Unity, reconciliation - two ambiguous words

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln said: "The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty, and the American people, just now, are much in want of one. We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing."

Not much has changed since then. "Unity" and "reconciliation" are two equally ambiguous words in Thai politics today.

Does Somsak Kiartsuranont understand that unity does not mean "Shut up and listen to how we are going to unite" It might mean, we beg to differ but we will agree on these immediate steps to get to a stable situation and jointly try to resolve the others points.

Does Pheu Thai realise that reconciliation does not mean "You lot had better reconcile yourselves to the fact that we are going to do as we please" It might mean review the past, acknowledge what has gone wrong, forgive and allow the unforgivable a chance to plead for mercy. People who admit fault are easier to forgive than those that do not.

Richard Bowler

Bangkok