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Published on September 19, 2007

 The highest tax and stock market authorities are bringing 10 newspapers to court for accusing them of incompetence and calling the Shin Corp deals an infamy. An unemployed Sven-Goran Eriksson has been hit by another sex scandal and Manchester City is facing both relegation and bankruptcy. Win Mark, meanwhile, remains a "foreign-owned" company.

Thailand is on a roll economically. The two-year protest around Government House has turned from being a "Blow to democracy" into just a traffic disturbance. Annoyed by lingering "legitimacy" questions because the last election was boycotted, and taunts that opposition rookies were only his "nominees", Thaksin Shinawatra is on the verge of dissolving Parliament again. The Democrats and the Chat Thai Party vow to compete this time, but they are up against a ruling party with a Bt100 billion war chest.

Sounds like heaven? In addition, Thailand is a darling to the likes of the United States and Germany. The biggest problem with England concerns the unruly expansion of superstores. Our democracy is strong, guarded by a strange mix of unprecedented rural support for the government and the indescribable wealth of its leader, whose autocracy is overwhelmed by materialistic successes. And whirlwind mega projects and renewed grand privatisation schemes are not even included in this parallel world.

Is it worth trading all of the above with the knowledge that Win Mark belonged to Thaksin Shinawatra all these years and that he may have looked into the nation's eyes and lied to it? Is it worth the scorn and distrust pouring out of the free world, which assumes that Thais are stupid or self-destructive when it comes to democracy? And - especially for coup supporters and those condoning it, as Thailand faces what could be one of the dirtiest elections in history - is it worth the constant ordeal of always fearing the critics might be proven right?

The coup-makers have managed to turn Samak into a freedom fighter, at least in many people's eyes, and the EU into an estranged friend. This is not only because of what they did to Thaksin, but also what they have been doing since his ouster. We expected a no-nonsense roadmap back to democracy, but have ended up praying the military won't be blinded by power as before. We hoped for a constitution drafting process that vigorously addressed human rights, checks and balances and empowerment, but had to endure fears that the new charter might allow a non-elected prime minister.

Thaksin has failed democracy. If the re-emerging Win Mark scandal is proven to be true, it will be the final nail in his coffin - not because it would be a legal knock-out punch but because it will expose him as unpatriotic and utterly ungrateful toward a system he had put at risk and yet had given him a second chance. But whether or not he lied about "owning" the company, and no matter how he distorted and betrayed his legitimacy, the coup-makers cannot hide behind this forever.

Thaksin is nearly finished, thanks to them. It's now about the coup-makers not becoming their own worst enemy, or worse. For all the criticism and even condemnation they have faced, the jury is still out regarding their true worth. A dirty election, continued military interference with politics after the poll, and corruption from here on out would render the coup, which they promised would be "different", as nothing but infidelity.

It was never going to be easy, but Gen Sonthi and his comrades must have known this when they stepped out of their barracks into uncharted territory, when they replaced the country's most popular, powerful, wealthiest and shrewdest leader with themselves. The goal was simple - to restore reliable democracy. To achieve that without amplifying Thailand's political ills is only possible if that goal is not distorted by misguided ambition or temptation.

Thaksin used democracy as a smokescreen for corruption. But corruption charges against a democratically elected leader can only shield a coup for so long. Whether we have lost a year cannot be judged on this first anniversary of one of the world's most controversial coups in the modern era. The success or failure of the coup depends on whether the promised election will put everyone back where they belong, the generals included.

Come to think of it, an ideal world sounds like an amazingly simple one. It's a place where mega-rich businessmen focus on their own interests and nothing else; Samak Sundaravej is recognised for who he really is; human rights are separate from football; politicians concentrate on their jobs and work under checks and balances that function the way they are supposed to; voters preferences chop and change, secure in the knowledge that poor decisions can be corrected later by the system; the EU is an understanding friend; and whoever owns Win Mark can utter its name without twitching his eyes every time.

We never expected the coup-makers to deliver a perfect world. But we expect them to really want to deliver it. If they don't, the question of why they brought tanks onto the streets one year ago will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Tulsathit Taptim