[Tlc] TC-border politics

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Forwarded from Bonnie Brereton.
Thanks,
justin

Commentary: Nationalistic puppets
	Economy under attack
	Commentary: Nationalistic puppets
	Lunch box lawyers jailed
	Not fit to lead
	Liar, liar
	Democrats get their mojo on
	Temple locked
	'Tone down nationalism'
	Still not credible
	Thaksin who?

By Sanitsuda Ekachai
The PAD has chosen to speak the language which mainstream society understands. Nationalism and royal nationalism whip up the audience like magic.

Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor (Outlook), Bangkok Post.

Ultra-nationalism fans anger and hatred while strengthening the false sense of self - everything Buddhism frowns upon.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) boasts of many people well-versed in Buddhism. Yet they have chosen to whip up ultra-nationalism through the Preah Vihear controversy to oust Thaksin Shinawatra's crony government. Why? Because it works like magic.

That does not speak well of the PAD, given its claim to be fighting for democracy. Nor of our society.

We must ask why our society routinely turns a deaf ear to the cries of injustice from the weak and the poor but never fails to dance to the tune of racist nationalism. The answer may also shed light on why we have failed miserably to redress inequality and to make democracy work.

Whether you agree with the PAD or not on the Preah Vihear issue, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is wrong to lambast street protests as undemocratic and illegal.

Admit it. Our parliamentary democracy has been reduced to a ballot box game governed by money politics. The bureaucracy has become an autocracy. The judicial process is too long and costly. The laws are written to serve the powers-that-be. Political decentralisation is in fact local mafia rule. The mainstream media favour state and business interests. What choice do people have but to take their causes to the streets?

How we respond to these causes, however, reflects what makes us tick and mirrors who we are. The rural poor's plight caused by misguided development that destroys the environment and the local way of life certainly does not make Bangkokians tick.

Remember when the city joggers complained against the rural folk who took to Bangkok streets for crowding their park and spoiling their morning exercises? Remember how they complained about the protesters' smell?

The result of the poor's protests are mostly empty promises. The authorities continue to drag their feet. The polluting businesses continue to destroy people's health and environment. They can get away with murder because there is a total lack of public moral outrage to pressure for change.

Knowing that justice and human rights talk will get their anti-Thaksin protest nowhere, the PAD has chosen to speak the language which mainstream society understands - nationalism and royal nationalism - accusing Mr Thaksin of undermining the monarchy and national sovereignty to strengthen his political and transnational business empires.

Grounded or not, the accusations effectively play on the deeply programmed messages in our heads. Brainwashed by our education system, we believe that we are the greatest race in the region, that we used to own much of the Southeast Asian peninsula, that our neighbouring countries are our enemies, and that our history is a series of efforts to save our land. It is why territorial issues never fail to trigger our killer instinct.

We need a different kind of history. Understanding the myriad factors that contribute to the rise and fall of ancient civilisations can help undo the nationalist trap. If we realise that geographical changes, new technologies, and the trading of products made by different peoples in the land were the growth engine of a civilisation, not a particular race, change is possible.

Had the Thai and Cambodian governments seen Preah Vihear in this context, they would have realised that a transboundary World Heritage site is a win-win solution to promote Southeast Asia's ancient civilisation and a sense of borderless humanity. Sadly, the World Heritage site is seen only as a symbol of face and a ticket to tourism money.

If we leave our ultra-nationalist history intact, Preah Vihear will remain a thorn in Thai-Cambodian relations. Politicians, both in Thailand and Cambodia, will readily play the nationalist card to get rid of political rivals, suppress dissent, divert public attention from their violations of human rights, and their failure to make justice and democracy a reality.

That is a high price to pay for being trapped in the frenzy of nationalism. We are paying a dear price now in the deep South. Restoring peace will remain difficult unless we tackle the false belief of superiority in our heads.

© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2005
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______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu