Take Your Pick From Almost Identical Thai Poll Promises

[webfact]

WATCHDOG

Take your pick from almost identical poll promises

By Nophakhun Limsamarnphun

The ruling Democrat Party is planning to woo voters in the upcoming election with at least two key economic policies.

First, it pledges to increase the country's minimum wage by 25 per cent over the next two years if re-elected. The current minimum wage in Bangkok and peripheral areas is Bt216 per day. A 25-per-cent hike will raise this minimum rate to Bt256. Minimum wages in other parts of the country are lower, depending on the cost of living.

According to Kobsak Sabhavasu, the Democrat Party's top campaign official, there will also be tax reform to lower the businesses costs, while the government will also commit to invest more in logistic and transport infrastructure. In addition, there will be skills training programmes to boost workers' productivity.

Earlier, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva suggested that the government would be ready to cut the corporate income tax rate in exchange for a hefty hike of the minimum wage, which would boost purchasing power.

The opposition Pheu Thai Party, which may field Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin, as its candidate for the premiership, says it will boost the Bangkok minimum wage to as much as Bt300 per day if it wins a majority to form the next government.

So far, details of the Pheu Thai economic platform remain sketchy.

Another key economic policy of the Democrat Party is to guarantee farmers' income. Over the past two years, the Democrat-led government has spent Bt40 billion to guarantee the prices of crops such as rice, so that farmers can earn a decent living. According to Kobsak, the party will come up with new measures to guarantee farmers' income if re-elected.

In the meantime, Pheu Thai says it will re-instate economic-crop pledging schemes if it wins the next election.

For the majority of academics, farm price guarantee schemes are more efficient and cost-effective than crop pledging schemes, which are vunerable to corruption.

The Demcorats also claim that their crop price guarantee scheme reaches more farm households than previous such schemes. If re-elected, the party plans to expand its scheme to cover as many as five million farm households nationwide.

Besides the minimum wage hike and crop-pledging scheme, Pheu Thai has announced it will support a credit-card programme for farmers so they can buy raw materials and equipment on credit, even though critics have warned that many farmers will default due to a lack of fixed income.

In infrastructure, Pheu Thai has proposed to go ahead with a southern land-bridge scheme, while the Democrats back the planned Thai-Chinese high-speed train joint venture for both passengers and cargo. China has expressed interest in co-investing in the first route from the northeastern province of Nong Khai to Bangkok. This will connect with the same high-speed route in Laos and southern China. Besides the Nong-Khai-Bangkok route, there will also be a further extension to Padang Besar on the border with Malaysia.

On the economic front, the competition between the two major parties will be fierce, with both going all out to please voters, especially the grassroots majority, with a heavy dose of populist policies. Essentially, both parties will attempt to lower the cost of living while boosting income.

The ongoing diesel subsidy is a case in point, as the Democrats have decided to cut the excise tax on diesel to virtually zero in order to continue the costly subsidy toward the end of this fiscal year (September) while continuing to provide free electricity to low-income households using 90 units or less per month.

-- The Nation 2011-04-23

[animatic]

For the majority of academics, farm price guarantee schemes are more efficient and cost-effective than crop pledging schemes, which are vunerable to corruption.

The rice pledging seemed to benefit millers and distributers and not at all the farmers. Guaranteed prices for farmers at the mills benefited farmers, and caused much less wastage.

256 baht or 300 baht a day. 256 or 25 is manageable for most companies, but much more and it will cause a significant price rise.

But someone has to pay for this wage for the poor, someday, sometime, better to let it be companies and a limited markup in prices of some products. Competetiveness in Thailand will remain the same, since all will rise together. External competitiveness will always be a crap shoot because of exchange rates.

Lower rises upcountry may well send companies to build up there looking for workers and this is a good thing if it can balance well vs transport costs.

Edited April 23, 2011 by animatic

[hungryhippo]

All these schemes for free electricity and no tax on diesel are great but who is going to pay for all this?

[animatic]

All these schemes for free electricity and no tax on diesel are great but who is going to pay for all this?

