The students and young people are fighting for the rights, liberty, and equality of every person in Thailand. They need our support.
Hence, the hashtag #เยาวชนปลดแอก (youth for independence, or free youth) has become #ประชาชนปลดเเอก (people for independence, or free people). Therefore, young people are appealing to the nation, #ถ้าไม่สู้ก็อยู่อย่างทาส (fight, or live as slaves). After 88 years of democratic struggles, they want coups, dictatorship, and military rule to #ให้มันจบที่รุ่นเรา (end with our generation).
There are those of us who want coups, dictatorship, and military rule. We who accept the 250 junta-appointed senators because our hatred of Thaksin Shinawatra is too deep, and our fear of Thanatorn Juangroongruangkit is too strong. We mistakenly think democracy is a person or a political faction.
For many of us, hatred and fear form our political stance; the casualty is the good governance of democracy.
But what about everyone else?
At these protests, the faces of young people are all around. As well, the faces of the older generation are everywhere; the uncles and aunties who come out to support the younger generation. Very few and exceptionally far in between, however, are the people of my generation.
Where are the Generation X?
Specifically, the urban middle and upper class.
We came of age during the 1980s and 1990s, the time of economic growth. Our mission was career and wealth. We faced the disappointment of the 1997 Economic Crisis, but we pulled through and made our career and wealth.
Through the past 15 years, many of us first donned the yellow shirts and then blew the whistles.
Some of us genuinely wanted the traditional rule of military power over the people, believing that this is the only way to safeguard the monarchy and protect Thailand against the “forces of evil” and the “conspiracy of nation-haters.”
Some of us sincerely fought against corruption and dirty politics, but inadvertently welcome coups and dictatorships instead. Most of us did nothing, and still are doing nothing.
Regardless of the action or inaction, we ended up handing to the next generation an undemocratic constitution and military rule, whether directly or in poor disguise. We give our sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews, the continuation of corruption, double-standard, and dirty politics.
Today, there are many of us, looking on, observing, and believing in the cause of young people.
But we are too afraid.
We are afraid to put our faces and names out there. Why?
It is because we have worked hard for our career and wealth. Simply put: we don’t want to jeopardize our lifestyle. We don’t want to stand up for rights, liberty, and equality because, in doing so, it might undermine our career and wealth.
It’s time to do more.
The first step in doing more is letting our voices be heard. Put our name and face out there to demonstrate that we are willing to fight for the future of the country that we love. Show that the future of our sons and daughters is most important to us.
We are not siding with Thaksin or Thanatorn, Pheu Thai, or Move Forward. Forget all of them. Neither democracy nor the future of a nation relies on any single individual or political faction.
We must side with fairness and justice.
We must fight for democracy and make good governance the foundation of the Thai nation.
There will always be corruptors and those who abuse power, but if the system, at least on paper, is fair and just, then the young generation has a fighting chance to make our country better than what we have been able to do.
But with an unfair and unjust system, which is the current constitution, Thailand doesn’t have a chance. Our country will continue to be as it is, a brothel for petty tyrants, whether in suit or uniform.
Here’s the first step. Say it together: the 250 junta-appointed senators must go.
