issues including unemployment, workplace safety and a liveable minimum wage. Both major parties are suddenly talking about substantially increasing the minimum wage, which is a good place to start, although it remains to be seen if they will be willing to stand up to the captains of industry when they say it can't be done after the election. There is also an urgent need to look for ways to improve the standard of living of the country's vast informal labour sector, especially in agriculture. And any fair look at the labour issue in Thailand should consider the vast migrant workforce. New efforts should be made to register all migrant workers and ensure that their basic rights are protected. It is time to accept that they make a valuable contribution to the economy and in many cases would be very difficult to replace.

Education is another area where there needs to be an overhaul. Year in and year out we hear that the Thai education system lags behind other countries in the region, especially in science and creative problem-solving, an area crucial for national competitiveness, yet nothing is ever done about it.

Anyone reading this can add half a dozen or more other areas for urgent attention, including the unrest in the South and corruption, and obviously the solutions won't come in the remaining weeks before the election. But at least there is time to begin an intelligent debate, which admittedly is not often confused with an election campaign in Thailand or anywhere else in the world.

The truth is that the political situation in the country as exemplified by the wrangling between the red and yellow camps has pre-empted discussion, much less action, on so many matters that are crucial to the nation's true interests for almost five years now. The Democrats and their supporters are no more to blame than Pheu Thai and the UDD, who, for example, focus attention on government excesses in the crackdown on protesters in May last year while ignoring their own culpability in trampling on the boundaries of legal protest and taking a whole section of the city hostage.

As a result of all this wrangling, Thailand is struggling at a time when it should be thriving.