Corrupt ideologies

re: "End scourge of extremism" (Editorial, April 23)

Dear editor,

The extremism of religious zealotry is merely one sub-species of ideological zealotry. Ideologies like communism, Christianity, fascism, Hinduism, absolute monarchism, Islam, nationalist Buddhism, white supremacism and the rest all share common features. Labelling it heresy or threats to national identity, they reject critical reason because it shows their foundations to be cracked. Labelling them blasphemy or fake news, they deny inconvenient facts because they contradict the ideological myths. Labelling it impious or bad morals, they refuse investigation of factual claims because the results might  contradict their unsubstantiated claims. Labelling it apostasy or sedition, they condemn healthy dissent because it undermines their pretence to indivisible reverence.

Since reason, truth and honesty are of no help, to maintain their fantastic claims to pre-eminence, ideologies tend to physical and legal violence against dissent based on reason, evidence or honest truth seeking. This also suggests part of a solution: the state must abstain from either favouring or opposing any side in the ideological battles. The First Amendment to the US Constitution gets this right as it seeks to remove as a legal weapon the might of the state from the hands of competing ideologies, who are left free to make their cases in the market place of ideas. If citizens choose Buddhism over traditional nationalistic Christianity, they must be free to do so. If patriotic groups want to publicly argue for a revision of the national historical narrative, they must be free to do so. If some want to extol communism over free markets, they must be allowed to make their case in peace. This is what good morals for a healthy society dictate.

However ancient or supposedly popular, if a traditional ideology can survive or a new one rise only by violent suppression of competing ideas, whether that suppression is by terrorist bombs or despotic rule of law, then it deserves extinction. If you would use either bombs or the force of repressive law to support your chosen ideology over others, it is already corrupt. 

 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 April 24, 2019, under the title "Corrupt ideologies" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1666116/corrupt-ideologies 
  

Uncivil tales

re: "Future Forward's Piyabutr denies charges" (BP, April 17)

Dear editor,

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre" of blatant persecution of the elect, at least the regime of politicians ruling unelected have given up the hollow pretence that it was to bring reconciliation that they overthrew the supreme legal foundation of Thailand as a democracy with a constitutional monarchy. The post-election moves show the divides nurtured in the festering dark of the past five years to be deeper than ever.

There is, however, a silver lining seen in Future Forward's stunning success in the election. This growing glimmer of happiness is that a large number of Thais, the better informed, more critically aware, more reform minded, likely also the younger and less tolerant of the traditional corruptions, no longer believe the tales spread to justify uncivil control over the Thai people, which hobbling has for decades held the nation back economically, socially, politically and morally.

It is hard to avoid the suspicion that it is these fault lines exposed by Future Forward's popularity that has led to the amazing accusations being levelled against those people judged good by the Thai electorate.

The events unfolding make us wonder with Yeats, writing one hundred years ago:
 "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, 
  Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

 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 April 19, 2019, under the title "Uncivil tales" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1663724/uncivil-tales

References

• Yeats, W. B. (1933). Sailing to Byzantium. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43291/sailing-to-byzantium
   
• Yeats, W. B. (1933). The Second Coming. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming

  

Assault on morals

re: "Stop creep of 'full Sharia'" (Editorial, April 11)

Dear editor,

Brunei's religiously inspired legal assault on good morals is a timely reminder of two important truths: 1) religion fails to guarantee good morals, and 2) being in accord with the law is equally irrelevant to moral good, the rule of law too often being used by bad people to commit great evil.

 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 April 13, 2019, under the title "Assault on morals" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1661048/democratic-justice
  

Reforming bad ways

re: "FFP chief on sedition rap" (BP, April 4)

Dear editor,

The revelation that Thanatorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the hugely popular Future Forward Party,  is alleged to have committed sedition because he supported democracy way back in 2015, when it had already been overthrown by the dictators' coup against the rule of law that had destroyed Thailand's form of democratic government according to the constitution that had been in force, is but the usual bullying of good people by the bad.

