Power games
Re: "Axeing parties not helpful", (Editorial, Aug 8).
What is Organic Law related that governs and is used in dissolving political parties? In Thailand, it appears to be a way for certain ruling elite families and politicians to manipulate Thai politics to suit their own power games. Ignore all forms of criticism. Oh, also a financial reward for themselves.
Nothing new there.
Democracy is to provide support and the rights of the people. The people that voted the politicians in.
Overlooked wisdom
Re: "MFP takes ruling in stride", (BP, Aug 8).
The Constitutional Court's verdict dissolving the MFP and banning its top executives again reminds us of HM King Bhumibol the Great's carefully considered opinion on Section 112.
"Thailand's law of lèse-majesté has one very prominent critic: King Bhumibol.… In 2005... King Bhumibol used his annual televised birthday address to convey three concerns: (a) 'The King,' he said, 'is a human being and as such should be subject to criticism. (b) Charges against those accused of lèse-majesté should be dropped, and those held in jail for lèse-majesté should be released, and (c) The use of the lèse-majesté law ultimately damages the monarchy'" (Grossman and Faulder, in their palace-approved book).
Has justice been seen to be done in the MFP case? I suggest not.
Law of exceptions
Re: "Khelif proves too strong for Janjaem", (Sport, Aug 8).
I must say that all the arguments about the politics of sexuality in the Olympics and other competitive sports are symptomatic of human conditions polluted by faith and religion. The real world is not based on binary logic. Only computers use binary logic -- 0s and 1s for convenience. It is difficult to say which is a male or female bit.
In nature, specifically in the plant and animal kingdom, sexuality is not binary. Plants and animals reproduce in a variety of ways -- sexually and asexually. For unknown reasons, nature also exhibits the law of exceptions. Let us look at nature carefully.
Hermaphroditism is a condition of having both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphroditic plants -- most flowering plants or angiosperms -- are called monoecious or bisexual. Hermaphroditic animals -- mostly invertebrates such as worms, bryozoans (moss animals), trematodes (flukes), snails, slugs, and barnacles -- are usually parasitic, slow-moving, or permanently attached to another animal or plant. In human beings, the phenotype is not completely controlled by XY chromosomes. Social environments (including religions) are key factors in developing human sexuality. Ask yourself why so many Christian priests have been accused of engaging in homosexuality. Which chromosome determines homosexuality?
Olympics or any other competitive sport must recognise shades of human sexuality carefully and put contenders in groups beyond binary classification -- male or female.
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