National reconciliation: Public left in the dark

Thai public not even allowed to see military's 'people's will' reconciliation plan, surrounded by climate of fear. Public participation & debate only way to reconciliation.

EDITORIAL: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNANCE

National reconciliation: Military plan leaves public in dark

Let the public have unity say
23/06/2017

Members of the military regime's national reconciliation panel eagerly await the moment its draft reconciliation agreement will be unveiled,.

Meanwhile, most members of the public have no idea what kind of a social contract for national unity will be offered.

MILITARY SECRETIVE ABOUT NATIONAL RECONCILIATION PLANS

With only a few months spent on gathering opinions, the draft is expected to be finalised within the next few weeks.

But the military regime is being secretive about it.

National reconciliation is, indeed, a worthy goal to pursue after more than a decade of prolonged and deepening political conflict.

But the regime should be aware that this social contract (piece of paper) will do little to help it achieve that objective of reconcilaiton unless the right environment has been created to properly foster reconciliation.

POLITICAL CLIMATE CREATED BY MILITARY REGIME NOT SUPPORTIVE OF RECONCILIATION

The current political climate is far from supportive to reconciliation.

The ban on political gatherings remains in place.

The use of Section 44, which gives National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) head Prayut Chan-o-cha sweeping powers to nail down controversial key policy decisions amid growing public resentment, has been excessive.

Suppression of political expression has been ongoing.

Political activists are still detained in prison or made to face legal action.

TO SOLVE POLITICAL CONFLICTS OPEN POLITICAL SPACE, DON'T CLOSE IT

The regime seems to have forgotten that solving political conflicts requires an opening-up of the political space.

It has never paid heed to calls for it to lift the ban on political gatherings.

This time it should.

STOP CREATING A CLIMATE OF FEAR, OPEN UP SPACE FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 

Someone within NCPO circles need to remind Gen Prayut or Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, who leads the reconciliation panel, that the military should stop creating a climate of fear and open up a space for the public to have a say on political and other issues.

After more than three years in power, reconciliation is going nowhere.

Few people are positive that political conflicts have been healed, or will be healed by such a unity pact.

MILITARY HAS EVEN MADE ITSELF A PART OF NEW CONFLICTS

The regime's own actions, meanwhile, have actually broadened the sphere of political turmoil as the military has made itself part of many new conflicts.

The longer it stays in power, the more problems it seems to have created.

Different groups of people have protested against its many decisions in the past few weeks.

These decisions taken without public participation range from making a sudden unexplained decision to go ahead with the planned Thai-Chinese railway project to the amendment of the National Health Security Act (universal healthcare, 30 baht healthcare).

CONFRONTATIONAL STYLE SHOWS MILITARY NOT READY TO RECONCILE OR COMPROMISE WITH ANYONE 

Gen Prayut's confrontational style may prove more entertaining or hostile than fruitful for reconciliation.

His remark challenging critics to stop scolding the government from abroad (and strangely enough suggesting that they come back to Thailand and face arrest), made during his trip to Khon Kaen this week, shows that he is not ready to compromise or reconcile with anyone.

Gen Prayut's reconciliation panel does not offer much hope for the public, either.

Its mandate and work have been questioned, mainly by those political parties and groups that are in conflict.

The process is a top-down approach that does not foster the supportive environment needed to bring people in conflict to the negotiating table.

DRAFT UNITY PACT CALLED 'PEOPLE'S WILL' BUT PEOPLE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE IT

Recently, despite calling the draft unity pact "the people's will", defence spokesman Kongcheep Tantravanich said no one can see it until before the public hearings which will be held in four provinces and completed by July 7.

The panel does not seem to understand that public participation is key to reconciliation.

The sooner the public can review the draft, the better people will be prepared to give their opinions ahead of the upcoming (limited) public hearings.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION & DEABTE THE ONLY WAY TO RECONCILIATION

More importantly, the regime should let reconciliation take its course naturally by allowing people to speak up and debate their opposing views.

The regime should approve formal meetings of political parties and withdraw criminal charges against political activists.

The best way to do that would be to lift the ban on political gatherings and let people have a real and greater say in key decisions.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1274027/let-the-public-have-unity-say

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