Consolidating Democracy in Thailand: The First Four Years of Democracy under the Constitution of 1997

Abstract

The period across parliamentary elections in Thailand, 2001–2005, constitutes the longest continuous government under a democratic constitution in Thai history. This article explores the consolidation of democracy in the Thai population during this period through national probability samples of Thai public opinion. The results indicate movement in the direction of greater support for democracy, but also revealing significant cleavages corresponding to the ‘two democracies’ thesis that proved to be the basis for bringing this era of democracy to an end.

Keywords:

• Democracy
• Democratic Consolidation
• Political Culture
• Corruption
• Thailand

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express appreciation to the Academia Sinica, the Chung-Ching Kuo Foundation, and the King Prajadhipok's Institute for the funding required to undertake the population surveys reported in this article.

Notes

1. According to Wyatt (1984:250), some thought that the word for democracy (prachathipatai) referred to King Prajadhipok's brother and that the word for the constitution (ratthathammanun) was a relative of the Prime Minister.

2. East Asia Barometer.

3. Eligible voters include all Thai citizens 18 years of age and older.

4. For example, university lecturers are high status but modestly rewarded members of Thai society. A focus on income, alone, would miss the more important dimensions of status in society represented by all three indicators.

5. These data should be taken with some caution. The overall data on Thailand as a whole are very reliable, but regional variations may be skewed within the region. Thus, while most of the 2005 data support inferences from 2001, the dramatic shift in the Bangkok data may warrant further investigation. When 2006 data are added to the picture, Bangkok turns out to be considerably lower in commitment to democratic forms of government. This issue will be addressed later.

6. In the United States, for example, the individualistic factor is usually dominant, with the moralistic and traditionalistic factors following in that order.

7. To reiterate, adherence to the sakdhina system is primarily a mark of the culture of Bangkok.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert B. Albritton

Robert B. Albritton, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Mississippi, USA

Thawilwadee Bureekul

Thawilwadee Bureekul, PhD, is a Research Director at King Prajadhipok's Institute, Thailand