Ex-finance minister Korn hit back at government spokesman

By Thai PBS

 

 

Former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij of the Democrat party hit back at government spokesman Lt-Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd for accusing politicians who offered recommendations on rice price issue of being opportunists bent on capturing media’s space to paint the government in a negative light for doing nothing to help rice farmers.

 

In his Facebook post in response to the spokesman’s offending remark, Korn said that the government should be open-minded and receptive to divergent opinions and also to be able to distinguish between friend and foe.

 

He pointed out that there are several other policies to shore up rice prices and to help the farmers which are good policies and should benefit the farmers.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ex-finance-minister-korn-hit-back-government-spokesman/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-12-07

The tone is changing now between democrats and the military....What's going on?

7 minutes ago, Raymonddiaz said:

The tone is changing now between democrats and the military....What's going on?

It has been for quite some time.

 

The trough is only so big. The military have been monopolising it for the last few years. The unstated reason for the coup has passed. Others think it is time to move over and let them feed. The military however want another 3 or 4 years yet to last them through another spell in the (now-gilded) barracks.

The Democrats had their own rice price support policy the last time they were in power.  It was a minimum price guarantee, i.e. to pay the difference, if the price fell below the minimum, not for the government to buy all the rice in the whole country and then take responsibility as it went missing or rotted away.  Farmers applying for the subsidy also had to show evidence of the ownership or rental of the land they had grown it on, which helped curbed the imports from neighboring countries.

 

That is why Thaksin decided to go one better with his sister's scheme and also added huge loopholes to allow him and his cronies to make billions from it, regardless of which way the rice price went, although he expected the price to go up which would have netted him a lot more.  Now his sister is paying for that but he’s all right Jack.

 

I think Korn is trying to reserve his right to come out with a similar policy to the Dems last one in the next election campaign, if that ever happens before he's too old to participate. 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

that the government should .... be able to distinguish between friend and foe.

I think the military government has and Democrats are no longer "friends."

More supplication may be required by Democrats to reverse that lost relationship.

1 hour ago, Dogmatix said:

The Democrats had their own rice price support policy the last time they were in power.  It was a minimum price guarantee, i.e. to pay the difference, if the price fell below the minimum, not for the government to buy all the rice in the whole country and then take responsibility as it went missing or rotted away.  Farmers applying for the subsidy also had to show evidence of the ownership or rental of the land they had grown it on, which helped curbed the imports from neighboring countries.

 

That is why Thaksin decided to go one better with his sister's scheme and also added huge loopholes to allow him and his cronies to make billions from it, regardless of which way the rice price went, although he expected the price to go up which would have netted him a lot more.  Now his sister is paying for that but he’s all right Jack.

 

I think Korn is trying to reserve his right to come out with a similar policy to the Dems last one in the next election campaign, if that ever happens before he's too old to participate. 

Strip this post of its Pavlovian dog Thaksin ranting and unsupported speculation, and the message is clear.Korn is looking to promote a more sensible and  transparent rice price support policy than that implemented by the PTP.I wish him well and though he ain't exactly a country boy he at least has a respectful attitude to the country's farmers.I wonder however whether the Bangkok middle class will start screaming at him that he's condoning the red mob and trying to buy ignoramuses' support at the expense of tax payers.

 

Actually the Junta has also been exploring similar schemes, with the aim of shoring up its support in the North and North East.Good luck with that.

4 hours ago, Raymonddiaz said:

The tone is changing now between democrats and the military....What's going on?

It's pleasant once a while you read about Dem attacking the army gov....

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

I think the military government has and Democrats are no longer "friends."

More supplication may be required by Democrats to reverse that lost relationship.

With the outsider PM measure that lets the senate vote as well, I think that relationship might be restored sooner than you think. All Prayuth need to stay PM is 126 MP's (he already got 250 senators). 

 

All he needs to do is promise the democrats a few juicy ministries and I think they will be friends again. Not sure how that would work if the democrats constitute a minority in the lower house. I guess not much thought has been put into that aspect ?