Bad excuse for the coup #2

Another typical excuse for the coup that we have heard in the past few days has been made by several intellectuals -- the coup is a necessary evil, it is the only solution to solve the crisis.

If the crisis means the possible bloodshed, I have argued against such excuse in #1. But if the evil or crisis means the vicious Thaksin regime and Thaksin himself who refused to fall, my argument against such excuse here.

Whose evil, necessary for whom, and whose only solution? The excuse shamelessly assumes that only Thaksin’s opponents matter in Thai democracy. Thaksin did not come to power by weapon. His election victories were valid. No significant irregularity that would change the results of his two landslide victories. Academics, including myself, can argue against his populist policies, his horrible handling of the crisis in the Malay Muslim region, and so on. But Thai people elected his party and the “Thaksin regime.”

Democracy anywhere in the world is never a rule of the educated, the smarter, the urban, or the better-informed. It is a rule by popular mandate. No matter if/ how ignorant people are, the elected government has the rights to rule. It is true that democracy does not mean only election. But election is THE ultimate and inviolable source of legitimacy to rule. The higher moral or good ethics is not. The higher education is not. The better access to information is not. Nor are weapons or any unelected aristocrats.

Democracy is never without corruption and abuses of power. Look how horrible of Bush government right now. Democracy does not mean the intellectual elite will always get what they think is right. On the contrary, in most democracies in the world, the poorly-informed majority wins. It has been like this in every democracy for hundred of years. THIS, not the coup, IS THE NECESSARY EVIL. Yet democracy grows as the results of the unwavering struggles within the bound of constitution and rule of law. This is the ONLY SOLUTION to establish a strong democracy. There is no other way.

Thaksin was evil only to his elitist opponents. The coup is necessary only for them who had failed to topple him before, even by undemocratic means. It is the only solution for these people who are desperate to win at any cost by any means. This excuse is shamelessly an elitist arrogance and prejudice that denies the rights of people who elected Thaksin as worthless and negligible. They are the majority of people but whose voices do not count.

This excuse is utterly anti-democratic. It is also มักง่าย คิดสั้น.