Democatese | 3.04.06
It’s a very eloquent language. Except when it isn’t, which is all the time.
Here’s Democrat Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva speaking it on TV just now (quoted from memory):
นายกรัฐมนตรีควรจะยอมรับความจริงว่าสามารถบริหารประเทศต่อไปได้หรือไม่… การที่มีผู้ออกเสียงไม่เลือกใครจำนวนมากกำลังบอกอะไรบางอย่าง… เป็นห่วงว่าการดึงดันต่อไปจะทำให้สถานการณ์รุนแรงขึ้นหรือไม่…
The prime minister should accept the fact that he can continue to run the country or not… That many voters chose to vote for no one is telling something… I fear that [the PM’s] continued stubbornness will cause the situation to become more violent or not … [Emphasis mine]
Dude, where’s my declarative sentence?
Experienced watchers of Thai politics will recognize this sort of rhetoric right away. While the Democrat Party’s attack dogs would declare Thaksin Shinawatra worse than Saddam outright, its supposedly respectable faces always put negative remarks in form of a question. In many cases such as this, the “question” is constructed simply by adding “or not” at the end of what would otherwise be a declarative sentence.
This construction, mind you, is no more correct or logical in Thai than in English; we’re just far more libertine about grammar and rhetoric. There’s also something in the codified, hit-and-run weaseling that appeals to the national consciousness and helps establish the Democrats as fine orators and premier opposition parliamentarians. (Apparently, this tactic doesn’t serve them so well when they’re the government and have to stand for something.)
As we can see, Mr. Abhisit is so well-versed in this craft that he applied it even to statements that would have been by no means controversial. What would’ve been wrong with “I fear that the government’s continued stubbornness will cause the situation to become more violent,” period? Too much conviction is my guess.
Having suffered much from neglect, the Thai language deteriorates even more at the hands of bad role models like the Mr. Abhisit. Or not.
PS The line between “respectable” and “attack-dog” Democrats is a thin and porous one. Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai compared Mr. Thaksin with Hitler last month. Even before Banjerd Singkhaneti did.
PPS I honestly believe Mr. Abhisit did himself write this ridiculous biography.
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