This
week, I find myself frequenting the comfortable, if slightly worn,
environs of Caffe Nero in Epping High Road. This particular High Road
has the distinction of being the highest High Road in the whole of
Essex. Given the leanings towards two-dimensionality of that
particular county, being the highest High Road is perhaps not the
most exciting of accomplishments. There is a poster on the wall
advertising the imminent arrival, on July 7th, of the Tour de France.
Having watched a stage in the sunshine of the Dordogne a few years
back and subsequently enjoying the pleasure of spectating on a
scorching final day as the riders sprinted up and down the Champs
Elysee, the attractions of watching a large peleton of shaven-legged
young men rolling through Epping for approximately 30 seconds pales
in comparison. One must admire though, the creativity, and the
financial acumen, of those responsible for the route of La Tour, if
not necessarily their geographical accuracy. Pleasant as the roads of
Epping and Loughton are, one struggles to see the connection with
France. Still, it has to be admitted that a Tour d'Essex would
probably attract a lot less commercial interest...
Since
my return from the equitable climes of Thailand, I find myself
struggling to cope with the inconsistency of the light and weather
here in the UK. Days are longer, which I find agreeable, but the
weather does tend to be somewhat capricious. One day it feels like
spring has sprung and I find myself bathed in the most gentle and
agreeable of lights. On another, like today, the leaden skies cast a
day long gloom over the proceedings. This state of affairs has not
helped my own re-adjustment to British Summer Time. My body seems to
be in a state of revolt against this disruption to the regularity
that was Thailand, where day and night were democratically divided,
more or less twelve hours being allocated to each. Jet lag, according
to those who know about such things, is a more deleterious experience
for those travelling from West to East. I would beg to differ. It has
been a month now since my return yet I still find myself wide awake
at 5 a.m. and feeling like I could happily drop off at 5 p.m..
I
have been looking forward to my planned return to Thailand but the
Thai military seem to have other ideas. A few days ago, in a move
that has been mooted for quite some time, the army declared martial
law. At first, they were very insistent that this was not a coup
d'etat. Oddly, it certainly looked like one. The military were on the
streets and took over several of the governmental buildings in
Bangkok. They shut down many of the media outlets, in particular,
several of the more political minded TV stations.
For
two days they insisted that this was not, in fact, a coup. It might
have looked like a coup, walked like a coup, talked like a coup
but... it wasn't a coup. Finally, after disbanding the government
altogether and imposing severe restrictions on the media and use of
the internet, they have declared that it is, after all, a coup.
Thailand's
fledgling democracy has suffered many such events in recent years, so
many in fact that it almost seems to be part of the political process
there. The Thais experience a few years of rather chaotic democracy
before the army once again seems to feel the need to 'impose order'
once more. The 'order' subsequently imposed doesn't last very long
though, and soon the same old, hugely corrupt, politics resume their
normal day to day activities. And so the cycle continues.
Military
coups, in general, do not seem to have a very good record if one's
measure of that record is the well being of the general population of
the country involved. In neighbouring Myanmar (Burma of old) , the
military have been unable to resist the temptation to grab power and
hold onto it for all they're worth. This has resulted in one of the
most brutal regimes on the planet and almost omnipresent corruption.
Few people have benefited from martial law in Myanmar with the
possible exception of the generals themselves whose personal fortunes
have increased exponentially. In recent times there have been moves
towards opening up the country and allowing some democratic rights
but... the temptation to hold on to power when that power is
producing such benefits for the generals must be strong indeed. Apart
from that, of course, there is always the possibility that with a
return to democracy their own misdeeds could be investigated. This
possibility would not be something that would appeal to the incumbent
leaders..
Some
coups do start out with the best of intentions but, as the old aSome
coups do start out with the best of intentions but, as the old adage
has it, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Often
they are a reaction to the parlous state of a nation when perfidious
and inept politicians have wreaked so much damage that the military
feel they have little option but to step in to 'save' their country.
Problem is though, in many of these cases, the 'cure' often proves to
be far worse than the disease. Once they have their hands on the
levers of power it becomes increasingly tempting to exercise it in a
more and more draconian manner.
One
of the first measures taken is often to limit any expression of
opposition. Usually this involves shutting down newspapers and radio
and TV stations. This process has, rather worryingly, already started
in Thailand. Amongst military men, there seems to be a generalized
(no pun intended...) fear of plurality. They live in a world where
one guy gives the orders and another guy takes them. The idea that
someone might actually dare to question what they are saying seems to
be anathema to them.
The
situation in Thailand is still developing as I write these words. If
this turns out to be another example of a typical Thai coup then a
return to a more normal state of affairs may not be too long in
coming. The worry is though, that the temptations of wielding power
and enjoying the benefits that it brings may prove to be strong to
resist. Only time will tell.
Back
in the cosy confines of Caffe Nero, I feel thankful that, for all its
faults, the country I presently find myself in has not suffered a
coup for nigh on half a millennia. For all the frustrations of well
established democratic systems like those of the UK, they do at least
guarantee a goodly amount of plurality and a tolerance for the
expression of a wide range of views. As far as Thailand is concerned,
this will have to be a case of watch this space (or perhaps other,
better informed spaces). My own plan had been to use Thailand as a
base for flaneurial activities throughout SE Asia and beyond, but it
seems that, for now at least, those plans may have to be put on hold.
Another
short addendum is called for. After penning the above article it
emerged that Gen Prayuth Chan-Ocha has declared himself Prime
Minister - the result of a general election it seems, in this case
the general elected himself. Over the course of four days we have
gone from the imposition of martial law but not a coup, to a coup,
and now to a General appointing himself Prime Minister. These are
challenging times for Thailand. One hopes that the transition back to
civilian rule is short and peaceful but...the omens are not good.
No comments:
Post a Comment