The South Korean people have made it clear earlier this week that they were not going to tolerate a return to dictatorship. The short-lived martial law imposed by President Yoon Sok Yeol on Dec 3, which lasted less than 6 hours, demonstrates the maturity of many members of the National Assembly, which voted 190 to 0 to lift the martial law, and also the maturity of soldiers, and police, deployed under martial law who recognised that not only that the martial law was unwarranted but that their ultimate allegiance belong to the people. Thus they didn’t really prevent the members of the National Assembly from entering the hall to vote in an emergency session that night nor did they resort to the use of force against opposition politicians and civilians.
Apparently, they have learned and moved on from the dark years of military dictatorship and the Gwangju uprising in May 1980 when hundreds of people, mostly students, occupied the City Hall in that southern city and confronted the savage army under then dictator Chun Doo-hwan and sacrificed their lives. After civilian supremacy over the military was established some years later, it became customary for the sitting president of the republic to visit the cemetery of the martyrs every May to pay respect to those who died fighting for a free and democratic South Korea that is today.
And although on Saturday, December 7, the National Assembly has failed to pass a motion to impeach President Yoon after most assembly men and women from the People’s Power Party, the ruling Party, refused to participate in the vote, it’s apparent that President Yoon is now but a lame duck president and his days are numbered, as more civilians take to the street demanding for his resignation.
Thais were impressed by the swift actions taken by opposition lawmakers and the restraint shown by the military and police despite the imposition of martial law. In this regard, Thais have a long way to go before we can confidently consign dictatorship, military or otherwise, to the dustbin of history. This is because many people either lack courage or do not think they should or have to do something when the country is being taken over by dictators, particularly through an army coup. Many Thai politicians instead, kowtow to the rogue generals who staged military coup, joined their military government, and acted as apologists for military rule. Some prominent activists, academics, and public figures fled abroad instead of putting up a fight right away. Majority of the Thai press took a wait-and-see stance or even acted as a lubricant, thus ensuring a “successful” coup by telling the public these generals who took over power meant well for the country and have said they won’t be in power for long before returning power to the people. In the case of coup-maker Gen Prayut Chan-ocha, who staged the 2014 putsch, he ended up in power for nine ‘short’ years. Most soldiers, police, and judges, almost all simply accept the new order of the rogue generals like Prayut.
What’s more, only a few thousand civilians were willing to protest on the street against the 2014 coup while some civilian groups even congratulated, or lauded the coup makers. Some were proud to hand these generals a bouquet of flowers.
It is in this context where Thais can, and should, learn more from South Koreans on how to protect their fundamental political rights and freedom from being too easily taken away. In the end, we get what we are willing to pay, or willing to sacrifice, to defend our political rights and liberty. We only have ourselves to blame for this seemingly never ending vicious cycle of dictatorship.
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