As new political parties rush to reserve names and kick off the registration process, there emerges an impression that our politics is being returned to a democratic mode. The existing political parties are supposed to start confirming the memberships of their members next month. However, there still is no clear signal from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) over when it will allow political parties -- new or old -- to conduct activities. The road ahead remains full of pitfalls and loopholes. It will be a long time before the dust settles, if ever.
The challenges for Thai democracy are not about setting up political parties or having general elections. In fact, there are barriers that need to be cleared before Thailand can achieve democratic rule with liberty and freedom.
The first barrier is the positions of the political parties themselves.
