When winning is the only thing, the country is casualty

Since when have we as a nation and people become more Vince Lombardi than Vince Lombardi, whose famous mantra was, "Winning is not everything, it is the only thing"?

How many more tear gas canisters must be thrown directly into crowds of protesters, and not into the air above the crowd, in order to achieve a sustainable victory for the government? How many limbs have to be shattered, severed or amputated to make the People's Alliance for Democracy realise that its campaign against the government has lost its lustre? How many more lives have to be lost to make all parties to the conflict come to a mature conclusion that winning is not the only thing?

We used to pride ourselves as being a nation of compassionate people. It is not that we have never faced crises among ourselves, but we have settled them the "Thai way". All can be forgiven, if not forgotten.

Now, with the prolonged and winding protests and ill-conceived counter measures that have plagued the national political landscape and have brought about a deep, internal divide, we have became a nation that is suffering from compassion fatigue. By choice, as a way to cope, we have become detached and disconnected from the political reality.

The street clashes and the government's action have been splashed across the front pages of many international publications. As usual, the majority of them describe, disapprovingly, the protesters as being in the front line of the Thai "elites" and "royalists" who are unhappy with a democratically elected government they see as a continuation of Thaksin's populist regime. But this time round the international press did not praise the measures that the Thai government used to quell the street protests. Photos of bloody, unarmed civilians hit at the very core of Western values and sentiment. But why don't they mean anything to us? Since when has our skin been so thick that we cannot feel the suffering of our compatriots without making judgements?

I listened to the prime minister reading his policies. There was a section on equal opportunity in education for autistic children. With the political heat reaching boiling point outside Parliament at the time this policy was delivered, the message seemed surreal and so out of sync. And if anybody had looked, they might have seen tears coming out of the statue of King Rama V that stood amid the tear gas and fallen protesters.

More than a hundred years ago King Rama V abolished slavery in Thailand. His action was compassionate, magnanimous and wise, and not a single drop of blood was spilled. One hundred and three years on, his people are caged by a different kind of slavery - our own ill-conceived notion of righteousness and personal gain.

While not placing blame or pointing the finger, it is reasonable to question the prime minister on what he meant when he said he would take full responsibility for what transpired. General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has showed us a good example of someone who takes responsibility for the outbreak of violence: he quit.

Why have we not seen other Thai politicians quit to show responsibility and accountability?

"No resignations" and "No House dissolution" have been the two mantras repeated over and over, with genuine pride, as if they are the true measure of political strength and backbone.

If people in high position do not know how to show responsibility and accountability and tolerance, how can we teach our children about these values?

Negotiation from a position of strength is a winning formula in talks to end conflicts. But do we see any parties to, and having stakes in, our current political conflict offering a real and workable comprehensive game plan?

There is no question that the Thai public has lost its appetite for street protests, as well as the hope to place faith in the people we elected to run the country. Such apathy is one of our worst enemies. We are devoid of trust. The term seems to have lost its place in our current political DNA. To make matters worse is the fact that democracy never flourishes in, and because of, economic paucity.

The unfathomable depth and breadth of the financial meltdown around the globe is horrifying enough. The fact that the government has no real programmes or measures to resist the domino effect is even more petrifying. With a global recession looming large, and with Thailand's economic outlook already bleak, what does this entail for our democracy that has suffered setback after setback and a people no longer care?

Our house is on fire, and we willingly do not want to lift a finger. Something is very wrong with this picture.

National reconciliation is the only way out of our political mess. Reconciliation cannot be achieved if all parties to the discord insist on winning. Holding on to the seat of power at any price is not going achieve reconciliation. Preconditions are not going to end the tension. The country is being hit by a four-by-two on a daily basis. Damage has been done. It is time for everybody to hold the interests of the country first and sacrosanct, and to put aside differences and do the right thing. At stake is our future.