Theft of a nation

re: "Seksan blasts divisive politics" (BP, March 10)

Dear editor,

Academic Seksan Prasertkul is a sensible man. Ad hominem insults that arrogantly dismiss those you disagree with as being "bad" contradict the basic premise of democracy: all have an equal right to a voice in the form of their society and its government, however offensive some might (disingenuously) claim such ideas to be. Those who colluded to seize power by brute force on the grounds that the popular choice was "bad" have but proved their rejection of the good morals that found democracy.

If you think a choice is wrong, you use reason and facts to persuade others, not force. Resorting to force is an admission that you have no sound reasons for your selfish prejudices. The currently ruling politicians who stole the Thai nation from the Thai people, who are the Thai nation, are necessarily bad in their explicit rejection of the basic moral ideals of democracy. They should properly be rejected by all good people, irrespective of how those good people feel towards the pretty awful Pheu Thai group. Respect for democracy does demand that those who espouse ideas that are held to be offensive, even by a majority, must be accorded the right to state and argue for their opinions as to how Thai society and its government should be organized. Contrary to eight decades of modern Thai history, that reason and good morals are against you fails to justify the use of military force against the nation.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on March 12, 2018, under the title "Theft of a nation" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1426523/theft-of-a-nation