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Published on September 17, 2007

It was like having Richard Gere play the lead in a Western shoot 'em up. This was not a David Lean masterpiece. On the storyboard was Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" combined with Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror". It was supposed to be a year of non-stop action with lots of over-the-top stunts and a great square-faced villain living overseas. As it turned out, the audience feels cheated because it failed to deliver. Worse, the same cast is expected to return in a sequel in different roles. It could be time for the rotten tomatoes yet again.

Running a country after a crisis, especially Thailand, is no Hollywood tale, but the analogy does demonstrate how the public's high expectations have been squashed. Whatever support they gave to those wielding power has eroded over the past 12 months. Now with 98 days left before the scheduled general election, they are expected to deliver a finale that would correct all the wrongs that have been committed and strengthen Thai democracy.

From the beginning, the persons who took up the leadership were not inspiring and lacked vision. Since they all view themselves as seat-warmers, they do not have the necessary passion and courage, which are the most pivotal qualities after any crisis. Their actions and rhetoric are dull and unmotivated.

Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont has missed his greatest opportunity to have an impact on Thailand's political, economic and social life. An earlier land scandal caused a huge dent in his leadership. Indeed, he should have resigned for good. To stay on has made him a lame duck and propagated indecisiveness.

Nobody in the Cabinet or the Council for National Security has been able to generate any public confidence more democratic future either. In past weeks, Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin has completely lost his cool and morphed into a political nuisance, spitting riddles fit for TV talk-show hosts. Instead of maintaining the moral high ground as the man on the white horse he once was, he has stooped so low as to make a mockery of himself. His associates have been equally gullible. How the transformation could be so rapid is beyond comprehension.

Rhetorical gimmicks have filled the media, displaying mediocrity. No wonder political demagogues such as Samak Sundaravej are having a field day. Deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra knows well his puppet's ability to further divide Thai society. Samak is issuing his pompous, Sarit-like ultimatums to win followers and voters. One either loves or hates Samak - nobody falls in between.

The jury has been out on whether the coup would end up promoting democracy, the rule of law, freedom of expression and better governance. Today, it is as clear as sunrise in the morning that all hopes are futile.

Take freedom of expression as an example. The culture of fear is widespread, more than ever before, especially in cyberspace. Previously, there was a daily onslaught on all mainstream media that comprehensively cowed journalists. Now the Thai media comprises two worlds. While print media remains free, electronic and digital media have come under close scrutiny and stringent controls. Online users are now subject to police harassment following the enactment of the Computer Crimes Bill. Reports of arrests have surfaced in recent weeks. If this trend and mechanical response continues, access to information and freedom of expression online for ordinary users will be further curtailed. Thailand will slip and become a closed society. For a country that used to be praised for its free press that served as a model to others, this is a huge calamity.

Surayud could have come clean on several hot issues involving extra-judicial drug killings or the treatment of suspected insurgents by the previous government and he would have heralded in a new era. He could have immediately named the culprits involved in the disappearance of Somchai Neelaphaijit, the Muslim human-rights lawyer, last March. After all, he enthusiastically called for police reforms. A special committee has been set up to look into Somchai's disappearance but everywhere knows it will lead nowhere. To be fair, despite his failure to confront the dark side of Thai society, he has agreed on other, less controversial, measures to protect human rights, such as when the government became a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture in August.

Thailand, being a member of the globalised world and a democracy - though a fragile and unconsolidated one - owes the international community a major explanation when dramatic political changes take place. The Thai public might understand and stomach political nincompoops on display daily but not foreign countries, which have different democratic models, norms and values. Western countries have higher expectations of Thai democracy. That is natural given Thailand's steady democratic development over the past 15 years.

It has been said before and it must be said again that the Foreign Ministry under Nitya Pibulsonggram has failed miserably to restore confidence in Thailand's democracy and political transparency in the international community. The bickering over the European Union's offer to monitor the polls has been one of the most disheartening diplomatic experiences Thailand has encountered in modern times. Bangkok's long-standing reputation for diplomatic finesse and common sense was absent. The Foreign Ministry's mistrust of the EU has been personalised following the grouping's strong condemnation of the coup, which continues to haunt the country's bilateral relations. Along with the EU, all Asean members should be invited to dispatch poll observers to show what we have got.

Thailand is under a curse. We have tried to do good things in bad times and bad things in good times. The outcome is obvious. There is no paradigm shift - only a new vicious circle is in the offing.

 Kavi Chongkittavorn