Kangaroo justice is unleashing chaos on the world
In today's complex world, more and more people are asking whether we can rely on justice at all.
The answer to that question should be simple and clear, requiring little explanation, but if we consider cultural and political factors, the simple answer becomes complex and difficult, the more you scratch, the more it itches.
2023 witnessed a multitude of disturbing conflicts.
The UN, tasked with global peace, stands paralysed amid atrocities like the Russian-Ukrainian war and the slaughter in the Gaza Strip and these are just fragments of the global geopolitical mosaic stained by tensions and violence.
Thailand, too, is grappling with mistrust of justice, fuelled by widening inequality and headline-grabbing incidents.
Eyeless in Gaza
Many people are reluctant to read the news or turn on the TV, fearing images of children, women, and the elderly dying in Gaza.
Israel says the October 7 raid by Hamas killed more than 1,200 of its citizens and foreign workers, it launched devastating attacks in retaliation for the slaughter by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union.
We can understand the necessity of solving problems and securing peace and order. But what is incomprehensible is the decision by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli security forces to wipe out Hamas completely.
Can it be done? History tells us that multiplying deaths by tens or even thousands yield not resolution, but further tragedy.
The ironic ceasefire agreements have been mere stepping stones to renewed bloodshed, mirroring the cycle of Jewish suffering through World War II and beyond.
The October 7 attack is becoming legitimised in the eyes of some by Israeli actions that are decimating the civilian population of Gaza and also threatening Lebanon.
On the other side, Hamas is thought to be using children, women and the elderly as human shields.
The UN has been unable to act, crippled by US vetoes that exemplify the limitations of global intervention.
Resolutions put forward by the so-called “world’s policeman” become meaningless by default.
All war, no talk.
The US, Britain, and NATO's support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion remains crucial. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his wife continue to attend state meetings and high-profile functions around the globe to drum up support, supplies or money for the fight against Russia.
However, concerns surface regarding the Donetsk and Donbas conflicts.
There is evidence of violence and aggression being used against legitimate opponents of the Ukrainian government. Russian politicians have claimed this is similar to the Gestapo and Nazi soldiers brutally murdering Russians and Jews in World War II.
Others rubbish this allegation as propaganda, pointing out among other things that Zelenskiy is himself a Jew.
Still, the unlimited flow of weapons and other military aid continues from the United States and allied countries. Prolonging this war incurs immense monetary, human, and environmental costs.
Shouldn't diplomacy be actively pursued before further lives are lost?
Thailand’s Thaksin problem
As for Thailand, ever since former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned from self-exile in August, observers have been demanding transparency from the country's justice system.
Questions abound about his medical treatment, automatic royal pardon, and even the possibility that he will never have to spend a day in prison despite being sentenced to 10 years for corruption and other offences during his time in power. Government responses, echoing the proverb "the more you scratch, the more it itches", only fuel public scepticism.
Meanwhile, levels of everyday violence both at home and on the streets may not be different from other global cities, but government policies may be contributing to the dangers rather than curbing them.
The recent legalisation of late-night drinking is clashing with early morning delivery drivers, taxi shifts, and the Bangkok rush hour, creating a volatile "ginger and galangal" situation ripe for potential disaster.
The question of justice also got lost in a high-profile protest by students recently.
How can those who terrorise citizens and claim ownership of prime Bangkok land, defying a Supreme Court ruling, expect fair justice?
These examples of "unscrupulous justice" only deepen societal wounds.
Amorn Wanichwiwat, DPhil (Oxon), is a former member of the Constitution Drafting Commission and is currently a professor at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.
