Thailand’s military junta yesterday celebrated victory in the national referendum on the draft constitution which consolidates its influence in the political life of the country, while major parties, opposing the project, accepted the result. With 94 percent of the votes counted, the new constitution received 61.4 percent in favor and 38.6 percent against, according to the latest provisional data from the Election Commission, who will announce the definitive results on Wednesday. Only around 55 percent of the electorate cast their ballots, 25 percent lower that the junta’s objective and 2 percent lower than the last national referendum deciding the fate of the previous constitution in 2007. Through a spokesman, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in power since the coup in 2014, urged all sides to accept the result and called for unity in the country. “The result of the people’s decision reinforces the government and NCPO’s determination to continue working in order to establish peace and order and lead the country toward sustainable development with a democracy which is of international standard,” said government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd in a statement issued last night. The result of the referendum facilitates the general elections which should be held in 2017, according to promises made by authorities. The new constitution promises to return the right to rule to the masses, but it does so under extreme conditions. The powers of the future elected government are curbed by hemming it in with unelected bodies, and other devices, such as an appointed upper house of parliament and a range of bodies that can override government decisions. This can barely be called a democracy, let alone a free one – and if history is any guide, this one will be short-lived. This is the country’s 20th constitution since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. That number means that Thailand has changed constitutions on average every 4.2 years, about as frequently as other countries change governments. If this one fails to achieve consensus, we can expect another one soon. Early indicators show just that; support for the constitution was only found in selected urban centres, while the majority of the rural north and Muslim south – which is facing an active separatist movement – voted against it. Such fantastic figures are a global anomaly, showing us that the struggle between the ruling elite and the masses that want increased representation is not over in Thailand, despite the country ostensibly being a western-style ‘liberal democracy’ for decades now. Through overt coups or covert appropriation of democratic powers, the ruling elite has always sought to keep itself firmly positioned at the top in the face of growing public self-actualisation. This problem isn’t unique to Thailand; neighbouring Myanmar, nearby Pakistan, and vast tracts of the Middle East are still struggling to convert their democracies into truly democratic systems. Thailand’s veritable defeat in this battle shows that even in 2016 – in the so-called age of the Internet – it is still possible for the ruling elite to manipulate information and communication to stay in power.
pk.shafaqna.com