Three more days and we will know on August 7 whether Move Forward Party, the party with 14 million votes behind them, would be dissolved by the Constitutional Court, and their leaders, including the charismatic former leader Pita Limjaroenrat, will be banned from politics for 10 years, for having pledge to reform the royal defamation law.
Many sources are not betting on a positive outcome for the party. Some cited the lack of any subtle positive signs. Two signs worth noting are: monarchy-reform movement co-leader Arnon Nampa late last month faced another four years prison sentence for defaming the monarchy, thus facing a combined prison sentence term of 14 years (and more to come), and the fact that the party’s social media did not post any happy birthday message on the King’s 72nd birthday on July 28. It seems the party is focusing more on maintaining, if not trying to increase its loyal base of supporters now.
There are five issues that I would like to raise ahead of the ruling on Wednesday, August 7, at 3pm, however.
First, the royal defamation law, also known as the lese majeste law or Article 112 of the Criminal Code, is a law, period. It is not words from the Tripitaka, the Bible, or the Koran. Thus, it can be subject to an amendment, or even abolition, if voters, who hold the sovereign power, believe such a course is best for Thailand. The irony of this whole upcoming ruling is that the Constitutional Court never had any problem whenever rogue army generals seized power and annulled one constitution after the other.
Second, no matter where you stand on the issue of the lese majeste law, or whether you like or abhor MFP and politicians like Pita, we must bear in mind that the parliament, that is the legislative branch, is where any difference about laws should be resolved and done openly as well as peacefully. Any attempt to shut this crucial venue for resolving political disagreement is simply undemocratic and will do much harm to Thailand in the long run.
Third, if the court punished the party and its leaders, many MFP supporters, particularly young ones, will lose faith in the current political system, become alienated and radical. This will significantly reduce any possibilities of a political compromise in the future.
Fourth, I urge the nine justices of the Constitutional Court to take the big picture into consideration. Please do not needlessly plunge Thailand into another round of political crisis. Please bear in mind the will of the voters, the 14 million who voted for Move Forward Party, which is the party with the greatest number of popular votes in May 2023 knowing full well as MFP is the only party pledging to amend the lese majeste law and consider what the will of the people means.
Fifth, in a democratic society, one would have thought after the people have spoken on the election day, we shall wait for four years to exercise our rights to vote anew to resolve any disagreement about the political course of the kingdom. Not here in Thailand. Voters may feel robbed by rogue generals or by rulings made by the Constitutional Court and the voters will simply have to do much more to guard their political rights. This is the travail that is Thai-style “democracy” today. It is much less democratic than what we think when we conveniently but carelessly use the word “democracy” when Thailand is still far from being a full democracy.
I hope the absurdity that is Thai politics will not include banning a political party for simply proposing to amend a law. But this is Thailand.
