Where Prayut Succeeded — And Fell Short — At Making Thailand More Competitive

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In May, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha marked nine years in power. In Thai politics, this is a remarkably long tenure, exceeding even Prem Tinsulanonda’s eight-year rule in 1980s; not since Thanom Kittikachorn’s tenure from 1963 to 1973 has any leader been in office for over nine years. 

 

Given such an extended period of rule — with five years where the prime minister wielded virtually absolute power — the Prayut era should be considered one of Thailand’s best recent opportunities for long-term economic planning and achievement. Thailand is a country in search of new engines for growth, after being bedeviled for so long by the middle income trap. Recognizing this, Prayut’s government set a goal of taking Thailand to developed country status by 2037.

 

The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) recently released a report evaluating the Prayut administration’s second term. Given that this is one of the few reports issued so far holistically evaluating the Prayut government’s policy record, it is worth taking a close look at its conclusions. Has the Prayut era advanced Thailand’s economic competitiveness? We’ll zoom in on three key areas highlighted by the report: industrial strategy, infrastructure, and education. 

 

by Ken Mathis Lohatepanont

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/50442/where-prayut-succeeded-and-fell-short-at-making-thailand-more-competitive/

 

-- THAI ENQUIRER 2023-08-17

 

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[Pouatchee]

Success?  Total bs.

[SmokeandIce]

Thailand public education desperately needs to be improved.  The departing regime has done nothing to improve education.

[JonnyF]

Prayut succeeded in putting the proles firmly back in their place and destroying any remaining pretense of Thailand being a Democratic country. 

 

He also siphoned off billions for himself and his uber rich pals.

 

Apart from that, he failed. 

[puck2]

Has the writer of this article been payed by Prayut ???? ?

[MrMojoRisin]

Wasted 9 years.

[klauskunkel]

He sang, and he had a tantrum over a girl twerking. That's about it, should be his epitaph. 

[Purdey]

With so many made unemployed due to the pandemic I haven't seen a move into mass production and high end technology. 3/10.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, puck2 said:

Has the writer of this article been payed by Prayut ???? ?

Probed, picked, payed and promoted.

[Hunz Kittisak]

The country regressed at least 20 years under him. While he made himself and his cronies very rich 

[Tarteso]

Jesús !

[Lucky Bones]

Who wrote this rubbish?????????

[anchadian]

BREAKING: Pro-junta United Thai Nation Party will hold a press conference this evening to announce it will join the Pheu Thai-led coalition

 

https://twitter.com/KhaosodEnglish/status/1692112090717356185

 

[anchadian]

Pheu Thai is taking a big gambling with pro-junta pro-Prayut UTN joining its coalition. It seems being in power & getting #Thaksin back home are their absolute priority.

 

https://twitter.com/PravitR/status/1692117497544392867

 

[spidermike007]

The only thing I will give him some credit for, are the infrastructure improvements made, during his reign. Otherwise, he was a dismal failure.

Have you talked to any new car dealers lately? While you can barely find a new car available in the US, the dealers here are barely moving any.
Have you spoken to an honest real estate broker lately? While land in smaller towns seems to be selling, how about condos in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket? Do you know anyone who owns a hotel or guest house? I do. They are hurting. How about restaurants? Business is way down for most. The Thai economy is decimated. I could go on and on. Most ex-pats are oblivious to the pain millions of Thai families are feeling right now. Millions lost their businesses due to the extreme cowardice when it came to re-opening the country, and the highly selective nature of the shutdowns.

 

What ever happened with your promises to root out your bad apple immigration guys, on the border? They likely let in thousands, to line their greedy pockets. What about the corrupt cops, army officials, customs agents? Do you care at all, on any level, about anything other than your own enrichment, and the vintage of ridiculously expensive champagne you will have this evening?

 

Covid could have been a great opportunity for a reset. There is nothing to suggest anything like that happened. If anything, Thailand is moving backwards, joining the proud ranks of Haiti, Cuba, Paraguay, Gabon, Yemen, Equatorial Guinea, and Cambodia. Good job guys. I would refer to this as the devolution of your nation from the once proud Tiger of SE Asia, into a whiny, sickly, anemic, crying alley cat. 

 

The extent to which Prayuth, Anutin and Phiphat have destroyed tourism and the Thai economy is unforgivable. They may be remembered for generations. As the guys who set Thailand on a path from a developed nation, to lower 3rd world status. Prayuth is a failure. He fails at everything he touches. Thankfully, this charlatan is on his way out, heading toward utter oblivion, and the waste basket of tragic history. 

[Brickleberry]

20 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Probed, picked, payed and promoted.

paid.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Brickleberry said:

paid.

Sir..

[tomacht8]

Ridiculous. The article considers only a narrow segment of economic projects without considering the benefits and financial dependencies. When i  look at it as a whole, my  judgment is quite different.

 

- Modernization of the school and education system?
- Excellence in research?
- Better health care for all Thais?
- Set up a pension system?
- Land reform?
- Modernization of the authorities?
- Police reform?
- Reducing the national debt?
- Strengthening democracy?
- Investments in future technologies?
- Water and sewage security?
- Road safety?
- Waste management?
- Flood prevention?
- Reduction of corruption?
- Economic growth?
- Better distribution of income?
- Transparency in government spending?
- and much more.

Succeeded?

Has there been success for the Thai people on these issues? Certainly not.

[scorecard]

On 8/17/2023 at 8:52 AM, Pouatchee said:

Success?  Total bs.

Reality being that he wouldn't have the slighest clue:

- What 'competitive' means.

- The importance in modern business of 'competitive'.

- Nor the meaning/importance of 'competive advantage'

- And no knowledge objective of subjective on how to build and maintain 'competitiveness'. 

- Nor any knowledge of wher 'competiveness' fits into the concept / activities of globalization.

Edited August 18, 2023 by scorecard