Biased because of misplaced priorities

Kasit Piromya, a Thai citizen Western intellectual elites prides themselves on being liberal and democratic. But is this only form over substance? These Western opinion leaders seemingly want to propagate, export and share their vision of liberal democracy. Occasionally Western governments even venture abroad to help angry citizens topple oppressive or tyrannical regimes and replace them with elected ones. But an unfeeling fixation on formalism can convert the best of intentions into a kind of neo-colonialism, a project to bring others under ones tutelage and improve them so as to better measure up to Western preferences. Pope Francis recent Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel is not that appreciative of the modern commercialized civilization created by the West, one that he finds crass and calculating and too tilted towards the rich and the powerful. Many political and cultural achievements of the Western world are indeed laudable and much envied. Western values are often admired and looked up to as guideline for social justice. But what about the values of all the other people in the world? Have they no legitimacy? Is Buddhism, for example, a religion to be intellectually stepped on? Lately, however, there have been doubts arising as to the intellectual sophistication of the West and its actions. Have Western elites succumbed to the narrow pursuits of a faceless corporate system of greed and short-sightedness? Has meanness in the pursuit of strategic interest taken precedent over the lofty idealism of genuine democracy for all not just for crony capitalists? The case of Ukraine surely illustrates a Western desire to both undermine an elected government and lessen the influence of Russian Federation, in order to draw Ukraine into the more liberal European orbit. There seems to be a forgetfulness of democratic process and the principle of non interference and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other independent peoples in order to seek geo-strategic advantage, namely eastward expansion into the Euro-Asia heartland at the expense of Russias dominance in its Near Abroad region. So the Western world appears to fully support the protestors. The subject matter, it seems, is not about democratic principles or peoples life and death, but about a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Ukraine. In the case of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra speaks the Wests corporatese . He has cleverly presented himself as the Western worlds our man. And he was elected to office in line with Western values and his successive proxy governments were also all so elected. So Western intellectuals ignore his illiberal and undemocratic practices. They do not mind that Thaksin is a convicted criminal and a fugitive. They do not care how election victories

were actually won on the ground. The Western world seems not to notice that dictatorial populism la Thaksin was divisive and discriminatory and a means to siphon off the peoples money for the use of himself, his family and his cronies. Whereas populism la Chavez of Venezuela was not acceptable because Chavez stood up against the Western world and capitalist corporatism, populism la Thaksin in Thailand was trumpeted as caring for the downtrodden and not as a means towards corruption and national self-destruction. Thaksin learned how to charm the West while some of the megapopulist projects offered western suppliers the benefits of lucrative concessions and business deals. So, protesters against Thaksin and his proxy governments are labeled by many in the West as elitists; urbanized; ultra-conservative and reactionary or even anti-Western. This is utter nonsense as well as demeaning and condescending to the intellectual capacity and integrity of the Thai people. To add insult to injury, many Western commentators, even those who have lived in Thailand but not close to the Thai people - believe that Thaksins supporters, the Red Shirts who used violence and thuggish behaviour la the Brown and the Black Shirts are true democrats and revolutionary in spirit. This is a naive and shallow view which cannot be further from the truth. The protests of all non Reds only seek a cleaner Thailand; a politics of participation; of equitable sharing of wealth; of justice; of access to opportunity and of a sense of decency. Thai people want change and betterment through a reform process that will be put a new constitution to a referendum. They propose a postponement of the general election to enable a significant reform process to take place. The proposed reform process cannot take place under the shadow and heavy hand of the present ruling interest groups as they are no longer trusted and respected by the people. Thailand needs to break off from the past. Thailand needs a clean slate. The Western world supported the Egyptians in toppling their elected and Muslimbrotherhood backed Morsi Government. It welcomed military intervention and military midwifing of the constitutional drafting task, and it is mute about various charges brought against Morsi as a democratically elected leader. Who does the West support in Thailand? In Thailands case we see unfolding before us a peoples undertaking through freedom of expression and participation, with the principle of inclusiveness, and rejection of extractive political institutions and rent-seeking personalities. Occupy Wall Street in the US rejected financial dominance and control over politics. The danger of money running politics is international. No one is safe from the corrupting power of big money. Thai people share the sentiment of this movement to bring ethics to Wall Street and wish them further success, because their success would help minimize the misbehaviour of their government abroad.

We are all living in the era of interdependency and partnership, the submissive dependency of many on a few great powers is no more. We call for Western governments and political institutions to separate themselves from money thinking and align with the democratic forces of the world. We ask for consistency and integrity in placing aspirations and struggles for liberal democracy over narrow, short-term business and strategic interests. We want Western opinion- leaders to be genuine friends of real people, not supporters of illiberal governments. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014 Bangkok 26 December 2013