I am not really worried if Osama bin Laden is dead or alive in some random cave in South Asia.
But, I am worried about the state of democracy in Asia.
Last week was the kind of week that makes you scratch your head about “homeland” politics.
When you are part of an Asian American immigrant family, you keep one eye over there in Asia, try not to wince, and just hope for the best.
As long as the remittance money gets through, democracy works just fine.
But recently, if you’re from Thailand especially, there’s been enough happening “over there” to make you worry for the future of your ancestral homeland.
When the American networks break in to show tanks rolling on the streets of Thailand, it’s enough to spoil that romantic vision of the country, and your next taste of lemongrass.
It was just surreal.
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Thaksin What?
Lucky you’re not Thaksin Shinawatra.
In America, more people know pad thai better than bad Thaksin.
The prime minister of Thailand was in New York sitting among the world’s elite at the United Nations last week, when he suddenly became unemployed.
While Thaksin was practicing world diplomacy, his nation’s army was back at home ripping his country out from under him.
But in a nice way.
Time magazine even described it as a “festive coup,” with mini-skirted women posing for photographs in front of tanks.
Not exactly the guy standing up to the tanks at Tiananmen Square.
But, that’s the way it is when it comes to Thai politics. After nearly a dozen coups over the last 30 years, Thaksin was supposed to be the embodiment of the West, the man who could really give Thai democracy a run for its money.
He did, in a way. Despite support from the rural poor, Thaksin lost his urban supporters who became suspicious of his overly Western (read: corrupt) ways. The tax-free sale of the family firm for $1.9 billion, the blatant cronyism and favoritism, all were actions that didn’t exactly inspire new visions of a Thai Jefferson, Washington or Madison.
But it sure sounded like the Philippines under Marcos. (Or Arroyo, for that matter).
And, while there was public disapproval of Thaksin, the tanks didn’t roll at the behest of any People Power.
The military is still in control. The people just seem to be going along with it, willingly.
I guess they couldn’t wait for another election to throw the bum out.
Still, a coup isn’t exactly how you’re supposed to make democracy happen.
Does Democracy Work in Asia?
Perhaps, it’s time to ask ourselves again that age-old question, “Does democracy really work over there?”
Yes, democracies exist most notably in Japan, India and South Korea. But then there’s North Korea.
Everywhere else and democracy struggles. Say Singapore, where recently the government just sued a politician for defamation.
Point to the Philippines’ People Power revolution of the ‘80s and it only takes you so far.
Less than a generation later, the feel-good era is a matter of nostalgia. The country has reverted back to its familiar themes of coup rumors, corruption and killings.
Maybe the non-democratic tradition is just a wee bit too strong to overcome what appears to be a much-needed sense of authority in our native lands.
Maybe the best we can ever expect is some strange democratic “hybrid,” as the best possible outcome.
If democracy is the fabric of a nation, maybe in Asia, instead of something made of some natural material, we end up with polyester.
China is the best example of this.
The U.S. used to take a strong human rights stance against China. But that’s long been compromised by money, markets and Wal-Mart.
The reality of China’s vastness makes corporations and the governments they influence look beyond the strange hybrid China has become.
I coin it China’s “commacracy.”
Just enough democracy to obscure all the concerns over the authoritarianism of communism.
Peaceful co-existence. Ka-ching, ka-ching.
In other words, like remittances, everything is OK, as long as the dollars keep flowing.
Of course, if you are a longtime resident of America, perhaps even a citizen, or a born-here APA, you shouldn’t be too focused on Asia.
There are enough concerns over the direction of democracy right here in the U.S. of A.
The U.S. is hardly acting as a role model for how an ideal democracy should operate.
Not when President Bush uses both the war in Iraq and the threat of terrorism as excuses to amass as much unchecked executive power as he can to authorize spying, torture and coercion. What kind of democracy seeks to have military tribunals on phantom charges with secret evidence?
These days, the U.S. can hardly be looked to as the moral authority when it comes to democracy.
On that score, after over 200 years, the U.S. is still making it up as it goes along.
Let’s hope Thailand gets it act together quickly to restore democracy.
The U.S. could use a little inspiration.