Will there be respect?

re: "Judgement day has arrived" (BP, March 24)

Dear editor,

With judgement day upon the nation, the Electoral Commission chairperson's observation that "The result of this election will indicate the direction of [Thai] democracy," whilst timely, leaves unanswered many questions touching on whether Thailand will move to the good or stay chained to the bad.

If the good Thai people again vote in favour of democracy, will the bad forces against democracy finally accept that, or will they instead resort to the usual overthrow of the rule of law to force their undemocratic agenda on the Thai people?

Will the senate respect the wishes of good people shown in their votes, or will it favour those who appointed it?

Will the good people be allowed to prevail at last, or will they again be thwarted by corrupted law made up to allow the bad to prosper?

We know how history judges dictators and other bad people, will the good people of Thailand make the same healthy judgement for their nation in their votes of March 24?

Will Thailand move forward to a future under good democracy, or stay mired in the bad old ways of the bad old days?

 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 25, 2019, under the title "Will there be respect?" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1650784/will-there-be-respect
  

Litany of ignorance

re: "Imaginary morality" (PostBag, March 19)

Dear editor,

I am not sure what letter of mine Eric Bahrt thinks he is replying to, but in "Killing in the name," I explicitly refer, among other well-known examples, to the religious ideologies called communism, fascism and Maoism. I might not have said the names "Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler," assuming, perhaps over confidently, that readers would connect the three murderous ideologies cited with the names famously associated with them.

Eric is also confused about what atheists say morality might be, falsely assuming it means nihilism. This is not true. Whatever might provide a foundation for healthy morals, it cannot be the word of non-existent gods arrogantly deeming themselves infallible, whether Zeus, Yahweh, Sekmet, Ares, Allah, Jesus, Kali or Santa Claus. It is equating morality with the words of their own god or gods that gives the religiously zealous an excuse to kill and commit other evil in the names of those gods whilst perversely calling their evil a campaign of good morals, exactly as communists and other other secular religions kill in the name of ideological purity to their unfounded beliefs about the world and morality.

Finally, the honest and moral answer to Eric's question about the force behind nature is that we do not know. Science is making slow and steady progress, but an honest admission of ignorance is a good thing: people do not kill in the name of what they admit not knowing. Fake claims of infallible omniscience are again the preserve of fanatical religious hubris that has not the moral honesty to admit both ignorance and error.

Any human institution of moral worth must be able to produce its long list of past errors and current litany of ignorance. To pretend otherwise is proof of dangerous dishonesty. 

 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 20, 2019, under the title "Litany of ignorance" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1647764/litany-of-ignorance
  

Killing in the name

re: "NZ horror began and ended online" (BP, March 15)

Dear editor,

The livestreamed evil from the zealously devoted fanatics of their ugly white supremacist ideology says it all too clearly.

It is precisely to escape such deadly ideological zealotry at home that many moderate, peace loving Muslims, democrats, Christians, atheists, republicans, Buddhists and others migrate to better countries, such as New Zealand. It does not matter what inspires the hate that sees violence as a solution, good people speak out against such use of force against demonized groups in society, not only those hated for their religion or atheism, or for their ethnicity, but also the gays and differently gendered, and those demonized because of their political views, even communists, monarchists and republicans.

It is an ugly fact that religion has always been a powerful force for hate that inspires violence, whether the Christian crusaders and inquisitors, the ideological purists of communism reeducating in their gulags, the Islamic jihadi, the zealous fascism of the Nazis, the toxic nationalist monks of Burmese Buddhism, Maoists disappearing critical thinkers, the hate-filled Hindu nationalists of India and so on. Atheists and the non-religious can also commit evil, but it takes religious fervour to kill in the name of your chosen ideology that demonizes others.

 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 17, 2019, under the title "Killing in the name" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1645984/shopping-for-a-judge
  

Generals' skin too thin

re: "Men in green take step too far" (Editorial, March 10)

Dear editor,

The army chief is right to be concerned for the honour of himself and the army he leads. It is, however, less obvious that filing defamation suits alleging insults by civil politicians is the most effective way to protect and defend the honour of  the Thai army and its officers. A sounder strategy might be to fight those battles that prove to the Thai nation that the Thai army is doing its duty to the nation, for which reason alone the Thai people maintain their army.

What, then, is the duty of the Thai army? The army's duty is to protect and defend the nation it serves. Section 1 of the Thai constitution is perfectly clear: "Thailand is one and indivisible Kingdom." It is the constitution of the Thai nation that founds the entity that is the Thai nation, along with every subordinate law and institution, including the monarchy, the army and the government of the Thai people, and it is the Thai people to whom the  "Sovereign power belongs," as section 3 of the constitution explicitly states. It is only by the provisions of the constitution, which clearly defines Thailand as "a democratic regime of government with the King as Head of State" (sect. 2), that all other Thai law and and state institutions are made real and potent. It therefore follows with logical certainty that the duty of the army, the ultimate source of its honour, is the protection and upholding of the constitution of the Thai nation. Conversely, the true source of dishonour is failure to fulfill this supreme duty to protect and uphold the constitution of the Thai nation.

A few blunt words from civil politicians cannot seriously tarnish its honour provided the army is loyally doing its duty to defend, protect and uphold the constitution whence derives not only Thailand's government, but all other Thai laws and institutions.

 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, 2019, under the title "PostTitle " at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1643032/different-rules-for-rich
  

Shattered remnants

re: "TRC dissolution turns up political heat" (Opinion, March 8)

Dear editor,

The fact that the Constitutional Court's reason for dissolving TRC was for the high crime of  "opposing the democratic system with the King as head of state" begs an obvious question. What, then, is to be thought of the ruling politicians who did not merely oppose "the democratic system with the King as head of state," but who actually smashed it?

Smashing the democratic system is, by definition, exactly what every coup against Thailand's constitutions has done. The constitution, that supreme legal foundation of all other laws and state institutions, the very foundation of Thailand's "democratic system with the King as head of state," is overthrown by every coup against it. So what are Thai citizens to make of those who, having smashed their nation's  democratic system, are still dancing on the shattered remnants near five years later?

 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 9, 2019, under the title "Shattered remnants" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1641628/politicians-to-blame
  

Addressing dissent

re: "Debate and don't dictate" (Editorial, March 1)

Dear editor,

Why are healthy societies characterized by open discussion, that is, the debating of competing ideas in public forums?

Because informed opinion of worth requires addressing dissenting views, people who respect knowledge debate. Because it exposes deceit, people who respect honesty debate. Because openness to opposing views nurtures them, people who respect good morals debate. Because it requires that all citizens have a right to a voice, people who respect democracy debate.

In contrast, enemies of the open society cower behind such ramparts as the bullying of bad law. 

In the run up to the election, which politicians stand on which side of the debate?

 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 2, 2019, under the title "Addressing dissent" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1637814/electric-pipe-dream