Parliament Parliament in Thailand comprise of 250 appointed senators and 500 elected MPs
Some people expressed surprise that under the new constitution in Thailand, Parliament comprised of 250 people appointed by the military and 500 MPs elected by the people in the general election. 

They felt that this is not democratic and that the military will continue to run the government. It will be extremely difficult for a popularly elected government to be able to have sufficient members to overcome the appointed senators.

I believe that this system has its advantages. Here are my reasons:

a) The military is likely to appoint senators from  respected people with good experience and past service to the country. 
b) Although the senators are appointed by the military, they are likely to vote according to their personal convictions, rather than follow the orders of the military. 
c) A new government might be elected popularly by giving promises that are not sustainable and are actually divisive. This has happened in several countries with "democratic systems". 
d) The presence of the sitting senators can give a balance to Parliament and avoid drastic changes to government policies that may be bad for the future of the country.

I might be wrong in some of my assumptions concerning the senators or in my positive view about this structure. However, I do not rule this system out as being "undemocratic". I find that the democratic elections in many countries do not produce the right kind of government. I prefer a system that is not fully democratic, but one that is somewhat "guided".

I see the senators as providing some control over a misguided government. However, if the elected government is putting forward sensible policies, I do not see the senators blocking the changes, as their decisions will be viewed by the general public.

My view is that the structure in Thailand is better than the system of elected president that is adopted in Singapore. 

Tan Kin Lian


 

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