Getting to Know You

My Lord and Master

It's come to a coup.
Another one, the latest instalment in a long battle between supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra,  after months of protest seeking to oust her government. and opponents backed by the royalist establishment. With a population of some 65 million people , the problems in Thailand are political, economic and cultural. The unrest in the country has been simmering for almost a decade if not more.
India, on the other hand, appears to be a bastion of democracy.With a population that dwarfs that of Thailand the new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds sway, for the moment at least , over 1.27 billion souls.

In both countries poverty in rural areas is marked and the difference between the middle class and rural dwellers is as wide as ever if not widening.
(Radio news stations, barely fifteen years ago referred to rural residents as "peasants" .Hopefull this is no longer the case. There would have been an outcry causing George Brandis , yes, he of the call to all bigots, to blush,  had Australian farmers been referred to as peasants) !Stone the crows!

In Thailand , resentment at the corruption and protection of the inner circle of those in power has been at the root of the current  ongoing unrest  with economic and cultural inequities following closely behind, While there is violence in India it is for the moment localised and not directed at the government as such. There was however a surge of emotion and anger at the recent cases of rape and violence against lone women.

While the West seems to be struggling with the excesses of the Church , becoming even more secular and pragmatic, religion still plays and important role in the Asiatic countries where democracy lurches and gropes for success. The appeal and power of religion appears to cause immense problems for many Muslim countries but less so for Asian Muslim nations.

It appears that the current bogeyman is power and corruption, even in China where steps to prosecute bent officials have been increased. The GFC (Great Financial Con) had at its roots the excessive power and corruption of many financial institutions and individuals. In the aftermath many were spared or even assisted because of their perceived importance  It seems that the old adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is very much still in vogue.

Interesting to note that recent reports have put Vladimir Putin's personal wealth at something in excess of $30 million. Perhaps Kim Jong-un,Supreme Leader, might take note although he could  be perfectly happy with his popular haircut ( he suffers from a fear of barbers) , raising unicorns or kidnapping a South Korean film director to direct a North Korean Godzilla epic. Our dear leader also took part in the direction.