Business Leaders Call On Silent Masses To Make

[churchill]

Political reconciliation was possible only if all Thais stand up to guide the country towards a peaceful direction, business leaders said at a Nation seminar entitled "Path to Political Harmony".

Panelists urged politicians to give up pursuit of political gains, the general public - which has not yet sided with the red or yellow camps - to make their voices heard, and professional associations to play it fair.

They also urged the business sector to support preferred political parties to alienate corrupt politicians.

"[The government] should sponsor forums, probably at town halls in all provinces where all parties can speak up their mind," said Charnchai Charuvastr, president of The Thai Institute of Directors Association (IOD), a leading organisation dedicated to improving corporate governance. "We need to hear the voices of silent parties as Thai society is heading towards polarisation. With only two parties on the scene, an explosion is likely when they collide and the stakes are huge," he said.

He added that politicians had failed to achieve good governance while the business sector has by far made improvements in governance.

Suthat Sethbunsrang, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers WMS Bangkok, agreed that public forums are necessary, as people in the provinces should not just occasionally show up in the capital for financial support. He believes Thailand has good economic fundamentals, but political conflicts have held it back.

"Such forums would create new stakeholders, not just heroes and villains. If the forums' issues are clear, the government would gather essential information, which does not exist as people of different opinions decline to share the same stage. Through this, we will also single out who is supporting who and why," said Naruemol Tubchompol, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, who believed that not all "red" supporters support former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

She added that the stage is now controlled by extremists, leaving little space for moderates. In focus are only conflicts. Without a consensus on what is to be amended, there would never be a compromise, she said.

Chanthana Banphasirichote, a lecturer from the same university, added that reconciliation requires many fronts. While urging the business sector to take the lead, she said the government must also ensure the rule of law. Reconciliation requires trust and trust is built upon legal fairness.

"The proposed amendments to the Constitution should be geared towards creating, not to set rules. We have to admit that the case against 111 politicians is beyond understanding," she added.

The proposed public forums won support from Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of Federation of Thai Industries; Dusit Nontanakorn, chairman of Board of Trade and Thai Chamber of Commerce, and Amara Sriphayak, senior director of the central bank's Domestic Economy Division.

"Participation from organisations [in introducing new ideas to provinces] would be good. It would lead to many things. I do believe that provincial people also care more about their stomach [than] politics," Santi said. He added that businessmen alone cannot introduce change as they have to support all politicians for business survival.

"It's exhausting just to run a business. They are worried about losing money, which is not a concern for civil servants. Indeed, I have seen a development. Some businessmen are now starting to criticise the prime minister. Before, they preferred to stay away from politics."

He also urged politicians to stop being rhetorical and concentrate more on facts and solutions and creative talk.

Dusit added that Thai politics has shown no signs of improvement in the past 20-30 years, while the business circles have shown great improvement by embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Business leaders now are required to possess vision and social responsibility. To achieve any goal, there must be a mission and they must have the guts to expel those who cannot achieve the goals.

"In the business world, if you cheat, you are cast away. But cheating politicians remain. The public must join hands in rejecting them. Best business practices should be integrated in the Thai political scene, to create good and able politicians. We can compromise on anything, but cheating," Dusit said.

Charnchai added that all this would be possible with the force of the people who are now silent. They should come out, if they don't want bad politics to plunge the Kingdom to the abyss.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/04...ss_30101908.php

[noahvail]

Political reconciliation was possible only if all Thais stand up to guide the country towards a peaceful direction, business leaders said at a Nation seminar entitled "Path to Political Harmony".

Panelists urged politicians to give up pursuit of political gains, the general public - which has not yet sided with the red or yellow camps - to make their voices heard, and professional associations to play it fair.

They also urged the business sector to support preferred political parties to alienate corrupt politicians.

"[The government] should sponsor forums, probably at town halls in all provinces where all parties can speak up their mind," said Charnchai Charuvastr, president of The Thai Institute of Directors Association (IOD), a leading organisation dedicated to improving corporate governance. "We need to hear the voices of silent parties as Thai society is heading towards polarisation. With only two parties on the scene, an explosion is likely when they collide and the stakes are huge," he said.

He added that politicians had failed to achieve good governance while the business sector has by far made improvements in governance.

Suthat Sethbunsrang, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers WMS Bangkok, agreed that public forums are necessary, as people in the provinces should not just occasionally show up in the capital for financial support. He believes Thailand has good economic fundamentals, but political conflicts have held it back.

"Such forums would create new stakeholders, not just heroes and villains. If the forums' issues are clear, the government would gather essential information, which does not exist as people of different opinions decline to share the same stage. Through this, we will also single out who is supporting who and why," said Naruemol Tubchompol, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, who believed that not all "red" supporters support former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

She added that the stage is now controlled by extremists, leaving little space for moderates. In focus are only conflicts. Without a consensus on what is to be amended, there would never be a compromise, she said.

Chanthana Banphasirichote, a lecturer from the same university, added that reconciliation requires many fronts. While urging the business sector to take the lead, she said the government must also ensure the rule of law. Reconciliation requires trust and trust is built upon legal fairness.

"The proposed amendments to the Constitution should be geared towards creating, not to set rules. We have to admit that the case against 111 politicians is beyond understanding," she added.

The proposed public forums won support from Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of Federation of Thai Industries; Dusit Nontanakorn, chairman of Board of Trade and Thai Chamber of Commerce, and Amara Sriphayak, senior director of the central bank's Domestic Economy Division.

"Participation from organisations [in introducing new ideas to provinces] would be good. It would lead to many things. I do believe that provincial people also care more about their stomach [than] politics," Santi said. He added that businessmen alone cannot introduce change as they have to support all politicians for business survival.

"It's exhausting just to run a business. They are worried about losing money, which is not a concern for civil servants. Indeed, I have seen a development. Some businessmen are now starting to criticise the prime minister. Before, they preferred to stay away from politics."

He also urged politicians to stop being rhetorical and concentrate more on facts and solutions and creative talk.

Dusit added that Thai politics has shown no signs of improvement in the past 20-30 years, while the business circles have shown great improvement by embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Business leaders now are required to possess vision and social responsibility. To achieve any goal, there must be a mission and they must have the guts to expel those who cannot achieve the goals.

"In the business world, if you cheat, you are cast away. But cheating politicians remain. The public must join hands in rejecting them. Best business practices should be integrated in the Thai political scene, to create good and able politicians. We can compromise on anything, but cheating," Dusit said.

Charnchai added that all this would be possible with the force of the people who are now silent. They should come out, if they don't want bad politics to plunge the Kingdom to the abyss.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/04...ss_30101908.php

Ok, does all this sound more than a bit Utopian?

Except for the "silent masses" bits...which remind me all too much of a certain American President's call for the "silent majority" to - oh, never mind