A little more on the previous post regarding the coup in Thailand. I’m not from there, and I don’t know what it’s like beyond the articles I’ve read. And I’m not defending the former PM. The guy essentially bribed the poor and did as much damage to the institution of democracy as he could before he got in trouble for it. He exploited class divisions for his benefit and the benefit of his party, Thai Rak Thai. He shouldn’t have been in power and his policies sucked…
But he did pay attention to the poor. He did enact policies, however misguided, that focused on the needs to poor people that had previously been ignored. And he also severely damaged the democratic institutions of Thailand. He ignored the beloved King, he did as he pleased.
And that’s why I’m so torn about the entire episode. When you have a bad and terrible leader in power, what is to be done? Power is attractive and now, instead of the PM, a military man has it. Regardless of how soft-spoken he is and what a good guy the King, the middle and upper-classes think he is, what happens next time a bad leader is in power?
When is it acceptable for the minority to overthrow, through illegal means, a ruler who is popular with the majority? The poor might be uneducated relative to the wealthier upper classes, but how is it right for the minority to overthrow an elected member?