Poll finds Thais estranged from National Strategy

[rooster59]

Poll finds Thais estranged from National Strategy

By THE SUNDAY NATION

 

 

MORE THAN half of the Thai people remain in the dark about the national strategy that is expected to soon pass the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and to be influential in setting the country’s direction for the next 20 years, a survey released yesterday has found.

 

The Super Poll, which interviewed 1,150 people of various backgrounds during June 5 to 15, found 54.9 per cent of the respondents said they had no idea what the national strategy was.

 

However, 64 per cent of those surveyed said that had heard of the term, while 90.2 per cent said the national strategy should be better explained to the general public so that they could become involved in also protecting the national interest.

 

The poll was released after the Cabinet presented the 20-year National Strategy plan to the NLA on Friday.

 

The creation of the plan was included in the 2017 Constitution as part of the junta’s attempt to redirect the country after a long period of political conflict that had held the country back economically, politically and socially.

 

Noppadol Kannika, director of Super Poll, said the lack of familiarity with the national strategy could be explained by the lack of proper public communication about the plan. Most discussion had been clouded by academic jargon that distanced the plan from people’s everyday lives. 

 

The poll director also said that the strategy itself was centred on state power, rather than issues more salient to average Thais. 

 

The public was not involved in creating the plan, which then did not reflect their priorities and was not properly communicated, resulting in both a poor national strategy and the lack of support from Thai citizens, Noppadol said. 

 

The survey’s respondents also expressed concern over the nation’s economic situation. Nearly one-third (29 per cent) said that the future they wanted most from the country was to have a proper job with sufficient pay to cover their costs of living.

 

They did not want migrant workers to steal their jobs, the respondents said. They also placed higher importance on their concerns about jobs than public peace. In follow-up interviews, the pollsters found that working people saw political unrest as not involving the majority of people, while fear of unemployment did.

 

Respondents said that migrant workers were today getting more jobs than were Thais and so placed the highest importance on improving the employment opportunities.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30347924

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-17

[Thailand]

Junta mushroom management of the country. Keep the populace in the dark and throw shit on them.

[Samui Bodoh]

Any poll in Thailand needs to be taken with a grain of salt. With that caveat in mind...

 

3 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The poll director also said that the strategy itself was centered on state power, rather than issues more salient to average Thais. 

 

The public was not involved in creating the plan, which then did not reflect their priorities and was not properly communicated, resulting in both a poor national strategy and the lack of support from Thai citizens, Noppadol said. 

 

The quote above says it all...

• 'State power'
• 'Not salient to average Thais'
• 'Public not involved'
• 'did not reflect'
• 'not properly communicated'
• 'poor national strategy'
• 'lack of support from Thai citizens'

All of that in two sentences!

 

This "national strategy" is a complete waste of time. Its function is purely political; it is designed to provide a fig-leaf for the next time the military/PTB don't approve of what a government is doing and thus provide a semblance of legitimacy to the next coup.

 

Thailand has a choice; it can go ahead with this process which will inevitably lead to huge conflict, or it can scrap this process and take a serious stab at problem-solving.

 

If Thailand, or more accurately the PTB, persists in utilizing poison-pills like this in order to try to ensure the continued power of the elite, it will surely slow the country's development to the point where Thailand will simply sit and watch as it's neighbours pass it by.

 

This is the political equivalent of shooting yourself in the crotch.

 

[simoh1490]

Interesting observations on the article, what I got out of it was that most Thai's don't care that much about politics and government but they all care a lot about the economy and that's my take on the population also. Actually, I think farangs probably care about the politics/government here more than Thai's do because they've been conditioned to believe it's very important.

[Cadbury]

The national strategy is the brainchild of the PM. It may have some merit if it had flexibility for incoming governments but it has been turned into a monster because it is carved in stone into the constitution to protect someone's sensitive pride.

It isn't surprising the public haven't got much of a clue what it is about. The PM often seems to have trouble making himself understood. The same probably applies to most other things he dreams up. I suspect many of his government members are in the same boat. 