The bad naturally feel threatened by it since comparison with good shows up their bad. Such bullying for it years after Thanatorn had performed his good deed in support of democracy only adds to the already substantial credit of the Future Forward leader as a good person.

If supporting democracy is indeed a criminal offence, that proves only that the rule of law has been morally corrupted by dark forces to nurture injustice and other bad morals. This latest farce but further proves the Future Forward leader to be a good person leading a party with good policies for long overdue reforms to correct bad old ways in Thai society, politics and morals.

 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 April 7, 2019, under the title "Reforming bad ways" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1657892/join-the-integrity-pact
  

Democracy vigil

re: "Sudarat, Hillary has-beens" (PostBag, March 31)

Dear editor,

As the pseudonym chosen in his honour attests, Anti-Thaksinista could not be more wrong about Thaksin. Thaksin will be remembered when such bad people as the dictators who have boosted his renown by repeatedly overthrowing the supreme rule of law and smashing Thailand's form of democratic government with a constitutional monarchy are long gone. Those bullying dictators will be remembered as footnote examples of the bad people persistently interfering in politics to pursue their own self-serving agenda. Had they instead upheld and protected the constitution of the Thai nation, the democratic process could have developed to put Thaksin where he belongs, in prison for his drug war killings and other real crimes.

Thaksin might not be good, but being constrained by democratic principle, as witnessed in the failure of the sleazy Pheu Thai amnesty bill before the latest overthrow of the rule of law by bad people, he has done more good than the bad old boys with their bad old ways have ever done, even if Thaksin's motives were at heart just as bullying and undemocratic.

Unlike dictatorship, democracy is an inherently good thing: it just needs vigilance by good people to keep its principles upheld and honoured.

 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 April 6, 2019, under the title "Democracy vigil" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1657544/songkran-must-go-on
  

Condemn Brunei

re: "Speak out on barbarism" (Editorial, April 2)

Dear editor,

Just as good white people, and everyone else, recently spoke out loudly against the vile white supremacist attack on Muslims at prayer in New Zealand, good Muslims everywhere now need to shout out to condemn Brunei's vile program to make Islam look like a primitive moral abomination unfit for decent, civilized society.

 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 April 4, 2019, under the title "Condemn Brunei" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1656872/charity-not-politics
  

Out with the old

re: "FFP makes waves for better and worse" (Opinion, April 1)

Dear editor,

Whilst professing otherwise, Veera nonetheless seemingly fails to understand that better educated, more thoughtful young Thais today understand very well that it is the bad old ways of bad old people who have brought Thai society, politics and morals to the dire state that they have been in for decades. It is all very well to complain about the young not respecting the old as tradition dictates, but that something is dictated by hoary tradition does not and cannot make any tradition good enough to deserve respect. Respect must be constantly earned.

The youth of Thailand see better, both factually and morally, than the old. The youth are right to look to long overdue reform of bad ways, whatever might once have been uncritically accepted by many. Nor is Veera right to equate stating a different opinion, even an offensive one, with  disrespect. I might disagree with my aged mother about whether she should continue living at home alone or move into assisted living, but this is not because I don't respect her. On the contrary, to let her continue holding bad beliefs that lead to bad decisions is the true failure to show respect.

But does Veera even have any good evidence to support his claim that an idea he attributes to Future Forward's party secretary "is both unacceptable and deplorable to many Thais"?  He certainly failed to cite the relevant statistics needed to back up such an assertion. Others might as reasonably assert the exact opposite, and in the absence of actual evidence that tells us the percentages, both claims are equally well-informed, which is to say equally uninformed. As a competent, professional journalist of many years, Veera certainly knows that if you make bold claims about what a population thinks, those claims need to be backed up by citing the relevant polls of public opinion.

 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 April 2, 2019, under the title "Out with the old" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1655056/out-with-the-old