The rural masses and the draft charter, which is expected to be completed in July and readied for a referendum in either August or September, are the strangest match, not least because the draft will comprise a set of very technical legal aspects in addition to some controversial political values. Looking at the time frame it feels like we are trying to rush our rural villagers through an intensive three-week political-science course that university law students would need three years to fathom.

What a burden we have put on the people. The referendum could go into history as an occasion on which voters had to decide on so many legal, political and social questions all in one go and with little of the precious time needed for study and public debate. It doesn't sound any easier given the fact that more than 74 years after parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy was introduced in this country only 15 per cent of eligible voters surveyed by a polling agency in February were able to correctly define the "constitution" as the highest law of the land. Half of the respondents had no idea what it was, while the rest gave wrong answers.

The same survey showed that 62 per cent of those interviewed said they had never read the 1997 constitution or that they did not care to find out what was in it. Only one-third of those surveyed said they were familiar with small portions of the charter, while only 6 per cent said they had read the entire document.

One thing is certain: the referendum will be a political war. And this war is not about winning the hearts of the rural people; it's about how to control, mobilise or manipulate them. The military regime has sent propaganda teams to the villages to convince the people that the draft should be accepted unconditionally. Its opponents will also be mobilising all of their resources to convince the same people that the draft should be rejected regardless of its contents. The rural masses will be trapped in the middle of a power game in which they had no interest.

They will be learning about democracy the hard way, and we can only hope the opposing sides do not confuse them to death. One side will be telling them that the draft is a way out, something to get Thailand back on the democratic path. They will be told that the draft is good, and many points will be shown to convince them that corruption will be dealt with more effectively, checks and balances will be better, and politics will be cleaner.

The other side will tell them that accepting the draft means accepting a sinful legacy. They will be told that only through their rejection of the draft can their long-ignored democratic force be demonstrated. And they will be told that only through the rebellious display of their democratic might can they show their love for a beloved leader who was unfairly ousted by those who are dangling the pretence of democracy before them. Don't even bother reading it; vote "No" outright.

Has there been enough of a learning curve to prepare Thailand's rural masses for this? It will be hard enough trying to understand the charter draft's real flaws and merits. Adding ideological questions regarding its origin and the short period given for deliberation and it could be too much for the majority to take. But with the country's political future depending on key time frames being honoured, there's little we can do. Pessimists may foresee political propaganda, coercion and manipulation at their worst. Optimists can only hope a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the whole country know that something called a "constitution" exists can not be too bad.