Comparing Thai and British Democracy

Many Thais may understand that the UK and Thai political systems are similar, as they know both countries have a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. However, in the past decade, Thailand’s political system has been growing away from democracy.

Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, when the People's Party, a coalition of army officers and civil servants, seized power from King Rama VII. Since then, Thailand has never had a period of political stability. The country has had twenty constitutions, twenty-eight general elections, and a staggering seventeen coups (thirteen of which were successful).

In the UK, having a coup is not something citizens think about. However, Thailand has developed a 'coup culture'. This means that Thailand has normalized military coups and they are seen by many Thais as an acceptable solution to a political crisis or to eliminate politicians who have been accused of corruption. Often, it's conservative Thais and certain political organizations who call for the military to step in. This means that, to many Thais, democracy has been stigmatized as a system that encourages political corruption, while military interventions are seen as life rafts during times of political turmoil.

The constitution has also divided Thailand from the UK. Thailand's constitution has been rewritten with every coup, roughly every five years since the 1932 revolution. There was no doubt to many Thais and observers that Thailand's current constitution should be criticized for being unconstitutional. Its many components were undemocratic, one of which was the previously mentioned military-appointed upper house. In contrast, the UK's uncodified constitution has always been through the process of enactment and amendment conducted by elected representatives since the Parliaments Act of 1911 and 1949 gave the House of Commons more power by limiting the legislation blocking powers of the House of Lords.

Despite having a parliamentary system and constitutional monarchy, Thailand's democracy only superficially resembles that practiced in the UK. Even with a 90-year history of democracy, Thailand still has not yet reached a milestone where it can proudly call itself a democratic nation, and only future generations are expected to bring about changes.