Support For Thai Govt Slips In Northeast

[webfact]

Support for govt slips in Northeast

By The Nation

Most people in the Northeast support the government although their backing is declining due to the rising cost of living, a survey by Khon Kaen University has found.

Some 58 per cent of 700 respondents said they approved of the government's general performance, compared to 42 per cent who did not, according to results of an opinion poll released yesterday by the northeastern university's E-saan Centre for Business and Economic Research (ECBER).

On the government's political performance, 40 per cent of respondents gave an approval vote, compared to 60 per cent who gave the thumbs down.

On the economic front, 56 per cent voiced support for the government, compared to 44 per cent who did not.

The government got its highest approval rating for social and environment issues - 65 per cent, compared to 35 per cent who did rate the government in these areas.

The survey was conducted from Saturday to Monday in all 19 provinces in the Northeast. Head of ECBER's E-saan Poll project Prasert Wijitnopparat said it was the eighth survey to gauge support for the government they had conducted over the past year.

In the previous survey in December, the government got higher approval votes in all areas, he said, except for its performance on social and environment issues.

In December, 67 per cent of respondents gave a thumbs-up to the government's general performance, 41 per cent to its performance on political issues, 57 per cent for economic issues, and 60 per cent for social and environment issues.

"Additional comments from the respondents showed that they were dissatisfied with the government's performance in solving economic problems. They pointed to rising prices of consumer products and the higher cost of living. Moreover, the respondents also wanted the government to give more attention to the issue of social welfare and to ensure more income redistribution to the Northeast," Prasert said.

-- The Nation 2011-01-26

[londonthai]

there never was much support in the n-e for the present government, so slipping is not the word

[sjjmmi]

there never was much support in the n-e for the present government, so slipping is not the word

[geriatrickid]

Big deal. It will go up again if there are hand outs.

[OzMick]

there never was much support in the n-e for the present government, so slipping is not the word

Not a graduate of the London school of Mathematics then?

[animatic]

Of course they would not see much of the bigger international picture,

so everything wrong MUST be from the governments doing.

Nothing surprising here in any case.

[SouthernMan3]

Maybe the free lao chao is back...

[hansnl]

Of course they would not see much of the bigger international picture,

so everything wrong MUST be from the governments doing.

Nothing surprising here in any case.

It is all the fault of the farang!

[ib1b4]

Why are you people so bitter toward country thai folk ?.

[asiawatcher]

I think the education process in the NE is a bit cloudy or at least their understanding is. If the Govt were to do a PR exercise and actually spend time in the NE and take sound and structured policies to the people they would win a lot more votes and be given the freedom to govern with purpose and be results driven.

The comment "why are we all bitter towards country Thai folk' does not warrant response and nothing could be further from the truth.

[geriatrickid]

Why are you people so bitter toward country thai folk ?.

Anger at being forced to poop using a Thai style toilet when they visit the inlaws? Some of the older folks can't manage to aim their turds into the hole and instead drop it into their bloomers. (I call this Pooping the Thai Way Shock.)

Edited January 27, 2011 by geriatrickid

[citizen33]

Why are you people so bitter toward country thai folk ?.

Anger at being forced to poop using a Thai style toilet when they visit the inlaws? Some of the older folks can't manage to aim their turds into the hole and instead drop it into their bloomers. (I call this Pooping the Thai Way Shock.)

I was disappointed to see such a profound view of the rural people of Isaan and the North advanced by an urban dweller who sometimes talks sense on other topics. I find it surprising that support for the present government is as high as the survey suggests, and put it down to a desire for a period of peace. But many still have a perception that the government they voted for was overturned illegitimately and that deadly force was used when they tried to reverse that. The sight of coffins returning home can be quite radicalising. Viewed from their position, that way of seeing things has a certain logic to it. And please don't bother to recycle the same old arguments about why they are wrong ... or if you must, go and do so in the central market at Khon Kaen or Udon.

Edited January 27, 2011 by citizen33