Thailand's "Elites" Resist Democracy

The journalist claims that Thaksin, the populist billionaire, has done more for liberating the Thais than has their king, we don't get an idea how this can be. Most readers would have to take his word for it, but there are serious doubts of that on this end. It's another example of a Western liberal, posing "solutions" for "developing" nations whose own ability to deliver the goods is debatable in the extreme.

Perhaps Thailand's elites will resist what they think is bad for the country, but will the West's elites be satisfied with this, or will they impose the same old unsatisfactory solutions on the Thais as they have elsewhere in the world.

Thailand has a history of resisting colonial powers and it will be interesting if they resist in this case, Liberal Imperialism, which seeks to impose "democracy".

If George Orwell were alive today, he might find the battle for democracy now playing out in Bangkok reminiscent of his masterpiece, “Animal Farm.”

In a parody of Stalinism, “Animal Farm”’s famous commandment was “All Animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others. It could be rephrased to parody Thai-style democracy: “all are equal under democracy, but some – namely city power elites - are more equal than others.”

What we have been witnessing over the last few weeks in Bangkok, indeed, is the peasants’ answer to that law. Some 100,000 anti-government “red-shirt” protesters came from the rural areas and disbursed around the Thai capital, blocking roadways and entrances to upscale shopping malls in a month-long protest that has now brought the Thai government to the brink.

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