Re: "China: Disrespecting anthem may bring jail", (BP, Nov 4).
China clearly has much to teach the West as well as the East: having fallen for a common theme through history, China confuses dissent with disrespect, repeating the common mistake of equating mindless adulation with respect.
Like all such anti-democratic laws, the law that criminalises what is regarded as disrespect for the anthem confirms the Chinese national anthem cannot attract respect on its own merits or on the merits of what it represents.
Similar laws abound throughout the world wherever dictators or despotic oligarchies, including those operating under a sham of democracy, need a false image of social consensus to deceitfully paper over deep dissent from mythic ideologies, religious, historical, social or political, that reject truth and honesty as virtues.
Laws against free speech, however sincerely motivated or genuinely popular, undermine the worth of the opinions they are needed to protect from reality and from good morals. Whilst perhaps strongly disagreeing, decent people respect dissent.
Felix Qui
Laws going overboard
Thailand has a few well-intentioned but inane laws on the books that I respectfully request Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha review.
Take for example the ban on the sale of alcohol from 2pm to 5pm. I rather doubt it is really respected, rather like the ban on sale of alcohol before elections. Some years back I went out to get some beer and saw it wasn't being sold. I stopped by a little convenience store and filled a basket with beer. Short debate behind the counter, they decided the foreigner couldn't vote, didn't make sense losing the sale, and rang up the purchase.
As I write this, I am sneezing and coughing from allergic rhinitis. When it is really bad, none of the antihistamines that are available work. Back in the day, Actifed worked. Then there was the scandal where state hospitals were ordering hundreds of thousands of tablets of Actifed and selling them to drug producers. Knee-jerk reaction, ban everything with pseudoephedrine. Today, for millions of people in Thailand, the common cold can be sheer misery for lack of proper medication. For those who suffer allergies, it is a year-round curse. I don't think anyone ever went into Boots at The Emporium and bought 300,000 tablets of Actifed. Please sir, can common sense prevail? Retail quantities will hurt no one.
David Surin
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