Asia dumps its dictatorships

Asia dumps its dictatorships

By Kavi Chongkittavorn

BANGKOK: As expected, the local media head-lined the outcome of the "trial of the century" in South Korea recently as if they all had one thing in mind; that is, to send a direct message to Thailand's leaders who have continuously abused their power in the past decades at the expense of the people.

Military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who ruled from 1980 to 1987, was sentenced to death, while his friend Roh Tae-woo, a former president whose reign lasted from 1988 to 1992, was given a twenty-two-and-a-half-year prison term.

Given the context of Asian history, the handing down of the twin verdicts against two former leaders of South Korea stands out as one of the most remarkable events that have transpired this decade.

So many Asian leaders have come and gone, with some having stayed in power longer than others. And many of those who took power illegally, or remained in power beyond what was mandated by their country's laws, were not prosecuted for their sins.

But the situation is not expected to remain this way, especially considering the current tide of democracy sweeping Asia.

What happened in South Korea was not unexpected. In fact, in the past two decades, efforts have been undertaken in various parts of the world to prosecute leaders who tolerated corruption and lied to the public.

Punishing dictators, even though some of them are eventually pardoned or granted immunity from further prosecution, is fast becoming a raison d'etre for emerging democratic societies and dynamic economies. In Latin America, both Argentina and Chile, two countries whose economies have shown remarkable improvements, took steps to prosecute their former military leaders after democratic civilian governments took over. These two countries are trying, in their own ways, to come to terms with the fact that thousands of innocent people disappeared or were killed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

A special commission was established in Chile to come up with the names of those killed during the dictatorial rule of former president Gen Augusto Pinochet. Those who were found to have been responsible for the disappearances and/or killings of innocent people during this period have been meted punishment.

One of the most famous dictators, former East German strongman Erich Honecker, was also put on trial because he ordered the shooting of people who tried to escape to then West Germany.

Former Polish president Gen Wojciech Jaruzelski was questioned by a parliamentary commission on the crackdown conducted over pro-democracy movements in the early 1980s.

In Asia, South Korea has set a very good example for the rest of us, that a democratic, civil society can be established in an Asian environment. It is not as alien as some of our leaders would want us to believe. In the past, when Asian dictators, most of whom were allies of Western leaders, were toppled from power, they ran away with their stolen wealth and respective entourages to the West. Some of the infamous Asian dictators are still living in North America and Europe.

Apparently, as Asian countries, in particular Southeast Asian states, move toward democracy, they all want to ensure that the old-style dictatorship will never return.

South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines have also shown that political openness, through peaceful means, can go with economic prosperity. It is not a zero-sum game as perpetuated by some Asian leaders.

Thailand is a special case -- our system is neither democratic nor dictatorial. We are free and yet no so free. We are democratic and yet not so democratic. We are in a state of perpetual ambiguity. In fact, the Thai peoples' greatest frustration is the weightless ambience that surrounds and wraps us like a giant cocoon. Better still, we describe it as a gala (coconut shell) culture.

At best, we are a country in search of our destiny. We fail to comprehend our history and find ways to reckon with past mistakes. Rulers of this country live, speak and act as if Thai history occurs in parallel with their existence. None of the leaders see history as a linear development and a continuation of past things. To them, history is something that has happened and, therefore, is to be forgotten. And as such, it is their belief there won't be any lessons that can be drawn from it.

But it is heartening to know that many countries, as they progress, are attempting to understand their history. They are trying hard to right the wrongs and search for past truths that will eventually serve as a guide to present situations.

Thailand has not yet tried anything like that. Our history is full of lies, untold stories and unfinished descriptions by untruthful historians. We must be truthful to ourselves. For instance, one of the most traumatic experiences of our time was the Oct. 6 massacre. But so far we have treated the 1976 tragedy as an aberration. We have not tried to seek an explanation as to why it happened. It is as if we are in a void, preventing any linkage of it to the present.

Maybe we can learn a few things from South Korea and from the

aeps taken by President Kim Yong-sam and his government to try and heal the wounds of the nation's past. It is important to note here that military officers who were responsible for the massacre in the southern city of Kwangju, which resulted in the deaths of about 200 civilians, have also been prosecuted.

If a democratic and civil society has its way in Thailand, as I believe it will, all Thai dictators, military or civilian, who had or are abusing their power and robbing the nation, will be brought to justice sooner rather than later. It could take a little longer because our nation is influenced by a short-memory syndrome and a "forgive and forget" attitude that is difficult to explain. But in the end, the truth shall prevail.

-- The Nation