State is not God

Re: “Abhisit hits out at death penalty law”, ( BP, Nov 20).

I am not sure why in the world Constitution Drafting Committee chairman Meechai Ruchupan thinks the death penalty proposal as a means to deter corrupt people from getting involved in politics is a novel idea. Mr Meechai should know elections cost lots of money. It takes tonnes of efforts and a few millions, or maybe more, to get elected. Looking at the salary of Thai elected officials, one wonders how they would get their return on investment.

Reforming the election process and removing corruption is harder than hanging corrupt people and politicians. Educating people about democratic values and building institutions that will help cultivate a civil society is much more difficult than brainwashing or using fear to force people to obey crazy and lopsided laws.

In Thailand, coups have become the cheapest way to form a new and a clean government; no election is necessary. All those who tossed out elected governments and politicians are “good people”. So why do they bother to show the world that elections are a necessary evil for Thailand or that democracy is needed just to make Thailand look like a civilised country?

Which Thai national would volunteer to spend millions to get elected and deal with the nightmare of a noose around their neck? The only way to attract good and smart people into politics is to provide them incentives by reducing the fear of coups or an execution.

Anton Chekhov aptly captures the current CDC adventure: “The State is not God. It has not the right to take away what it cannot restore when it wants to.”

KULDEEP NAGI Lamphun