T he incident involving Thai organiser of the Miss Universe 2025 competition in Bangkok on Tuesday when Mr Nawat Itsaragrisil berated the Mexican beauty queen, Miss Universe Mexico 2025 Fatima Bosch, in front of all the contestants, calling for srcurity guards, demanding the room doors be closed, and threatening other beauty queens representative dozens of nations who stood up or walked out with disqualification from the competition, is an example of the vertical, authoritarian use of raw and crude power that many Thais have been made so familiar with since childhood, unfortunately.
It demonstrates that authoritarian power is not confined solely to the spheres of military dictatorship or electoral politics; it is pervasive across almost every dimension of Thai society. The use of raw power and threats begins in many families, in many schools and educational institutions, in workplaces, in military camps, in the existence and application of the lèse majesté law, and beyond.
The challenge of cultivating a culture of democracy and equality is an enormous one for Thai society. We must begin by adjusting our relationships with those whom society generally views as inferior—whether in terms of power, status, education, or class. Because as long as people habitually exercise this kind of raw, vertical power and see it as normal, instead of reporting to reasoning, respect and empathy, it will be difficult to expect Thai society to achieve equality and become truly democratic.
P.S. The clip of Nawat using this raw power affects not only his own reputation but also the reputation of Thailand. If we view this positively, it serves as a wake-up call about the failure to transform Thai culture into one that respects human equality, different reasoning, and democracy.
Power exercised from the top-down in a hierarchical, non-consultative, and often coercive manner, characteristic of authoritarian systems is unfortunately deep rooted in Thai culture still.
The Thai lèse majesté law, one of the world’s strictest, which carries severe penalties for defaming, insulting, or threatening the monarchy is but the tip of an iceberg.
The exercise of raw, entrenched power in Thai society, extending beyond the realms of politics and was made apparent under the glare of spotlights and Facebook live streaming on Tuesday at inside a luxury hotel in Bangkok at one of the world’s most watched stage called Miss Universe Pageant.
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