Thailand’s democracy in crisis: Why the country doesn’t deserve a seat on the UN Human Rights Council

by Simone Galimberti

Now, more than ever, it is clear that Thailand does not deserve a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. The ruling by the Constitutional Court disbanding the Move Forward Party on Wednesday (7 August) and banning its leadership from politics for the next ten years unequivocally sets aside any doubts on why Thailand should not be elected in this symbolic and yet prestigious role.

Despite the brave face put in by Pita Limjaroenrat, the party’s former candidate for Prime Minister in the last election and before today’s verdict, the Move Forward Party’s Chief adviser, a role forced and imposed on him by a previous unjust and unfair court ruling, it is a grave moment for democracy in Thailand.

Every attempt at bringing fresh ideas, new approaches and, most importantly, new faces to the political arena, there is always a successful, well-orchestrated, structural process to bring them down.

Let’s not forget that what happened to the Move Forward party is almost identical to what had occurred to its own processor, the Future Forward party that was disbanded in February 2020.

All these situations show that the political machine of the Thai ruling elite can be ruthless and efficient in the job of dismantling legitimate political parties that represent the aspirations of the new generations.

I can’t imagine what right now as I am writing, young people are experiencing, their overwhelming emotions and feelings of rage, despair and resignation.

But I am also convinced that Mr Pita is right in his attitude, in his own way of processing the shock caused by the ruling.

Just a few hours before the Court handed down its verdict, he showed confidence and optimism, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

And despite bring proved wrong, Mr Pita is courageously, boldly showing the way forward, literally speaking, announcing, after the reading of the verdict, that he will keep work hard to promote democracy in the country.

He wants his fellow young citizens not to lose hope and remain steadfastly positive about the future.

He publicly shared in a party’s press conference the following:

“I will continue in politics as a citizen,” he said in response to his ban. “I’m not going anywhere. I know that you might feel disappointed or angry … but we won’t let that eat you up. We’ll return on the next ballot.”

I have no idea how the youths and new generation of the country will react to this latest development. Probably many of them, already disillusioned by the political system, were expecting such result.

Others might have instead embraced a cautious optimism, sharing the same feelings that Mr Pita was expressing in the morning.

Probably, it is imaginable that their disappointment, anger and perhaps outrage, will bring them again to the streets to protest, hopefully through nonviolent means, against an unjust ruling in an unjust system that keeps betraying them.

Hope is that they won’t give up on their dreams and aspirations, on the idea that their country can also become a beacon of civil and political rights, a place where the rule of law is applied fairly and legitimately rather than conveniently based on entrenched interests of the establishment.

The now former MPs of the Move Forward Party will keep battle down inside the parliament.

The rank and file members of the Move Forward Party will either transition to a minnow and unknown party already legally registered or they will probably create a Forward 3.0, a new version, another incarnation of their own party.

There is already a new leader ready to take over wherever the members of the party will transition, Sirikanya Tansakun who was the deputy leader of now defunct Future Forward Party.

One striking thing is observing from afar what is occurring now in Bangkok.

I cannot stop thinking about the dignity and self-respect embraced by Mr Pita and his party members.

Their self-confidence and unmovable determination come from key inner strengths that all of them do possess and are displaying valiantly in the most difficult times.

They are resilient, and they are not giving up.

They are radical only in their hope of changing for better their own system by accepting, in the humblest possible terms, the court verdict.

They have joined mainstream politics from the inside and they always incorporated common sense policy like their proposed changes to the Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the draconian Lèse-Majesté that once again is the cause of their fall.

This kind of radicalism, deprived of any extreme and dangerous propositions, sooner than later will pay off.

My guess is that we won’t have to wait for ten years before Mr Pita and his team return to politics.

They, like Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, one of the founders of the disbanded Future Forward Party and many of his peers, will be back in the political arena before their ban expires.

Indeed as Mr Pita has said on Wednesday, he will continue his fight as citizen as Mr Thanathorn has been trying to do for the last four years.

Pressure from the streets might help the cause, and nothing can be discounted at the moment, but even if successful, it won’t be enough to change the status quo in the long term.

Youths must step up their civic engagement, they need to keep educate themselves and other segments on the society on why their country must change.

A grassroots, peaceful campaign for civil progress and political freedoms could immensely help the movement, expanding the number of supporters, conquering the hearts of the middle class and bringing out their message, reaching out across different generations.

Today, it was another defeat for Thailand’s democracy.

The international community should take note of this situation.

Yet the mission of a more democratic Thailand that now appeared to be an impossible one, will be accomplished only by those who, peacefully, will keep projecting new ideas and bring in a new vision for the country from the parliament, in the streets and in the classrooms of the country.

Despite all, the future of Thailand is still orange and it is a bright one and, one day, surely the country will deserve to be at the helm of the UN Human Rights Council.

The author writes about human rights, regional integrations and politics in the Asia Pacific.