Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Subverting the mandate: On the Thai elections and the military establishment

Subverting the mandate: On the Thai elections and the military establishment

Thailand’s military should respect the popular (लोकप्रिय, सार्वजनिक) vote or risk (जोखिम उठाना) turmoil (उथल-पुथल)

In the parliamentary elections in May, Thai voters sent a clear message to the country’s conservative (रुढ़िवादी, दक्षिणपंथी) military establishment, which had wrested (grab or take (by force/effort); seize, snatch, pull, usurp) power from an elected government in 2014. The reformist (सुधारवादी) Move Forward and the pro-democracy Pheu Thai parties emerged as the largest parties, while all the pro-establishment parties did poorly (badly, awfully, dismally, terribly). Yet, the Thai military went after the architect (mastermind; originator, founder, planner) of the Opposition victory, the 42-year-old Pita Limjaroenrat. During the campaign (अभियान), he had promised to end the “cycle (series, succession, sequence) of coups (तख्तापलट)”, scrap (remove, abolish, quash, eliminate, discontinue, cancel, abandon, drop, stop, do away with, get rid of) the military-drafted constitution (संविधान) and amend the controversial lèse-majesté (a French term meaning “to do wrong to majesty”, is an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign (monarch/supreme ruler, king, queen) or against a state; treason, disloyalty, betrayal, faithlessness) law, which criminalises (अपराधी मानना) any public criticism (आलोचना) of the monarchy (kingdom, sovereign state; a form of government in which a country is ruled by someone who rules for life and usually receives their position from another person when that person dies). His reformist views helped him connect with the masses and lead his party to victory, but also made him a target of the military. After the elections, eight Opposition parties, including the Move Forward and Pheu Thai, came together to form a bloc (group, team), which had a majority in the 500-member elected House. The bloc nominated (नामित करना) Mr. Pita as their prime ministerial candidate. But in Thailand’s 750-member bicameral (relating to a legislative body (parliament/congress/council) which is two-chambered (or) consisting/having two chambers) Parliament (500 elected MPs and 250 Senators appointed by the military), a candidate needs the support of 376 lawmakers (a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); legislator, elected representative) to form the government. In Mr. Pita’s first attempt, he got only 13 votes from the Senate (the smaller upper assembly in some countries). Thailand’s Constitutional Court (संवैधानिक कोर्ट) also suspended him from Parliament in a case involving allegations (आरोप, दोषारोपण) that he had violated (उल्लंघन करना) electoral laws by not disclosing (reveal, communicate, tell, report, admit, publish, make public, make known) his shares in a media company.

This is not the first time the establishment (प्रतिष्ठान, संस्थान) is going after popular parties. In 2019, the reformist Future Forward Party, which emerged as the third largest bloc, was dissolved (disband, disestablish, dismiss, bring to an end, terminate, close down) and its leaders banned from politics. What the generals fail to understand is that the crackdown (clampdown, getting tough/severe measures, suppression) on pro-democracy parties has not helped sway (influence, affect, win over, persuade, prevail on) public mood (frame of mind, state of mind; atmosphere, feeling). The Move Forward emerged from this vacuum (empty space, blank space, void, vacancy, gap, lacuna) and became the largest party in Parliament in four years. Thailand has also seen widespread (extensive, rampant, omnipresent, ubiquitous, all-round) pro-democracy protests; though crushed (suppress, quash, extinguish, overpower) by the junta (a military group that takes over the government by force), the embers (glowing coal, burning wood) of public resentment (fury, anger, wrath, shock, outrage, indignation) still burn. The May election results were an opportunity for the junta to cede power to a legitimate (legal, lawful; valid, reasonable, reliable) government. But by blocking the winner from forming the government and suspending him from Parliament, the generals have made it clear that they will not tolerate (allow, permit, agree, accept, authorize, acknowledge, approve, support; endure, put up with) any call (requirement, need, demand) for reforms. This is a dangerous move (action, step, measure) that has taken Thailand a step closer to the Myanmar model, where the military coup in 2021 saw the arrest of democratically elected leaders, and civil war (a war between organized groups within the same state or country). The Thai Opposition should stay united in the face of (despite, notwithstanding, regardless of; when confronted with) the military’s pressure tactics and continue to push the Senate to support the candidate who has the backing (support, endorsement, approval, acceptance, ratification, validation) of the most elected lawmakers.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.the establishment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिष्ठान, संस्थान
English Meaning - the government, the administration, the regime, the authorities, the powers that be.

