Do Expats Have A Keener Interest In Thai Politics Than Thais

[cm-happy]

I'm dissappointed at the results of the election and the win by PPP and possible return of Mr. T as an active participant in Thai politics when the PPP forgives him and his cronies.

This is THE GREAT LEAP BACKWARDS for Thailand.

Rationalize to myself WHY SHOULD I CARE? I just live here(for the time being). Can't do anything about it, no rights, no voice, no influence. Thailand is for Thais, as per their national anthem. let THEM deal with it. THEY deserve it and the kind of gov't they've elected.

When is the next coup? Will it be a bloodbath? Do I want to stay here, what are the alternatives? Where is it better? Wait and see? How will it affect me now(if at all)? Sit back and enjoy the unfolding saga, and take delight in being able to say "see! I told you so" when things go badly wrong.

wring the last bit of joy and pleasure from living here. When it's time say <deleted> it & <deleted> 'em, move on without looking back.

[jumnien]

Generally, we expats are news junkies and very capable in our minds of running the entire world. Generally, Thais are not addicted to the juvenile rantings of frustrated journalists and don't imagine themselves in their quiet time as solely responsible for the continuation of civilization as we know it.

[stateman]

This is THE GREAT LEAP BACKWARDS for Thailand.

Thailand is for Thais, as per their national anthem. let THEM deal with it. THEY deserve it and the kind of gov't they've elected.

You have to resign to that. What else can you do?

When is the next coup? Will it be a bloodbath?

There have been talks, that it may happen if one certain party wins and gets to form the government . Very widespread irregularities and extracurriculum stuff reported but hard to secure proofs. Lot of votes obtained through vote buying of various forms.

(But If their candidates get disqualified and/or the party disbanded - then it would not happen.) Just rumors and rumors - nothing but rumors!

Generally, we expats are news junkies and very capable in our minds of running the entire world.

Well put.

[thai_narak]

yes i'm more interested in thai politics than my thai wife and my in-laws. but this is just because i care about my children's future and also i'm injecting so much of my money to thailand even more than 10 thai families combined so yes, i should be aware of thai politics and to what is happening and may happen in my children's homeland and with my assets.

i'm also disappointed from the outcome of this election ie. PPP because they are TRT which means there is no change from the last goverment to the new one. samak is just a puppet. and so poor isaan farmers may benefit by some bucks? yes, but that is short lived. expect 1,000,000 cattle to isaan and more loans to the farmers but in return they have to pay all the loans back with interests anyway (it's just having a debt from a legal source than from a mafia). if you really think of it PPP populist policy is a no brainer and just handing out cash to the poor but in the end taking more cash in return from them thru corruptions. a good government will do much more for all the people in all classes to benefits, not only the poor. but perhaps i should not get too deep with this topic or there will be flames here. so just cut it short here.

anyway, merry christmas and a happy 2008!

Edited December 24, 2007 by thai_narak

[PhilHarries]

Generally, we expats are news junkies and very capable in our minds of running the entire world.

Well put.

Agreed, whereas we farangs spend a lot of our time worrying about things over which we have little or no influence the majority of the Thais stick to the things that directly affect them and that they can change. That and a lack of political education, and education in general for most, means that the average Thai does not have a clue about what the government does or is supposed to do. Thus they have no interest in national or international politics as they see no connection with their day to day life.

But it is not just Thais that display this apathy towards government and national/international events. This is clearly demonstrated, in the UK at least, by the fact that very often voter turnout in a general election will be as low as 30 percent. The most popular newspapers in the UK often have the front pages filled with events in TV soap operas or the antics of football players. In the UK it is known as "dumbing down" the population, in Thailand the ruling elite have made sure the people were never "wised up" in the first place.

[Jimjim]

Look at the election turnout. The Thais care a great deal. They just may not care about all the BS as much. Don't see how you could care more than most Thais. There is something about being a citizen of a country that means you feel these sort of things on a much more personal and real level, where as expats are just observers in the political process of society. They might just not show it as much as you'd like and "talk too much" about it.

[theoracle]

The turnout is always high because Thai's are told they have to vote, does not mean they have any idea who they are voting for, my good lady voted Democrat because she does not like what she has heard about Taksin and PPP and she likes the young handsome democrat bloke. 90% of people vote due to meaningless reasons such as these.

[kash]

Look at the election turnout.

either you are very very naive, or you have just arrived to this country and have no idea whatsoever ....

[Jimjim]

90% of people vote due to meaningless reasons such as these.

The silly reasons people vote are the same in many countries, even the most civilized. Thailand is not unique in this.

