Now the Election Commission and the National Council for Peace and Order have promised to hold the general election on Feb 24 next year, should we remain hopeful that the move will eventually lead Thailand to transition into a more democratic state? The answer largely depends on our expectations of the outcome, as well as the form of democracy that we want -- and we can look southeasterly to Cambodia, or westerly to Myanmar to get a rough idea of what Thailand's new beginning may be like.
As Cambodia announced a result of its widely-criticised election on Wednesday, one may start to wonder whether Thailand will follow suit in embracing the Cambodian model. While we can be sure that Thailand's much-awaited election is unlikely to be marred by irregularities the way Cambodia's was, we have to concede that the results won't be entirely genuine.
Surasak Glahan is Deputy Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post.
