OPINION

Hijacking the law

Last week an international news outlet released the results of a study on global justice.

Its main theme was the rise in authoritarian governments hijacking laws for their own ends. Anyone having kept an eye on Thai politics and the local news media will feel a sense of deja vu when they peruse this report. This paragraph sums things up nicely:

"Ironically, one of the most striking things about the degradation of the rule of law is that it is being effected through laws and legal institutions. The law itself is being hijacked and used to erode checks on power. Even as they amass new powers, authoritarian leaders cynically justify their actions as upholding the rule of law."

Recognise that?

Re: "Sometimes you just have to walk away", (Opinion, 3 March).

The mini-collection of quotes about diplomacy from this article by Roger Crutchley can be enriched with an additional one, less publicised, which says:

"Diplomacy is the art of letting someone have your way. Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy. He who has learned to disagree without being disagreeable has discovered the most valuable secret of a diplomat. Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice Doggie' until you can find a rock."

So 21st-century diplomacy can provide persuasive examples to illustrate the validity and the topicality of the above quote.

Re: "Seeking divine reality", and "A no win situation", (PostBag, March 4).

Mother Teresa, now Saint Teresa of Calcutta, devoted much of her time to the care of the destitute in Calcutta, but she has been the subject of some criticism, particularly regarding the basic conditions in which the inmates of her refuge lived, and the rudimentary medical treatment they received, despite her foundation receiving substantial financial donations.

By contrast, Mother Teresa received advanced medical care for her heart condition. I don't know what the Roman Catholic Church takes into account when considering canonisation, apart from the ability to perform so-called "miracles". Maybe prospective saints are not expected to be without faults or failings, but are just rather special people who have done good works in order to enhance the reputation of the Catholic Church which, in that respect, needs all the help it can get these days.

On the second letter, Kuldeep Nagi's comments on what ails the development of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are, in my opinion, spot on, apart from his claim that the creation of Pakistan was one of the British Empire's biggest blunders. Britain had no choice -- Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his Muslim League supporters were adamant in their demands for a separate statefor Muslims after independence. The creation of Pakistan was reluctantly supported by the Congress Party, who went on to govern an independent India. The British colonial authorities are often used as convenient "whipping boys" for post-colonial problems, when the real sources of trouble are much closer to home.

Re: "Why we need armies", (PostBag, March 4).

In 1949, the abolition of the military was introduced in Article 12 of Costa Rica's constitution. The budget previously allocated to the military was dedicated to security, education and culture. Costa Rica also maintains police guard forces.

This represents an exemplary solution to many of Thailand's problems and perhaps should be adopted by a certain forward thinking political party.

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