Comparing the tripartite links of middle class, civil society and democratization in Asia: Positive, dubious and negative

This chapter considers pro-democracy civil society to be the major contributing force to shape the political outcomes following a strongman’s fall. Focusing on the post-martial law period, i.e., 1986 to the present, it documents how such middle-class strategies have taken the form of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaging in development work to empower the communities they were serving. The chapter describes that all major choices taken by leading NGOs, especially by the Bangkok middle class, cannot be considered truly “pro-democracy” in any formal and procedural sense. It concludes that Thailand’s case has witnessed the emergence of an illiberal middle class and uncivil society organizations, which presents itself in sharp contrast to the previous four Asian experiences. The chapter reinforces the proposition that the serious lack of an effective progressive middle-class-backed pro-democracy civil society in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand has been accountable for the failure of the Thai-style democratic system to break free from domination by the ever-lasting network monarchy.