THE members of a conservative coalition behind the toppling of Manuel Zelaya as president of Honduras, on June 28th, have since been betting that presidential elections would serve to legitimise their military coup. Despite intense pressure from abroad, the de facto regime that has been running the country in recent months was convinced that foreign leaders would in the end refuse to punish a successor government for earlier sins. The test came on Sunday November 29th with the completion of a relatively peaceful vote, which the centre-right candidate Porfirio Lobo Sosa won comfortably. To the great chagrin of observers across the hemisphere, it seems the result will be respected and the strategy of the coup-plotters will be rewarded.

[...]

One way or another, Honduras’s new government is likely to pick up diplomatic recognition, even though the coup is unlikely to be reversed. The great worry, however, is whether a dangerous precedent has been set.

As long as coup-plotters can get away with using an election to legitimise their regime and escape responsibility for their crime, military rule seems to be an inevitable fact of life for the people of Honduras and, of course, Thailand.

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Former army chief and leader of the Sept 19, 2006 coup Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin confirmed on Thursday morning that he is interested in getting involved in politics.

…

The former chairman of the coup-makers’ Council for National Security said he would not set up his own political party but would join a political camp that has policies and political ideology he agrees with.

“The country is now facing the problem of social division and thus I want to join a political party that is impartial. It must be a party that the people can rely on,” Gen Sonthi said. One of his major aims was national reconciliation.

Should I laugh or should I cry?

I wonder if the 2006 coup leader realises at all that the coup he staged is one of the major causes, if not THE very cause, of Thailand’s “problem of social division” he is apparently so determined to rectify. Does he even know what he is on about here?

Although Thaksin was no champion of democracy when in power, Gen Sonthi’s coup was in every aspect a “giant step backward” as far as the country’s democratic development is concerned, as Thitinan Pongsudhirak put it (“Thailand since the coup” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 19, No.4, pp.140 – 153.) It is simply extraordinary for someone who killed democracy to come back and beg for a chance to be chosen by the electorate who saw their democratic rights taken away on that fateful night three years ago.

Having said that, I do not deny the possibility of someone who used to be involved in illiberal or dictatorial regimes redeeming him/herself and becoming an advocate of electoral democracy. Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a good example. Having previously served under the authoritarian Suharto, he has contributed a great deal to the country’s remarkable journey toward liberal democracy since becoming President for the first time in 2004 (see The Economist for more stories on post-Suharto Indonesia).

If Gen Sonthi wants to be the next Yudhoyono (however implausible that may sound), he will have to do a number of things. For a start, he could follow the example of media freedom campaigner Supinya Klangnarong (see AbsolutelyBangkok for an excellent interview with her) and denounce his role in the coup. Admitting his past failures seems to be the only way for him to even stand a chance.

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Ambitious. Foolish. Self-indulgent. Whatever you call it, I would like to announce my decision to venture into the world of political blogging.

It goes without saying that the last few years have been extraordinary for Thailand. Since the 2006 coup, we have had a new constitution, four Prime Ministers, two rounds of party dissolution and two rival colour-coded street movements with unprecedented significance.

Perhaps due to the striking images of the closure of the two airports or the burning buses in the middle of the city, it is a common practice for both Thai and foreign observers to label the post-coup years as a period of turbulence. Yet, for all its obvious faults, one important benefit brought about by the coup is the dramatic increase in political participation and awareness of the general public, at least if that is measured in terms of visibility. The growing willingness of the Thai population to exert influence over matters that were previously reserved for politicians, career bureaucrats and the ‘elites’, can only be a good thing in my book.

Against this backdrop, this blog will serve as a way for me to add my voice to the ongoing public debate regarding where our country is headed. It should be clear to observers of Thai politics that nothing is ever predictable, and many uncertainties still lie ahead. Thus, it is highly important for people to be allowed and even encouraged to engage freely in debates on the topics of their choice.

Having said that, I am fully aware of the existing regulations on what can and cannot be discussed in this country. I do not intend to make myself anonymous, and readers are welcome to follow my tweets or become my Facebook friend. I suppose the price to pay for being publicly accessible is that I will have to moderate comments and readers are requested to avoid making comments that might spell trouble for me as the owner of this blog.

That is all I have to say for now. So stay tuned and watch this space.

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