Now that the Pheu Thai Party is getting ready to form a new government, the so-called "red shirts for democracy" face the challenge of living up to their self-chosen tag of being "truly democratic".

The challenges are manifold, especially since in the next few days, the reds will no longer be part of the opposition but directly related to the administration through red-shirt leaders who are now MPs and their political idol's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, waiting to become Thailand's first female prime minister.

Here are a few things the red shirts could do to "maintain" their democratic credentials:

They must ensure that the freedom of press is respected, especially among the opposition media. Already signs are emerging that critics of the Shinawatra siblings who happen to work in red-sympathetic news organisations like the Matichon newspaper are being sidelined.

On July 14, Prasong Lertratanavisut, an editor at Matichon and a former president of the Thai Journalists Association, not so quietly declared on Twitter that he had been told that his column would no longer be needed. He did not elaborate as to why he was told not to write anymore, but his last article for Matichon was critical of Yingluck.

More disturbing is the lack of reaction from the so-called progressive red shirts. There's obviously no love lost between Prasong and the red shirts, because Prasong is one of the most rabid anti-Thaksin journalists in the Kingdom. However, if the red shirts support true democracy, then they should come out to defend Prasong and demand that Matichon explain whether the journalist is being punished for his political beliefs.

Alas, besides a brief enquiry from people like Red Sunday group leader Sombat Boon-ngam-anong, nothing has been heard on the subject.

Elsewhere, the "Red Gossip" short-messaging service told its subscribers on July 7 that police officers who raided three anti-Thaksin yellow-shirt community radio stations a day earlier "were doing their duty". Such remarks are anti-democratic and ironic because the reds are doing exactly what they were at the receiving end of over the past two years.

The reds should have the new Pheu Thai-led government launch reforms that would rein in the Army, handle the southern-most provinces in empathetically, protect the rights of migrant labours, change the lese majeste law, as well as push for the truth behind the April-May 2010 clashes, no matter how unpalatable the findings may be to others or the reds themselves.

They should pressure the new government to provide assistance to those affected by the April-May crackdown, regardless of which side the victims are on. Though the release of a hundred or so detained red-shirt supporters is more or less guaranteed, nothing is being done for the many small businesses that were affected by last year's mayhem.

The reds should introduce reforms in their own group so it becomes transparent, accountable and allows true participation. They should also ensure that the leaders do not have the power to mislead the masses or act without majority consent.

If the Pheu Thai-led government fails to ensure democracy, those who call themselves truly democratic should be willing to sever their ties and even stand in opposition of the ruling party.

The word "democracy" has been misused in Thailand for a while now, and one can only hope that the red shirts do not end up abusing the word and rendering it even more meaningless.