Proposals On Land Reform Deserve Attention

[Lite Beer]

The proposals on land reform deserve attention.

Editorial.

By The Nation.

Moves mooted by Anand panel are vitally important for our poorest

The biggest problem in Thailand now is that real issues can get easily overshadowed and overwhelmed by what has become a complete power play, and then forgotten or cast aside by everyone who matters. A land reform proposal submitted by the Anand Panyarachun committee with little political fanfare stands to test this malaise. We will know in the next few days if the proposal, which is worth serious attention by all, will be spurned by movements that want the prime minister to leave immediately but don't quite know why, and by a government that is trying to hang on but doesn't quite know how.

The red shirts' violent campaign last year, whether it was a real grass-roots uprising as the movement claims or a Thaksin Shinawatra-sponsored agitation as alleged by the Democrat government, has brought to light the issue of economic inequality in Thailand. This forced the government, academics and civil society to look back on long-forgotten problems, one of which is the poverty associated with being landless. The embattled Abhisit government promised to act, and the Anand committee was formed.

Months have passed and the country is now very close to the first anniversary of the day red-shirt protesters descended on Bangkok. In between, we have seen only political mudslinging - Bangkok massacre charges countered by terrorism allegations. The red shirts have been trying to file an international lawsuit and the government has put their leaders in jail. Proposed constitutional reform turned into fights to defend or expand political turfs. All camps have been preoccupied with their own vested interests, so much so that little efforts were made to address the real issues.

Ever since last year's political turbulence, it has all been about the red shirts, yellow shirts, Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thaksin and Cambodia. It's not a big surprise, therefore, that the mooting of a property and real-estate tax bill by the Anand Panyarachun committee looks like a visit by a stranger to a house whose members are throwing furniture at one another.

The National Reform Committee regards the bill as part of land reform for agriculture. It views the issue of agricultural land ownership as a root cause of social, political and economic trouble. The committee's proposals seek to address the issue of land rights and ownership disparity through progressive measures.

Anand's committee seemed to get the government's full attention. Only three days after the proposal was put forward, the government ran to the Council of State to discuss the bill. The Cabinet timidly put a brake on it, concluding that the proposal - which includes the introduction of a progressive tax on people owning more than 50 rai of land - had too many details. Prime Minister Abhisit gave PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey the job of looking into the details and bringing the plan back to the Cabinet meeting in two weeks.

The government, fully aware that this is a proposal put forth by its own "reconciliation" think-tank, tried hard not to make it sound like a brutal rejection or delaying tactic. This leaves open the possibility of the bill making an early bow in Parliament.

The jury is still out on the government's sincerity where this bill is concerned, but the moment of truth can't be much delayed. Meanwhile, the people "fighting" for the country's poor have yet to prove that they really care. Ousting Abhisit won't address the issue of real inequality overnight. Giving this bill a serious push could.

The property and real-estate tax bill has its admirers and critics. Proponents believe that it will not only be a great benefit to the Thai economy but also provide a great opportunity to make serious social change. The supporters of this bill say it will increase the tax base and make the richest share their properties for national benefit. The poor will be given the chance to access and utilise the country's resources.

However, whether this bill will fully materialise depends on the government's sincerity and courage to stand up against many capitalists and landlords in House. The bill's chances also rely on anti-government groups, who have been too galvanised to remember what is supposed to be their ultimate agenda. This bill deserves every chance to be honestly deliberated without partisan interests. And it must not become just a political tool that gives false hope to the poor, as was always the case in the past.

-- The Nation 2011-02-20