[ADRN Issue Briefing] Thailand’s Long Road to Democracy
2020-11-05
Knowledge-Net for a Better World
November 2020
Thailand's Long Road to Democracy
Kevin Hewison
Weldon E. Thornton Emeritus Distinguished Professor,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
·Adjunct Professor, University of Macau
"The Monarchy and Democracy: Where does Thailand’s future path lie?"
Despite the democratic movements and protests in Thailand, the 2019 democracy index still notes Thailand as a "flawed democracy." However, Dr. Kevin Hewison, Emeritus Distinguished Professor at Chapel Hill and an adjunct professor at the University of Macau, argues that the latest movement is distinctive from the previous democracy movements in Thailand. Dr. Hewison points out that the latest movement is distinctive because 1) students are leading the movement, 2) technology allowed a short notice protest, 3) protests are not centralized compared to Hong Kong’s recent protest, and 4) protesters demand the monarchy to adhere to the constitution and scale back its political and economic power. In order to push forward democratization efforts, Dr. Hewison contends that a “developed constitutional system can protect a weak or unpopular monarch."