Some huge, good quality PLASTIC banners with juvenile cartoon character depicting the National Strategy is what is required. They seem to be popular for just about everything these days; particularly with the RTP boys.

[AGareth2]

1 minute ago, Cadbury said:

The national strategy is the brainchild of the PM.

bit like the road map

where is that going?

[yellowboat]

45 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The public was not involved in creating the plan, which then did not reflect their priorities and was not properly communicated, resulting in both a poor national strategy and the lack of support from Thai citizens, Noppadol said. 

This will be like the bike lanes but less successful and much longer.  A ball and chain the Thai people will have to endure for a very long time. 

[Dave67]

The Junta posturing and posing which be will meaningless after the election.

[tracker1]

I was employed by Local Government for 36 the number of times the hierarchy went on their 5 year stratagy junkets amazed me but of their stratagies very little eventuated. With a 20 year stratagy I see most unachievable but only to enshrine that the military can cease power anytime they see fit to do so !

Edited June 17, 2018 by tracker1

[yellowboat]

39 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

If Thailand, or more accurately the PTB, persists in utilizing poison-pills like this in order to try to ensure the continued power of the elite, it will surely slow the country's development to the point where Thailand will simply sit and watch as it's neighbours pass it by.

Vietnam is moving along faster than China 20 years ago.  Their educational system is doing well, and their people work hard.  Visa's are cut and dry.  They are leaving Thailand behind quickly. 

[Lungstib]

This "national strategy" is only about controlling parliament and keeping hold of government. It has nothing to do with people. If it did then the following would be taken into account:

51 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Nearly one-third (29 per cent) said that the future they wanted most from the country was to have a proper job with sufficient pay to cover their costs of living.

which we all know is not on the agenda of this present regime.

[tracker1]

15 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

bit like the road map

where is that going?

Isn't that why he wanted GPSs fitted ?

[Dave67]

Just now, yellowboat said:

Vietnam is moving along faster than China 20 years ago.  Their educational system is doing well, and their people work hard.  Visa's are cut and dry.  They are leaving Thailand behind quickly. 

Agree, I am working on HCMC Metro at the moment. The first thing I noticed, although the traffic is chaotic all motorbike riders wear crash helmets and despite constant honking of horns no road rage incidents.

 

I also find the people here far mellower than they are in Thailand 

[jaltsc]

"MORE THAN half of the Thai people remain in the dark about the national strategy..."

How difficult is it to understand..."We have all the power, and you have none" ?

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by jaltsc

[JAG]

42 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Interesting observations on the article, what I got out of it was that most Thai's don't care that much about politics and government but they all care a lot about the economy and that's my take on the population also. Actually, I think farangs probably care about the politics/government here more than Thai's do because they've been conditioned to believe it's very important.

Perhaps the Thais seem not to care because they realise that they have no input into this "national strategy", or indeed any other plans or decisions of this regime. Nor for the most part do they benefit from it. To object or protest it is to place one's head in the political tigers mouth; so they let it pass them by.

 

That does not mean that, when the opportunity arises, they won't take that opportunity to show what they do think.

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Poll finds Thais estranged from National Strategy

Not only are they estranged from National Strategy, most are estranged from Reality!

[brucec64]

As has been mentioned on this forum many times, Super Poll is the military backed polling organization, so you can imagine what the real numbers would look like...

[Eligius]

'Working people saw political unrest as not involving the majority of people ...'

 

And there we have it: the heart of the problem. The majority of Thais do not wish to stand up and become part of the necessary 'political unrest'.

 

And so - the junta and all its evil works continues with impunity. It's a cinch!

[simoh1490]

3 minutes ago, Eligius said:

'Working people saw political unrest as not involving the majority of people ...'

 

And there we have it: the heart of the problem. The majority of Thais do not wish to stand up and become part of the necessary 'political unrest'.

 

And so - the junta and all its evil works continues with impunity. It's a cinch!

As said earlier it's the farang community that is more passionate about the so called evils of military rule, most Thai's that I know don't care or don't mind, many in fact are actually happy with it for a range of reasons including a more aggressive stance on corruption and more rigid enforcement of many laws. I suppose it depends who you talk to and where you live.

