Democracy Epidemic, A Sour Sweet

In the last century, red terror swept across the globe as if a tsunami - appalling and damaging but fortunately short-lived. Thanks to Marshall plan which has proved effective in containing the spread of communism and consequently contributed to eventual collapse of the bloc.

While the world is assured with liberty and security, little do they realise that democracy can be an epidemic which has gained ground in Asia, undermining stability and wealth of the region. To make the matter worse, increasing number of "elites" are so fixated to the idea of democracy that it has become a fetish.

The epidemic first manifested itself in communist China on 4th of June, 1989. Peking university students, together with some workers, occupied the parliament square, (or Tiananmen Square) to demand democracy. Chinese government, which was yet ready to reform, finally decided to clear the place using military force, after few months of running protest that had ruined the country’s economy. Mind you, I am not justifying Chinese Government's resolution in the uprising; I believe that the government had no better choice in the wake of pressure from students and press not noted for the consequence of abrupt political reform.

Tiananmen incident has died down in China but similar uprising has come to wake in Southeast Asia especially after 1997 Asian Economic Crisis. First to feel the impact was Indonesian president, Suharto who was forced to step down in favour of democracy. The event was generally applauded by the world since Suharto administration was a totalitarian government. However, events that happened in Indonesia subsequently are devastating. Racial riot in Java and Aceh killed hundreds of Chinese and destroyed millions dollars of properties. More than 100 women were allegedly raped. Rich Chinese fled out of the country along with their wealth, further undermining Indonesian economic. In other islands of Indonesia, violence also occurred between transmigrants and indigenous groups. In years before Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took the office, Indonesia was little different from being anarchic.

The enpidemic also took root in Thailand. Thaksin faced the steepest slope in his political life when multitudes went to street to demand Thaksin to step down as prime minister. Opportunistic opposition parties later organised the crowd systemetically and suceeded to force the premier to quit. Press dominated by liberals had also played a significant role in this event. However, political turmoil was not simply ended. Instead, it becomes even more complicated after the snap poll was annulled by High Court, which left the country in uncertainty. Critics say that humming Thailand economic remains intact despite anti-Thaksin protest which has adversely affected Bangkok, Thailand's capital, for more than 4 months. In fact... To be continued