|
There's
a revolution going on in Thailand. It's likely that most people won't
notice it because all the fighting will certainly take place behind the
scenes, where no one loses face and the public are kept largely unaware of
anything other than results for appearance sake. But it may just be the
most important upset of the status quo since the last coup - a decade ago.
This revolution is otherwise known by the sinister name of 'War on the
Dark Forces'. President Taksin has taken his cue from another ignoble and
misguided president and declared War!
Who are the Dark forces? Afterall, Thailand has just suffered another
terrible war - the war on drugs - which left 2000 people dead, can the
country afford to take on two evils in one year? Obviously an election is
looming, the evils of the world have to be defeated for the electorate's
sake.
In this case the Dark forces are the mafia gangs that run this country.
They are the families who have controlled areas since day dot, they are
the rich tycoons who occasionally wear their 'white suits' to indicate
their military rank, they are captains of industry and village headmen,
they are small time extortionists on their way to bigger things, they are,
effectively, anyone with some sort of rank on the great, complex
hierarchal ladder that inextricably holds this society together.
Of course some people are darker than others, so who do we declare war on?
Separating out the rotten apples is likely to be the real messy part of
the battle. Ethics and conscience are weak virtues in Thailand, many
people here find it perfectly acceptable to profit off others, to exploit
the powerless and voiceless, to disregard copyright, subvert laws to
reduce cost, receive money without delivering anything in return and claim
money for something you have no right to. Then there is the corruption and
tea money that governs most commercial agreements. These are dark forces,
but everyone participates in them. It's commonly accepted here, even by
the standards of most decent middle class families, that this is how it is
done in Thailand. If you have money, doors open, problems can be solved
and you can get what you want. This happens the world over, its just less
transparent here, less controlled by laws, and more open to abuse by the
rich. Unfortunately it is defeating in the macro sense, benefiting only a
small, greedy, group of elite people. Perhaps this is why Taksin is
declaring a war. We should all stand up and applaud loudly, it's
singularly the most valiant fight any statesmen has taken on in Thailand's
democratic history.
But what he is talking about here is a revolution on society. A major
upset of the status quo that will deny millions of regular Thais the
opportunity to 'get what they want'. He is threatening to dismantle the
fibre and fabric that makes this entire nation tick.
For the benefit of the unfamiliar, lets briefly analyse the way Thai
society 'knits' itself together. Every society is governed by laws and
lore. The former are legally binding parameters of what you can and cannot
do, they resolve civil disputes and give the Police force the mandate to
maintain order. The application of the law is often subjective, especially
here in Thailand, but largely reliable. The latter (lore), however, is
society's own 'unwritten' code of what is generally considered acceptable
behaviour - a civil etiquette of what is required of you to 'fit in'. This
kind of law manifests itself in the form of open debate, public outrage
(letters to newspaper), consumer groups and TV investigations, protests
and so on. Thai people generally aren't too vociferous in this respect,
while a more mature democracy such as the United Kingdom is strictly
governed by public opinion, which is eagerly set upon by the print media.
Complaining just isn't part of Thai culture because it leads to loss of
face for someone, yet they govern themselves by some strict traditional
habits. It's perfectly acceptable to ride your with two or three
passengers on the back, despite the obvious threat to other motorist's
safety, but kissing in public is strictly taboo. These are examples of how
culture influences this society.
Returning to the issue of law, Thailand is a country where law is
something that holds a very vague function. Those who have used the
services of a local lawyer may agree how incompetent they can be at using
the 'law' properly. By and large, Thai people don't like 'laws', they are
a nation of 'law breakers' (but not mavericks), who collectively refuse to
be strictly governed or told what they can or cannot do. Everyone here
does pretty well what they please, provided it falls within the 'lore' of
this society. You can fudge the construction laws, ride your bike the
wrong way up a street, obtain necessary documents through 'dodgy' means,
buy your way out of problems, set up an impromptu restaurant on an unused
pavement, plunder natural resources that aren't yours, drive drunk, dump
your garbage in the river, or do whatever suits you to make a comfortable
living. Spend an hour in the traffic and you'll witness what I mean by ill
discipline. This may be a simplistic observation but the point is, the
really important 'lore' for a Thai, is to be a good citizen in appearance
and manner, wai the right people, call everyone older than you 'pii' ,
smile and be tolerant, and let the Dark forces set the equilibrium, the
system shall do the thinking for you, just accept it and participate.
A good example of odious practice of the Dark Force is the motorbike taxi
extortion, The mafia involved here are Dark indeed, but part of the
system. It is their accepted right to generate income by this means.
Taking them on is the Prime Minister's first battle. Good for him. Who
will reimburse the riders who have shelled out a fortune for jackets that
are now redundant and who will step in to the void when the mafia are
defeated? Will they be bought to book (unlikely, seeing as many of them
work for the government - a sure loss of face for the Thai Rak Thai
party), or will they move onto another scam opportunity, believing it is
perfectly normal within Thai society to conduct this sort of business?
The reality is, without the Dark Forces, the system would collapse. The
Force is an uncontrollable entity that has its own checks and balances
based on individual status. It has been shaped by porous Thai values and
ethics, which the majority chose to accept as 'lore', in diffidence to the
Law. The Prime Minister doesn't really control the Force, he is part of
it, and declaring war on it is tantamount to Earth declaring war on the
Universe, for example. Perhaps he can re-define the lore of the Force,
tighten the parameters so that no one can be 'darker' than another, but
the fallout is sure to create a lot of waves, shake up the apple cart, and
leave a few vulnerable people dead. After that, the system will
settle back into an equilibrium in which new kingpins will benefit from
the unchallenging lore of the Thai people and emerge as the new 'Darker'
forces. Such changes cannot be wrought overnight, and certainly not in the
face of a society that actually thrives off, or at least happily tolerates
a system that is usually above the law.
|
