Thai Politics
This discussion examines the reasons for political polarization and unstable democracy in Thailand and the possible solutions to the political conflicts in the country. The lack of a constitution has contributed to the polarization of Thailand political climate. Thailand has ratified and suspended about 18 constitutions. The suspension of the constitutions resulted from the non-satisfaction of some political parties and the civil society. As a result, the country has had a long journey in pursuit of a stable democracy. Political parties, the civil society, and the military try different means to perfect the culture of constitutionalism but all the efforts seem to fail. For instance, a military coup in 2014 seized the government and took over power thereby paralyzing the government and democracy. Consequently, Prayuth Chan-Ocha, the leader of the military coup announced a suspension of the Thailand Constitution. It became difficult to rule the country without a set of laws and as such the country's political climate became unstable (Robert, 2014).
The announcement of a general election by the military was questionable because the defense could not manage an electoral process that could be free and fair to all people of Thailand. A military authoritarianism could not act as a tool for democracy because the military could use force to govern the country.The 1997 people's constitution did give minimal powers to the executive and parliament. As a result, the Thaksin rose to claim absolute majorities in parliament. Consequently, new political establishments emerged to challenge the royalist political establishment. The royalist establishment consists of the Democrat party, the monarchy the civil society and judiciary. According to Hewison (2010), there was animosity between the Thaksin and the Royal political group. It is the tensions between the two political factions that have caused the unstable political situation in Thailand for a long time.
Two military coups and violence have occurred due to disagreements between the royalist group and the Thaksin side of the political divide. Political disagreement between famous leaders in Thailand is another reason for the volatile political climate in the country. For example, in the mid-2000s, the emergence of political animosity between the then prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra and other politicians loyal to the royalist establishment caused the country to move away from reconciliation (Hewison, 2010). Colors emerged to show political loyalties where supporters of a party wore a certain color to signify their loyalty. The Thaksin's wore red shirts while the royalists wore yellow color as a symbol of their political inclinations (Hewison, 2010). Such loyalties heightened political conflicts in the country as each group claimed to control the country and thereby, causing the end of reconciliation. Thailand can seek reforms to end conflicts by adopting some resolutions. For example, the country's political class can involve the people, the civil society and the international community in drafting an inclusive constitution. The process of drafting a new constitution should be open and participatory where all the parties contribute. According to Erik …
