Today marks one of the most significant days in Thai political history. In 1932, a group of young Khana Ratsadorn elites who were educated abroad took a bold step towards democracy on June 24, launching a revolution that transformed the country from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.
After King Rama VII abdicated two years later and left the country for the UK, where he would pass away, power was concentrated among a few new leaders, and their various power struggles made the situation worse, leading to a series of coups.
This was the first time Thailand embraced this mode of governance, and it offered many lessons to be learned.
Over the past half a century, there have been numerous attempts by the military to maintain its power, resulting in political turbulence.
Two uprisings in 1973 and 1992 are noteworthy as democratic forces successfully ousted two dictators -- Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn and then Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon -- from power.
It's unfortunate that the people's victory after 1992 did not last long, as the men in green returned to politics in 2005 when the country experienced much divisiveness.
History repeated itself in 2014 as the nation encountered a deadlock with massive protests and shutdowns following a scandalous blanket amnesty bill pushed shamelessly by the Pheu Thai Party.
If there was any lesson to be learned from that putsch, it was that corrupt politicians gave the men in green excuses, albeit illegitimate ones, to intervene, and most of the time, the latter would do anything they could to overstay their welcome.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the since-disbanded National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) did a similar stunt, with the help of junta-sponsored laws and independent agencies that enabled Gen Prayut to stay in power for more than nine years, despite a number of scandals.
These included his residence at an army camp, which raised questions about his eligibility to serve as premier; the dubious fundraising campaign of the ruling Palang Pracharath party (PPRP); the eight-year tenure limit as stipulated by the 2017 charter; and so on.
Yet such lengthy a stay in power elevated the "vote for change" sentiment, which efficiently cut short the ex-junta leader's ambitions.
Now that the people have spoken up -- through their votes -- the old powers should step back, allowing the new government to be formed. Any further delay would cause tremendous damage.
Two major parties at loggerheads over whose candidate should serve as the House speaker, amid other ongoing bargaining as the coalition government takes shape, should find ways to find the middle ground.
They should put aside their differences to achieve their goal, which is to form a new government as soon as possible. Everything must be done to enable the country to move forward.
Of equal importance, the people in parliament should learn from the nation's past mistakes and avoid doing anything that may give excuses to the military to intervene in politics.
MPs must scrutinise each other closely to ensure the legislative branch is trustworthy and that it can be an institution people can rely on. In short, no more bad politics.
If MPs can do that, they can proudly join the public in respecting the spirit of the June 24, 1932 revolution.
