Monday, August 08, 2016

Thailand votes to curtail its own democracy

Here's a new twist on politics: Thailand has just voted for a military coup. In a referendum, about 62% of the voting population has voted for a new constitution that lays the foundation for a civilian government strongly influenced by the military and controlled by appointed (rather than elected) officials.
Basically, the people have democratically voted to curtail democracy. I'm not sure that has ever happened before (at least not in such an open and flagrant way), and it is difficult to know just what to make of it. The vote appears to have been a free one, and not rigged or forcibly influenced in any major way, so one has to assume that that is what the people actually want.
Yes, Thailand has been beset by street violence and divisive politics for years. But this seems like a rather extreme remedy, and one that the people may come to regret in the future.

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