What exactly is your statement, kash? Could you be a little more clear? What is naive, kash is to think that a bunch of expats care more about Thai politics than the Thais themselves. I'm not saying that vote buying or other things could be going on, but that doesn't mean that a lot of people didn't turn out for the election. They did. Thanks for your keen analysis, though. I have quite a good idea, thanks.

[zorro1]

Generally, we expats are news junkies and very capable in our minds of running the entire world. Generally, Thais are not addicted to the juvenile rantings of frustrated journalists and don't imagine themselves in their quiet time as solely responsible for the continuation of civilization as we know it.

brilliant your right 100%!!!

[Farangderthal]

I'm dissappointed at the results of the election and the win by PPP and possible return of Mr. T as an active participant in Thai politics when the PPP forgives him and his cronies. This is THE GREAT LEAP BACKWARDS for Thailand.

Well, I for sure have no interest whatsoever in politics.

As long as the beer keeps flowing and the weather's nice, it honestly doesn't matter. Most people I talk to seem happy with the result, too, and if they're happy, I too am verrry happy.

[kash]

90% of people vote due to meaningless reasons such as these.

The silly reasons people vote are the same in many countries, even the most civilized. Thailand is not unique in this.

What exactly is your statement, kash? Could you be a little more clear? What is naive, kash is to think that a bunch of expats care more about Thai politics than the Thais themselves. I'm not saying that vote buying or other things could be going on, but that doesn't mean that a lot of people didn't turn out for the election. They did. Thanks for your keen analysis, though. I have quite a good idea, thanks.

no need to clarify then, since you seem to have a good idea, whatever that may be.

Edited December 24, 2007 by kash

[Jingthing]

I don't follow sports. I follow politics. I live in Thailand, so I follow Thai politics.

[PeaceBlondie]

Many of us farang think too much and talk too much, worrying about things over which we will never have control. Perhaps two to ten percent of the Thais control Thailand, and the remaining 98% or 90% more or less think they can't do much about it.

C'mon, cm-happy, how much do our politicians back home worry about senior citizens who aren't paying our dues to the AARP? I could go back to protesting the war, in Texas, with less chance of stopping it than Cindy Sheehan or Joan Baez ever had of stopping it. I used to phone the office of my Congresswoman (back when I had one that agreed with me), and tell the staff to tell the good ol' girl she was doing a good job. However, it didn't make any difference. Why bother? Mai bpen stinkin' rai.

At least Thais know when they're peasants. We farang should know that we are, too. I kinda like peasantry; it's not too demanding for me, just slightly demeaning.

[Farangderthal]

I don't follow sports. I follow politics. I live in Thailand, so I follow Thai politics.

I do follow sports. I follow the sport that's most similar to Thai politics: World Wrestling Entertainment!

And Abhisit just got bitch-slapped, while Samak gets ready to tag out and allow someone else in to do some proper damage..

[cm-happy]

Many of us farang think too much and talk too much, worrying about things over which we will never have control. Perhaps two to ten percent of the Thais control Thailand, and the remaining 98% or 90% more or less think they can't do much about it.

C'mon, cm-happy, how much do our politicians back home worry about senior citizens who aren't paying our dues to the AARP? I could go back to protesting the war, in Texas, with less chance of stopping it than Cindy Sheehan or Joan Baez ever had of stopping it. I used to phone the office of my Congresswoman (back when I had one that agreed with me), and tell the staff to tell the good ol' girl she was doing a good job. However, it didn't make any difference. Why bother? Mai bpen stinkin' rai.

At least Thais know when they're peasants. We farang should know that we are, too. I kinda like peasantry; it's not too demanding for me, just slightly demeaning.

PB this time I have to disagree with you!

are you saying that 2% to 10% of Thias elected the PPP or were resposible for their election?

As for thinking and talking too much. Well glad you may not have been around in '76. If you were you certainly would have been a Tory. I too contact my representative in Congress and always get a reply from them. Not sure if it has any influence,

but you'd be surprisied at how they listen to the concerns of their constituants. Really, how many of them do they hear from?

Oh, by he way, What war in Texas are you refering to. Is Santa Anna at it again?

Peasant? Don't know if I am. Or perhaps just a flaming pheasant LOL.

[PeaceBlondie]

cm-happy, I'm saying, just as a personal opinion after 4.5 years here, that these elections don't mean that the voters control Thailand. Money, guns, power, Buddhism, tradition, etc., rule Thailand. These elections mean even less than voting back home. And the Thais know it full well.

I'm old, but I wasn't born in 1776. Even my father in law, born in 1894 as the great-grandson of a veteran of the Battle of Galveston, didn't remember slavery (although his grandfather owned one!).

