I never thought there would be a need to defend the absolute necessity for the expected upcoming elections to actually take place and for their outcome to be recognised and respected by all.
Unfortunately, we are seeing signs of a rather sinister movement to derail the elections and subvert democratic procedures, obviously enjoying the backing of some highly influential people.
First we had Election Commissioner Sodsri Satayathum stating that an election is not desirable at this time (Bangkok Post, commentary of March 13).
Then we had Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang, two key leaders of the People's Alliance for "Democracy", advocating that Thailand should "go without an election for four to five years to get all systems properly adjusted before calling an election" (Chamlong Srimuang quoted by Bangkok Post on April 1).
In the event of an election, the two are calling on the public to mark the "no vote" box on ballot papers.
While there is a clear rift within the leadership of the PAD on this issue, both Mr Sondhi and Mr Chamlong appear once again to be advocating the use of Section 7 of the constitution to seek a royally-appointed government.
The fact that His Majesty the King clearly stated on April 26, 2006 in his speech to Administrative Court judges that Section 7 does not empower him to unilaterally appoint a prime minister, and that to do so would be undemocratic, has never seemed to deter the royalist PAD from this objective.
Recently I have been receiving a number of widely-circulated emails containing alleged calls by well-known retired army and national security leaders, asking patriotic members of the public, civil service, military and police to rise up in solidarity against the politicians who have been trying to get the minutes of three Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission meetings ratified by Parliament in preparation for the 8th General Border Committee meeting with Cambodia which is scheduled to be held in Indonesia.
The refusal by the military to participate in the GBC meeting in Indonesia despite the government's agreement to the meeting, is one among many indications that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is not fully in control of the administration of our country.
I believe that the rebellious movement within the establishment that opposes the GBC meeting in Indonesia may also be rather unhappy with the prospects of the upcoming elections.
In my view, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha's assurances that the military supports the elections and will not stage a coup, while welcome, are not fully reassuring.
A special report in Matichon on April 4 asks how the PAD demonstrations near Government House are able to continue despite poor public attendance, and suggests that the PAD has backing from elements within the military and that these elements are themselves backed by "unseen hands".
Another interesting news item is the recent statement by Chumpol Silpa-archa, the minister of Tourism and Sports and leader of the Chart Thai Pattana Party, that a "dark influence" is manipulating the selection of appointed senators.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but I get the feeling that I'm seated in a plane that is being piloted by a masked figure to an unknown destination.
The anti-election advocates seem to envision some kind of national government that would clean up Thai politics and restore order to the country. Visions of Nazi Germany and the "Burmese Way to Socialism" come to my mind.
With the present degree of political activism and political polarisation in Thai society, if these advocates have their way, the consequences to our country will be absolutely devastating.
We will be facing disturbances and civil war similar to what is happening in Libya, political genocide, isolation from the international community, economic and social disaster.
Of course I know all the arguments against "Thai democracy": "Elections won't solve our problems." "Appointed governments have achieved better results than elected governments." The unsolvable problems of corrupt politicians, vote-buying, self-interest, etc, etc.
I'm not pretending that the upcoming elections will result in major reforms of our society or lead to quick political reconciliation.
But at least they will help to indicate the wishes of the people and set the scene for political dialogue with a view to future political reconciliation and agreements on constitutional reforms.
Not only do the elections need to take place, but their results need to be respected by all.
One strong quality among politicians in Thailand is pragmatism.
I hate to say this, but pragmatism and moderation are the most important qualities required for whichever political group forms the next government, and "unseen hands" need to be firmly pushed away.
Members of the public of all political colours who support the democratic system (I'm sure this is the overwhelming majority) need to voice strong support for free and fair elections.
For the elections, we will need effective monitoring mechanisms. In this respect it is absolutely absurd to reject impartial international observers.
Instead, we need to request as much quality assistance as possible from the international community.
Jon Ungphakorn is a human rights and social activist, winner of the 2005 Magsaysay Award and a former elected Senator for Bangkok.
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