2.violate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उल्लंघन करना
English Meaning - contravene, breach, break, disobey, defy, flout.

3.popular (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - लोकप्रिय, सार्वजनिक
English Meaning - public, societal.

4.risk (verb)

Hindi Meaning - जोखिम उठाना
English Meaning - take a chance with, put at risk; imperil, jeopardize.

5.turmoil (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उथल-पुथल
English Meaning - disorder, turbulence, confusion, trouble, chaos.

6.conservative (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रुढ़िवादी, दक्षिणपंथी
English Meaning - rightist, right-wing, reactionary, traditionalist.

7.reformist (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सुधारवादी
English Meaning - providing support to gradual reform (in political or social situations); liberal, reforming, progressive, forward-looking.

8.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान
English Meaning - canvassing, electioneering, an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.

9.coup (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तख्तापलट
English Meaning - a sudden and violent regime change, seizure of power, (illegal) takeover of power.

10.constitution (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संविधान
English Meaning - the rule book for a country; body of law, system of laws/rules, fundamental principals.

11.criminalise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अपराधी मानना
English Meaning - make something (an activity) illegal.

12.criticism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आलोचना
English Meaning - disapproval, censure, condemnation, fault-finding.

13.nominate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - नामित करना
English Meaning - propose, put forward, recommend, put up.

14.constitutional court (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संवैधानिक कोर्ट
English Meaning - The Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand was first established by the Constitution in 1997. It is a specialized court following the idea of Hans Kelsen (a Pure Theory of Law) to safeguard the supremacy of the Constitution.

15.allegation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप, दोषारोपण
English Meaning - accusation, charge, indictment.

16.establishment (noun)

English Meaning - a powerful group within a specified area of activity.

17.subvert (verb)

English Meaning - undermine, weaken, sabotage, damage, demolish, disrupt.

18.mandate (noun)

English Meaning - approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative).

19.popular vote (noun)

English Meaning - the popular vote is simply the total votes cast for each candidate/party across the whole of the country. The candidate/party with the most votes across the nation is said to have won the popular vote.

20.wrest (verb)

English Meaning - grab or take (by force/effort); seize, snatch, pull, usurp.

21.pro- (prefix)

English Meaning - supporting.

22.poorly (adverb)

English Meaning - badly, awfully, dismally, terribly.

23.go after (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - pursue, follow, chase someone (so as to catch).

24.architect (noun)

English Meaning - mastermind; originator, founder, planner.

25.cycle (noun)

English Meaning - series, succession, sequence.

26.scrap (verb)

English Meaning - remove, abolish, quash, eliminate, discontinue, cancel, abandon, drop, stop, do away with, get rid of.

27.lèse-majesté (noun)

English Meaning - a French term meaning “to do wrong to majesty”, is an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign (monarch/supreme ruler, king, queen) or against a state; treason, disloyalty, betrayal, faithlessness.

28.monarchy (noun)

English Meaning - kingdom, sovereign state; a form of government in which a country is ruled by someone who rules for life and usually receives their position from another person when that person dies.

29.bloc (noun)

English Meaning - group, team.

30.bicameral (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a legislative body (parliament/congress/council) which is two-chambered (or) consisting/having two chambers.

31.Senate (noun)

English Meaning - the smaller upper assembly in some countries.

32.Senate (Thailand) (noun)

English Meaning - In accordance with the 2017 Constitution of Thailand, the Senate is a non-partisan legislative chamber, composed of 250 members. There are no elections for the Senate - all 250 Senators are appointed by the Royal Thai Military. Senators serve five year terms in office.

33.The National Assembly of the Kingdom of Thailand (noun)

English Meaning - it is a bicameral legislature composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Combined, the Assembly has 750 members, 500 of which were elected directly through a general election (500 MPs in the lower house). Others include all 250 members of the Senate being appointed by the military.

34.lawmaker (noun)

English Meaning - a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); legislator, elected representative.

35.disclose (verb)

English Meaning - reveal, communicate, tell, report, admit, publish, make public, make known.

36.dissolve (verb)

English Meaning - disband, disestablish, dismiss, bring to an end, terminate, close down.

37.crackdown (noun)

English Meaning - clampdown, getting tough/severe measures, suppression.

38.sway (verb)

English Meaning - influence, affect, win over, persuade, prevail on.

39.mood (noun)

English Meaning - frame of mind, state of mind; atmosphere, feeling.