[apetley]

The turnout is always high because Thai's are told they have to vote, does not mean they have any idea who they are voting for, my good lady voted Democrat because she does not like what she has heard about Taksin and PPP and she likes the young handsome democrat bloke. 90% of people vote due to meaningless reasons such as these.

Same for my wife, she wanted to vote Democracy so chose the most handsome guy they had locally and let me choose the best looking lady.

[apetley]

I don't follow sports. I follow politics. I live in Thailand, so I follow Thai politics.

I do follow sports. I follow the sport that's most similar to Thai politics: World Wrestling Entertainment!

And Abhisit just got bitch-slapped, while Samak gets ready to tag out and allow someone else in to do some proper damage..

In that case we need the Thai equivalent of Finlay's leprechaun Hornswaggle to come in with his shelaigle and really throw a spanner in the works.

[RueFang]

Well, my Thai husband is an avid reader of the news and spends a few hours every single day reading the papers and reading Thai news on the internet. He likes to see how others think about what's going on and reads a lot of Thai forums that discuss the political situation. Being a farang here we might think that we know what's going on but educated Thais discuss this a lot. Even in my village all the men sit drinking their morning Nam Cha or coffee and it's all about the election.

It's still not an absolute that Samak will become PM because although his party got the votes Thais know he would make a sh1t PM, not to mention all the red and yellow cards the Electoral Commission will likely hand out. They won the election because the 15 million voters in the northeast alone have been bought out with cash handouts from Taksin. They think he really cares about the poor which shows their ignorance because it's so blatantly obvious he only wants their vote and couldn't give a cap about their financial status. Their vote equates to a win in the election.

Thais care a great deal about what's going on it's just they don't show it the same way that crazy farang do.

[h90]

Well we europeans would have elected a better US President, we Austrians would have elected a better German premier and would have done what Poland and Australia did already a long time before.

As outsider you have just a different point of view.....

[yorkman]

They won the election because the 15 million voters in the northeast alone have been bought out with cash handouts from Taksin.

Sorry it's off topic, and I'll get to that. But it seems that everybody assumes it's the PPP handing out cash (and other thngs) in the NE. They don't have to! The ones around here were the other lot And in any case there are plenty who either won't take the incentives, don't need their bits of petty cash, or take it and vote as they please anyway.

Sorry, back on topic. I certainly did not see little interest, it was all people were talking about locally. Ok, so it's not something that they are likely to have a conversation about any day of the week, as farang, in some cases, might. But yesterday and the days leading up to it, certainly.

[cm-happy]

cm-happy, I'm saying, just as a personal opinion after 4.5 years here, that these elections don't mean that the voters control Thailand. Money, guns, power, Buddhism, tradition, etc., rule Thailand. These elections mean even less than voting back home. And the Thais know it full well.

I'm old, but I wasn't born in 1776. Even my father in law, born in 1894 as the great-grandson of a veteran of the Battle of Galveston, didn't remember slavery (although his grandfather owned one!).

OK PB. PEACE!

Forgot to add MERRY CHRISTMAS HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR!!

Edited December 24, 2007 by cm-happy

[RueFang]

They won the election because the 15 million voters in the northeast alone have been bought out with cash handouts from Taksin.

Sorry it's off topic, and I'll get to that. But it seems that everybody assumes it's the PPP handing out cash (and other thngs) in the NE.

Not the PPP, TRT was busted buying votes and is one of the reasons they are no more. Sorry off topic but needed to clarify

[Farangderthal]

A clarification that would be more in line with actual events would be more beneficial though.

TRT were NOT banned for vote buying. They were banned for trying to get other parties to contest the elections in some southern districts where the Democrats orchestrated an boycott of the elections, a boycott that effectively forced a stalemate on to the nation and derailed the democratic process which eventually paved the way for the coup.

Having the other parties participate in the regular democratic process would mean that a valid result could be obtained, thus ending the stalemate.

This is why the 'Democrats' are not worthy of the name. They boycotted elections and as such were jointly responsible for doing serious damage to Thailand by allowing and then condoning the coup. Seeing you're in Patthalung you'd of course get a rather one-sided view of things.

Then of course TRT's ban was masterminded by the military in a show trial.

But fortunately all of this is behind us; I for one am happy with yesterday's result as it will see this great injustice undone.

Edited December 24, 2007 by Farangderthal

[yorkman]

They won the election because the 15 million voters in the northeast alone have been bought out with cash handouts from Taksin.

Sorry it's off topic, and I'll get to that. But it seems that everybody assumes it's the PPP handing out cash (and other thngs) in the NE.

Not the PPP, TRT was busted buying votes and is one of the reasons they are no more. Sorry off topic but needed to clarify

Ahhh yes ok, just following on from talking about Samak confused my befuddled brain, easily done