In Thailand, however, a nation-wide poll found that 83.98 % of Thais agreed with the coup. Though most Thai academics disagreed in principle with the coup, most admitted it was the best solution for the chaos that has disrupted Thai society over the past year. The coup also ended Thaksinocracy, a disguised form of dictatorship that claimed legitimacy from its majority vote. Had there been no coup, the Thai Rak Thai could have held power for many more years, something many Thais held to be disastrous for Thailand.

 I will not judge the coup as right or wrong. However, I want to point to a more important consideration. “Is democracy a means or an end?”

 Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and other philosophers viewed government as a means to building a state that would bring people happiness and ensure their well-being. They argued that the purpose of good government is to create a just, morally upright society. They viewed democracy as a means to reaching this end rather than an end in itself.

 Historically, democracy has done this. It has proven itself superior to monarchy, soft authoritarianism, and tyranny.

 When democracy triumphed after communism’s collapse and the break-up of the USSR, it brought worldwide acceptance of democracy as the best of all government regimes and democracy then became an end in itself.

 It could be said that democracy is not the best system, but it is the least evil among all government systems that exist in the world. Democracy in Thailand over the past five years gives one clear piece of evidence, however, that there are flaws in the democratic system. 

 Thaksin’s government used a strong majority to become an authoritarian power. It fostered the centralization of power, engage in crony capitalism, intervene in public inquiries, censor the media, and obfuscate questionable administrative tactics.

 Also, Thaksin attempted to muster even more power by appointing friends to important positions. New populist policies were continuously released, most without proper consideration of their long-term consequences. Long-term sustainability was ignored.

 In January 2006, 48 hours after Parliament passed a new telecommunications law, the largest telecommunications company, belonging to Thaksin family, sold its shares to a foreign company for $1.8 billion Baht. The new law allowed the Thaksin family to avoid paying taxes on the sale. Eventually 100,000 people gathered to protest this injustice and to call for Thaksin’s resignation. But their attempt was ineffective. Instead of resigning, Thaksin dissolved the House of Representatives, confident that his party would again win a majority.

 If Thai people had seen democracy as a mere ends in itself, these protests could have led to bloodshed, or else could have been destroyed by the power that claimed legitimacy through a majority of votes. Thaksin regime would have then lived on for decades, even beyond the coming era; possibly leaving Thailand as the Philippines were under Marcos, “The Sick Man of Asia,” after more than 22 years of crony capitalism. 

Therefore, we should not look at Democracy as an end but as a means to a desirable end. Because democracy was unable to overthrow Thaksinocracy, a different means was needed. Even though the coup violated principles of democracy, it can be used to bring democracy back to the Thai people.  

No doubt, this military coup violates the law. However, if the military’s motivation is not to hold the power for itself and if the military leaders are genuinely interested in restoring the well-being of the people and the country, should not their exertion be accepted ? If this intervention is viewed as a means that will destroy a regime that hindered Thailand from reaching a desirable end, should the military be condemned?

 Nevertheless, democracy is still accepted and desirable in Thailand. The military has promised that it will return power to the people as soon as possible. If it does not keep its words, the Thai people will demand that the promise be fulfilled, as they did in the May 1992 tragedy.