PPT has a post on Korn’s recent Facebook and then Bangkok Post op-ed on the court seizure decision. Largely agree with that PPT states, but does with to highlight this part from Korn’s op-ed:

Back to the question, though: if there had not been a coup, would justice have prevailed?

And why can’t Thai society not achieve justice without having to rely on coup-makers initiating the process? Does this mean that sometimes “undemocratic” actors place more emphasis on truth and justice than democratic ones?

Maybe it is because the majority of Thais do not sufficiently care about truth and justice. As long as our businesses are doing well and there is food on the table, we Thais appear willing to live with corruption.

But is this mindset wrong? Truth and justice cannot fill empty stomachs. Perhaps, therefore, only the wealthy have the time and inclination to ponder on matters such as justice while the poor, who have to struggle to feed their families, do not have that luxury.

And when the majority is made up of poor people and the majority voice is what counts in a democracy, the resounding answer is seemingly “We don’t care.”

BP: The controversy arose over a Facebook post (Thai language only) by Korn entitled “Personal views on the asset seizure case” (มุมมองส่วนตัวคดียึดทรัพย์) on March 2. His op-ed in the Bangkok Post is a summarized translation of the Facebook post. To be honest, since one Korn op-ed in the Bangkok Post in 2008 (no longer available at the Bangkok Post, but can be found at Korn’s website here – BP blogged about it here) and his appearance at the FCCT in 2008, spouting support for the PAD’s New Politics proposal. Korn issued a clarification (Thai language only) on Facebook last night stating he didn’t support the coup and complaining about those who distorted his views.

Korn’s initial Facebook posting was criticized by Puea Thai who stated that it showed it showed he supported the coup whereas Abhisit defended him and ASTV Manager praised him (the headline by one of their columnists was that “Korn has a long future” (“กรณ์” อนาคตไกล). However, even one of the Democrat’s coalition partner was critical. Thai Rath reports Watchara K, the spokesman for Chat Thai Pattana, as stating that he can’t praise (ชื่นชม) the uncertain statement by a politician in supporting the coup (การแสดงความเห็นในฐานะนักการเมือง ที่มีความเห็นโอนเอนไปสนับสนุนการรัฐประหาร) which is clearly the opposite of democracy (ซึ่งเป็นแนวทางตรงข้ามกับประชาธิปไตยอย่างสิ้นเชิง).

On poor people not caring about justice, Korn seems to be channelling the Maslow’s hierachy of needs stating that justice is a higher-level need as you can see from the below pyramid:

Source: Wikipedia

BP: The idea is that the various needs at the bottom of the pyramid are necessary for survivial and as you are able to satisfy such needs you move further up the pyramid i.e. if you work 12 hours a day working driving a taxi just to put food on the table, you are unlikely to spend your time at home thinking about higher-level needs. BP thinks there is some truth to this, but it depends what those higher-level needs are, if you are talking about the need for funding for symphony orchestra and creative arts then, yes.

However, BP does not view justice as a higher-level need. Back to our taxi driver, if you drive your taxi every day and frequently get pulled over by the cops and have to fork over a hundred for some random offence, but every day you see Benz and BMW drivers drive with impunity, does Korn think that taxi drivers will be not thinking about the injustice of his or the double standards?* Korn seems to narrowly define justice as going after Thaksin….

BP wonders whether he will say that Democrat voters in the South who are poor also don’t care about justice?**

*This example was shamelessly stolen from something Suranand Vejjajiva recently said at the FCCT).

**Would swear that Korn has said, either at the FCCT or in his old column at the Post, that Southern voters have more experience with democracy than their counterparts in the North and Northeast, but can’t find this (can only find him stating that Southern voters are more ideological than those in the North and the Northeast and than less interested in money)