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46 การประชุมวิชาการ
สถาบันพระปกเกล้า ครั้งที่ 16

this conference or organizers of this conference have put together are going to reflect
the problems, the malaise, the diseases, the political troubles that the country have

been going through in the last several months. The theme of this conference is “Eight
Decades of Thai Democracy: Dynamics of Balancing Power.” It is not balancing power
in the international relations. It is balancing power here inside the Thai politics. It is

balancing of power here among different groups, different sectors of the Thai polity,
of the Thai state. How to balance here. And I have described what Thailand has

been going through to friends outside of Thailand, including Japan, the US, the UK,
and Europe. Thailand is looking for and trying to find its own new political balance.
The problem is we have been trying to do this for many times in the past. And we

are at it again trying to find that new balance that would give us a firmer ground to
stand on, to work on our problems into the future.

So, the first item that would be worked on, would be discussed is balance in
the power structure of the state - institutions, the executives, the legislative, the

judiciary, and various other institutions, various other check and balance mechanisms.
We need to establish those things and that would be addressed in the first item.

Second is balance in the legislature. How do you try to find the balance there?
The relationship between the majority and minority. The relationship between coalition,

members of the coalition of government. One thing that is seriously wrong about us
in the parliament. Over two decades that I was there observing from outside in the
last seven years, it is this. We think electoral victory is a license. - “เราคิดว่าการชนะ

การเลือกตั้งคือใบอนุญาต” We think power is unlimited once you have the victory in the
electoral competition. We think when we have the majority behind us we can do

anything and everything. There is no limit to it which is not true. In a viable and
workable democracy, you have the constitution to respect as a frame to limit you.

You have the laws that you have to abide by. You have various other political norms
that you have to live with. And you have national values. Yes. National values and
traditions, not written anywhere but you are not going to go against those norms and

those values. The British constitution does not exist. There is nowhere in the British
written law that the parliament shall not last more than five years. There is nowhere

in the British constitution that the prime minister will have to come from the parliament.
There is nowhere in the British constitution that the prime minister will have to be the
head of the largest party coming in the parliament after the elections. Nowhere, but

the norms, the traditions have given the limits to the power that came from the
people because of the sovereignty lies in the people. So, when you take power from