It is said that referendum is the most direct way for the practice of people's power; it is similar to the demonstration to declare your stance and political demands. However, in terms of the general cost, referendum is much cheaper and safer than demonstrating on the streets, since attending demonstration could be seen as risky or could be used by different groups as political tool.

And combine with the current hi-technology and better-management in the developing nations in terms of conducting the vote counting; referendum has become a more important tool and procedure in determining the political direction of the country.

For the Thai population, this coming 19 August 2007 will be the first time that the referendum will be use in the country - to decide whether or not the 2007 constitution - the version drafted by the military plotters, will be passed. The use of "referendum" will be the only positive things that the coup plotter made, or try to use. It might be a "mistake" since this would be beneficial to the people and Thai democracy in the long run. Least of all, the people will have another instrument to use to decide the fate of their future apart from holding demonstrations.

However, it is true that this referendum happens in a forceful way. It is so that we do not have any other choice. Attending protest is very difficult under the current situation as limitations and persecution existed. If you are the lower class, you will have to travel far by bus and walk farther than usual.

There is a possibility way to reach Sanam Luang easier. If you go by taxi this means that you are a middle-class attending the demonstration. However, you might not stay long. If it does not rain, you will have to stay with the demonstrators that have the tastes and etiquettes differ than yours. You might hear the use of vulgar terms however it will be an innocent condemnation of the coup from the grassroots that are attending to give out leaflets voicing out their inner thoughts. There would not be any life music or protest songs from the intellectual bands for you to listen, since there will only be country music songs and easy understanding sentences from those giving the speech on the stage.

It is also absolute that the rally on Sanam Luang is the demonstration done by the lower class. It is simply not ‘a class struggle' according to any Socialism ideology since the very component missing is the "Realization of Class Perspective". Also under the current situation where the politics has been divided into two sides (Feudalism or capitalism), no one wants to bring up the debate on the issue back again. Therefore, from the perspective of the theorists, the lower class attending the protest is nothing else rather than "Capitalist slaves-Consumerists-Undeniable Consumerists".

Therefore, the referendum, even though it is being directed by the coup plotters, it is the only single tool that has the smallest risk in terms of the cost. However, it brings peoples once again from those holding guns, holding military ranks, associating with the royal family, working as NGO activists, or are in the Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD) class, become equal in deciding the future of the country as equal stakeholders.

As we are all aware, the fund used to oust the elected government in the 19 September 2006 coup d'etat came from the money and tax of the people. Tanks that were used on that very day were bought by using money from the pockets of the people. The coup is a robbery of the power of the people and the stealing from the government elected by the people. This is worse than any kind of ill-intended corruption and is not the tolerable way by the so-called occupational soldiers and similar citizens.

The horrendous claims that the previous elected government has committed serious mismanagement and problems have still not concretely and absolutely been proven (even though I believe in it). However the way how the military government and its network tried to exaggerate the horrendous acts of the government has been put out. The testimony by Mr. Tortrakoon Yomnak, the Executive member of the Airport Authority of Thailand (AOT) on that there had been lobbying attempts on the AOT to use Suvanaphumi Airport to discredit Thaksin has not been mentioned by any news or media group.

It could be that the media were forced to choose sides. Therefore it leads to the acceptance of the media on the abuse of information and the closure of peoples' ears and eyes. When their own people exposed the military of using the 800 million baht fund of the TOT in buying intercepted device to tap the phone line, they were shut from speaking since the issue is "a matter of national security".

All these injustice and unfairness in politics had emerged since the discussions of the reasons in conducting the coup, the paths to victory, the way to maintaining triumph, and the way to cling on to power.

To express in concrete terms, the situation has been unjust since the demonstrations and the demand by the groups under the banner of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) emerge. Demand and reasons to downplay the previous government such as on the defamation and the lest majeste charge on His Majesty the King, until using peoples tax for the coup are all unfair. This is not to mention other reasons used for conducting the coup, the act of tearing the 1997 in pieces, handpicking the National Legislatives Assembly, ordering party dissolution, enforcing the political rights backward, or until the freezing of assets, etc.

Even the "referendum" which the military is the one that decides the terms still reflects unfairness of this military government. Please read the message that is being posted in the advertisement using the taxes of the people:

United for the referendum ballot

"Support"

New Constitution so that Thai politics will then go to

"Election"

Would this fall under the charge of using election (which is the most basic principle of democracy) as ‘hostage'?

Most importantly, this is the advertisement done by the Committee on Information and Public Dissemination of the Constitution Drafting Assembly, which is the department involving in the 2007 Drafting of the 2007 constitution. They might have problem in not understanding the 2006 interim constitution.

Therefore - please read the article 32 of the 2006 Interim Constitution which the military government forces us to use, once more:

Article 32. In events that the Constitution Drafting Assembly fails to complete constitution drafting by the deadline as mentioned in Clause 1 of the Article 29, or that the Constitution Drafting Assembly does not approve the constitution draft as in Clause 2 of the Article 28, or that a majority vote by people mentioned in Article 31 at a referendum disapproves the constitution draft, the Constitution Drafting Assembly shall expire. Upon such expiration of the Constitution Drafting Assembly, the National Assembly and the Council of Ministers shall convene meetings to select any previous constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand and revise it for use within 30 days since the referendum votes against the constitution draft by the Constitution Drafting Assembly. When the revised constitution is ready, it shall be presented to His Majesty the King for endorsement after which it shall take effect as the Constitution (bold and underline by the writer)

This means that in this referendum, although if the people disapprove the 2007 constitution, the Council of National Security (CNS) has to select any previous constitution to revise and put in use within 30 days. This means that the election will absolutely take place under the selected constitution.

This will not happen only if there is a previous constitution that prohibits election will the Committee on Information and Public Dissemination of the CDA can claim that if the drafted constitution by the military is not approved by the people, there will not be an election.

It is hard to understand why the CDA has to abuse, lie, or try to make the people misunderstand until the end; they even lie against their own rule.

In the past year, even though they have lied to make the people believe that the system ruling the country now is not dictatorship but democracy. This creates silence and the media to silence themselves. But they should never think that the people will believe them once again, making the military believe that they can lie to the people by using election as the hostage.

I ask you to withdraw this advertisement. It is so a repulsive and disgusting ads. It also reflects how the military is playing the peoples for the fool. The military and the CDA can campaign that their draft constitution is good and should not be a problem. They have the rights to do so and should, however please do not make a fool out of the people by lying to them.

Or this is the proof that if the lying by a group of peoples work, there will be more lies coming out from their mouths.

All your heads are full of white hairs now, old men and women; can you make it a fair and equal game (at least for once)?

Translated by Pokpong Lawansiri