Democracy is on defense in Thailand, says Pita Limjaroenrat
Washington PostJul 21
Thailand's Constitutional Court Dissolves Move Forward Party
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Above: Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Thailand's Move Forward Party, gives a speech to supporters during a Pita on the Beach event on July 22, 2023 in Pattaya, Thailand. Image copyright: Lauren DeCicca/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Thailand's top court ordered the dissolution of the Move Forward Party (MFP) on Wednesday over its pledge to reform the country's royal defamation law during last year's election campaign. The ruling is final and can't be appealed.
The court in Bangkok unanimously ruled that the party had sought to "undermin[e] the monarchy" by pushing for amendments to Section 112 of the Criminal Code, following a request from the election commission for the Constitutional Court to consider dissolving the MFP.
The Spin
Narrative A
The MFP committed treason by campaigning to brainwash Thai youth into scrapping the royal defamation law and weakening the monarchy. While the constitution upholds the right to free speech, criticism in bad faith is a punishable offense. This ruling has dealt a heavy blow to the party's anti-military, anti-business, and anti-democratic agenda and sent a strong message that anyone attempting to create conflict between the monarchy and the people will face repercussions.
Narrative B
This ruling sets a dangerous precedent. Not giving the progressive Move Forward Party an opportunity to defend itself, and punishing the group and its leaders, will cause more than 14M people who voted for them to lose faith in Thailand's political system. While the party reboots under a new name and leadership, the ruling indicates that there's no hope for change. Royalist institutions in Thailand will remain in a permanent state of paranoia.
Narrative C
This is another blow to Thailand's pro-democracy groups. The Constitutional Court just sided with the country's powerful conservative forces to keep their grip on power by making the contentious law and the monarchy sacrosanct. The fact that the court didn't have jurisdiction to rule on the case, yet it dug in its heels against the electorate's will, shows that Thailand is still far from achieving a consensus on appropriate sources of political legitimacy.
Narrative D
The Thai monarchy suffers the most from the lèse-majesté law-related controversies, as these issues constantly drag the unifying national institution into political conflicts that it should transcend. The court's ruling doesn't say the law is unamendable, but rather reinforces the idea that the process must be done in good faith. Parliament, not political parties, must discuss and improve the law to serve the revered monarchy amid changing state dynamics — its inaction will harm the country to the point of no return.
