“Return Democracy to the People!” – English Version. [A spoof of Dictator Prayut’s “Returning Happiness to Thailand”] Original Thai-language spoof by Port Faiyen; Singable English translation by Ann Norman
Note: I sang this song the morning of Dictator Prayuth’s visit to the White House on October 2, 2017, to express my disgust. Whatever the meaning of US President Trump’s White House invitation to a the leader of a successful coup that overthrew a democratic government in 2014, it cannot be interpreted as sign that Americans now respect Prayut Chan-o-cha any more than they respect authoritarian President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, invited that same weekend, or North Korean Dictator Kim Jung Un, who President Trump said a day later he would consider inviting. So either President Trump was calling Asian world leaders indiscriminately that weekend, or he really had a list of evil dictators in his head and he was systematically going down that list. On behalf what I hope is still the majority of Americans, I apologize for a US President who seems oblivious to human rights concerns, at home or abroad. And I continue to condemn the power grab of General Prayut Chanocha in Thailand.
That day the People’s Party rose, the system changed to democracy
We built it up for all to see. Each time snatched away
The coups keep coming 10s of times. Democracy is held at bay
The rights of people are betrayed. And who’s it all for?
Then today you come back for some more
With guns and tanks, you plunder what’s not yours
You made democracy fall using dictatorship
Made it slip, claimed the coup protects the king
No need to tell truths, or respect rule of law or anything
Just stop your evil doing, return happiness to us by leaving now
Those who won’t give up the fight, pledge we will endure the risk
Democracy, it will exist. Crush dictatorship
Thailand doesn’t belong to just one group, but the whole citizenship
The power belongs to every Thai, choosing electively!
And at last, respect our rights and freedoms! Why can’t you!
Immediately restore democracy!
You made democracy fall using dictatorship
Made it slip, claimed the coup protects the king
No need to tell truths, or respect rule of law or anything
Just stop your evil doing, return happiness to us by leaving now
2X
For a country good and endless
Return happiness, bring back democracy