Moral right to protest

re: "Student rallies need careful handling" (BP, Opinion, March 2, 2020)

Dear editor,

Veera Prateepchaikul ("Student rallies need careful handling", BP, March 2, 2020) could more plainly have stated that the students have moral right and reason on their side. The government of the man who overthrew Thailand's supreme rule of law in 2014 to make himself prime minister, whose coup also trampled into the dirt, yet again, Thailand's form of democracy with a constitutional monarchy, now preaches that the law is sacred and warns about touching the high institution. The hypocrisy is obvious to the least intelligent or informed, let alone to the students at Thailand's top schools and universities.

The same prime minister has, as Veera admits, consistently refused to bow to reason, to good morals, or even to the current supreme law: he has still not complied with section 161 of the current constitution. If Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha declines  to respect their patriotic calls for justice, for respect, for democracy, what are the students who love their nation to do? If their calls for an overhaul of the unjust charter and the undemocratic senate are rejected as expected, should the students, concerned Thai citizens, passively let the bad continue to triumph over the good?

Being so concerned for their success, Veera could have offered some more constructive suggestions. The students could have been advised to start campaigns to raise money to fund further activities. Information campaigns to counter the official propaganda from the forces disgracing Thailand's parliament could have been suggested. Peaceful street theatre to raise awareness could have been constructively encouraged.

And if Veera is so worried about Covid-19 spreading among them, he could as well have told the students to stop crowding together in enclosed lecture theatres, seminar rooms and the like — they are at least as safe out in the open air.

Finally, perhaps the beneficial synergy that came from forming transparent alliances with other good organizations that love their nation, such as the Future Forward Movement, would also be way forward for the students to avoid the pitfalls that Veera highlighted on the road map to democracy. In fact, reaching out respectfully with a clear message to form alliances with the rest of the Thai nation sounds a most sound strategy.

 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 3, 2020, under the title "Moral right to protest" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1870249/moral-right-to-protest