The Cult of Democracy

Thailand had a coup. The military took over control of the country, ousted the elected Prime Minister, and set about organizing new elections with the promise of stepping aside once their job was finished. All of this occurred with their King’s blessing and support.

So, what’s the big deal, right? A sovereign nation had some problems and drastic steps were taken to correct them. Yet, to hear the pundits and examine the focus of the news media, the idea of handling democracy in this way is akin to how one church will preach against the fast and loose interpretation of doctrines by another church.

In a very real sense, we are seeing just how widespread the cult of democracy really is among world leaders and analysts. It’s not enough that elections have been held and will be held again. No, any nation that claims to be democratic must adhere to some strict definition of the word, imposed by larger examples of the same.

For example, very few stories are detailing exactly what made former PM Thaksin so undesirable to so many. Most outlets report he was linked to corruption and election rigging, and some will even point out his strained relationship with the king. Yet, instead of going further into the reasoning behind the coup, most stories focus on the coup itself and remark on how bloodless it was. The fact that there was NO resistance from the public and the take-over was peaceful is apparently lost on those who see shake-ups like this as a bad thing.

What’s even more amazing, especially in the United States, is how our traditions passed on from our founders almost demand a revolution or coup should our government be deemed to be too big for its britches.

While I am not advocating the overthrow of the US government with these words, it seems that the real interest in the Thai coup story is that once an institution of democracy is established, people are loathe to change it. It sort of makes one wonder why such a revolutionary idea as democratic principles seems more interested in its own self-protection than what the people it governs choose.