When is the abhorrent practice of staging a coup justifiable?
Tuesday’s coup broke a 15-year streak of the military not intervening in Thai politics, a situation that used to be the norm. Although there is widespread support for the bloodless coup led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the leader of the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM), it is deplorable that it happened. However, among average Thais the intervention is considered a “necessary evil” to remove the current political stumbling blocks. Was the coup a major setback for Thai democracy? There are two answers to this question. The first is yes, because it has inevitably brought back the much-dreaded role of the military in shaping the political future of Thailand. Since 1932, Thailand has lived under a military dictatorship on several occasions – for some 15 years. The military’s meddling with politics and business has been the greatest malaise in our political system. The notion that became popular following the bloody uprising in 1992 – that the Army coul