[Anak Nakal]

Thai national strategy = Frog-Kisser say "Obey!".

It no strategy.

It stupid.

[simoh1490]

6 minutes ago, Anak Nakal said:

Thai national strategy = Frog-Kisser say "Obey!".

It no strategy.

It stupid.

Not all countries and cultures are ready for democracy and able to function in the same way that westerners know democracy in say the US or UK. 

[Cadbury]

2 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Vietnam is moving along faster than China 20 years ago.  Their educational system is doing well, and their people work hard.  Visa's are cut and dry.  They are leaving Thailand behind quickly. 

I have an example. I have a long time Vietnamese friend. We met about 15 years ago when he was a tour guide at the age of 21. I was impressed with him and he spoke excellent English and I could see a lot of potential. His family came from a small village and were very poor and we became close friends. We gave him a leg-up by first buying him a mobile phone and later a motorbike. We have always been in contact and I still see him regularly. We are now more like father and son.

Fast forward 15 years and he now owns a booming travel company with the infrastructure (buses, boats, hotel accommodation) to support it. He has 300 people on the payroll.

When I visited him last week he told me proudly that he and his wife would make a profit next year of around one million US dollars. 

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by Cadbury

[KiwiKiwi]

6 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

I have an example. I have a long time Vietnamese friend. We met about 15 years ago when he was a tour guide at the age of 21. I was impressed with him and he spoke excellent English and I could see a lot of potential. His family came from a small village and were very poor and we became close friends. We gave him a leg-up by first buying him a mobile phone and later a motorbike. We have always been in contact and I still see him regularly. We are now more like father and son.

Fast forward 15 years and he now owns a booming travel company with the infrastructure (buses, boats, hotel accommodation) to support it. He has 300 people on the payroll.

When I visited him last week he told me proudly that he and his wife would make a profit next year of around one million US dollars. 

 

Congratulations and good luck to your friend. To see Vietnam doing so well after what the Americans did to it, and tried to do to it, is heart-warming indeed. Everything they touch turns to cacky.

 

Thailand will just carry on buggering up everything that is nailed to the floor and stealine everything that isn't. Thailand has nothing to learn, Thailand already knows it all.

 

The collapse of the delusion, if and when it comes will be horrible.

 

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[baboon]

1 hour ago, simoh1490 said:

As said earlier it's the farang community that is more passionate about the so called evils of military rule

Nothing "so called" about it. It is evil, plain and simple.

[simoh1490]

4 minutes ago, baboon said:

Nothing "so called" about it. It is evil, plain and simple.

What is the difference between an authoritarian government that has the capability of using the army to enforce laws and a military government that has the same ability, in a country where the majority of the population are uneducated, unaware and mostly unable to decide what is right or wrong?

[Lupatria]

Prajut on the quiet to Prawit: "See, I told you it works."

[baboon]

35 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

What is the difference between an authoritarian government that has the capability of using the army to enforce laws and a military government that has the same ability, in a country where the majority of the population are uneducated, unaware and mostly unable to decide what is right or wrong?

Which governments do you have in mind?

[simoh1490]

1 minute ago, baboon said:

Which governments do you have in mind?

Any....do you always answer a question with a question.

[baboon]

4 minutes ago, simoh1490 said:

Any....do you always answer a question with a question.

Why?

"Any" is simply arguing in the abstract. If you can provide specific examples then by all means let's take it from there.

[BEVUP]

4 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

Interesting observations on the article, what I got out of it was that most Thai's don't care that much about politics and government but they all care a lot about the economy and that's my take on the population also. Actually, I think farangs probably care about the politics/government here more than Thai's do because they've been conditioned to believe it's very important.

Agree with this as also alot of Farangs don't care either, they don,t put money in your pocket, it's the big business that do that after they pay the governments get through the thousands of hoops required to invest

One thing hasn't been mentioned - that is 1150 people interviewed wouldn't be considered enough to say half of the people

Maybe most of them don't have a clue as they just get on with their lives in their own domain.