‘Magic’ of the military loses its charm
Since he put pressure on the Royal Thai Police last week by appointing a police reform panel, Gen Prayut Chan-ocha’s own military regime seems to be under the spotlight for the same reason.
His appointment has prompted figures such as politician and red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan to challenge the military to undergo reform too.
Unsurprisingly, Mr Jatuporn’s challenge was slammed by government spokesperson Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd who insisted the military “always reforms itself”, adding that the army was forced to enter politics via the 2014 coup because “politicians caused disorder” in the country.
Like other military men, Col Sansern just brushed off the criticism and ignored the problems that provide the basis for the call for reform of the military.
The army is not all that bad in my view as it has gained the admiration of many Thais. Dreams of becoming a soldier are common among young people. There are countless TV shows or movies that showcase the military’s “bravery mission”. I myself admire soldiers who work hard risking their own lives.
But when the military runs politics, it is a different thing.
The men in green have brought along their commanding, top-down and hierarchical style of work culture. Commanders hold absolute power. No questions allowed. When this is applied to national administration, the results can be disastrous.
One clear example is the government’s approval of the procurement of military hardware and weapons worth tens of billions of baht during the past three years. These include 10 battle tanks, 34 armoured vehicles and one submarine from China.
Another example came on Tuesday. The cabinet gave the green light for another purchase of eight jet trainers from South Korea. More procurements are in the pipeline.
Responding to public criticism, military leaders insisted the defence spending was “transparent” — but no one is allowed to investigate the shopping plans in detail.
It’s “necessary”, they say, brushing away the need for scrutiny over the necessity of the purchase plans.
It’s “for security”, they claim, without pointing to any foreseeable threats.
Their responses show they haven’t tried to change their mindset or style of work even though their roles have changed from handling security work to administering the country. It seems like they treat us as if we are their army subordinates.
Instilling a fear of corrupt politicians in the public’s mind has been common in the past, particularly during protests that led to the coups in 1992, 2006 and 2014. And the military has continued to play on this sentiment. In his infamous “four questions”, Gen Prayut asked the public what if general elections result in corrupt politicians, prompting speculation he was hinting at delaying the next election.
Moralising has become part of politics. Terms like khon dee (or good people) have been repeatedly cited to nurture the current undemocratic, authoritarian government.
Historically, military governments have never revealed their enormous defence spending. Previous civil governments which tried to seek clarification over this sort of spending faced resistance from the army.
Chulalongkorn University political scientist Surachart Bamrungsuk recently told Prachatai, an independent news website, that the military is an untouchable institution that can’t be effectively monitored and controlled by parliament.
Even though the previous 1997 constitution helped strengthen the political system, it couldn’t bring about a parliamentary system able to nurture democracy.
Meanwhile, many Thais are addicted to “nowism” — impatient for political transformation — which paves the way for the military to repeatedly stage coups —a shortcut to political solutions.
Mr Surachart suggests military reform can only happen when society realises the problematic aspects of the military.
I think the military must admit it has problems within its own ranks and needs reform of both its operations and mindset. If the military is perfect, why is our history punctuated with the suppression of freedom of expression and human rights violations?
At the end of the day, the military may only be able to achieve one thing — casting a spell on itself with its intangible perfection and its “transparent and necessary” yet lavish defence spending. When someone keeps doing things that way, their words can also start to lose their magic.