No tax on diesel lowers costs for all on transport,

but lowers government revenue.

Electricity subsidies are for the poorest and not the middle and upper classes. This means more poor can afford to come and work. More productivity is possible then.

Who pays for this? Everybody, and to some extent that is quite fair.

Only those that don't care a whit for the super poor can object to

putting a share toward raising a bit the quality of life and

productivity of the country as a whole.

Edited April 23, 2011 by animatic

[featography]

For the majority of academics, farm price guarantee schemes are more efficient and cost-effective than crop pledging schemes, which are vunerable to corruption.

The rice pledging seemed to benefit millers and distributers and not at all the farmers. Guaranteed prices for farmers at the mills benefited farmers, and caused much less wastage.

256 baht or 300 baht a day. 256 or 25 is manageable for most companies, but much more and it will cause a significant price rise.

But someone has to pay for this wage for the poor, someday, sometime, better to let it be companies and a limited markup in prices of some products. Competetiveness in Thailand will remain the same, since all will rise together. External competitiveness will always be a crap shoot because of exchange rates.

Lower rises upcountry may well send companies to build up there looking for workers and this is a good thing if it can balance well vs transport costs.

With a long history of all sides accusing the other sides of vote buying, I read this report and can see Pheu Thai making campaign promises to get elected, but I have to raise a question regarding the Dems. They are already in control, so why have they not instituted these promises into policy before now? To make these campaign promises for re election, how different is vote buying, from bribery for votes for re election?

[animatic]

For the majority of academics, farm price guarantee schemes are more efficient and cost-effective than crop pledging schemes, which are vunerable to corruption.

The rice pledging seemed to benefit millers and distributers and not at all the farmers. Guaranteed prices for farmers at the mills benefited farmers, and caused much less wastage.

256 baht or 300 baht a day. 256 or 25 is manageable for most companies, but much more and it will cause a significant price rise.

But someone has to pay for this wage for the poor, someday, sometime, better to let it be companies and a limited markup in prices of some products. Competetiveness in Thailand will remain the same, since all will rise together. External competitiveness will always be a crap shoot because of exchange rates.

Lower rises upcountry may well send companies to build up there looking for workers and this is a good thing if it can balance well vs transport costs.

With a long history of all sides accusing the other sides of vote buying, I read this report and can see Pheu Thai making campaign promises to get elected, but I have to raise a question regarding the Dems. They are already in control, so why have they not instituted these promises into policy before now? To make these campaign promises for re election, how different is vote buying, from bribery for votes for re election?

Giving cash or a village thumbs up or down in exchange for voting a certain way

is different tan providing services for all in the hopes they will be appreciative of action in their benefit.

One is precisely trading the franchise for one time profit, vs government providing actual services.

When you come down to it. an actual service delivered is worth

10,000 times the typical election time blather to get elected.

[webfact]

Thaksin, apparently avoiding causing Pheu Thai legal problems, called his phone-in today a special address (not policy declaration)

Thaksin said Thais had been supposed to b all rich two yrs ago but dictatorship postponed it. - @nnanews

Thaksin has vowed to pursue & upgrade village fund as well as 30-baht-per-hospital-visit scheme. _ @jin_nation

/via@tulsathit:

[featography]

Thaksin, apparently avoiding causing Pheu Thai legal problems, called his phone-in today a special address (not policy declaration)

Thaksin said Thais had been supposed to b all rich two yrs ago but dictatorship postponed it. - @nnanews

Thaksin has vowed to pursue & upgrade village fund as well as 30-baht-per-hospital-visit scheme. _ @jin_nation

/via@tulsathit:

How do hospitals stay in business with a customer base of 30 baht per person? Is this why the most common remedy in hospitals are antibiotics and Tylenol? And they over charge for those too

Edited April 23, 2011 by featography

[animatic]

Thaksin, apparently avoiding causing Pheu Thai legal problems, called his phone-in today a special address (not policy declaration)

Thaksin said Thais had been supposed to b all rich two yrs ago but dictatorship postponed it. - @nnanews

Thaksin has vowed to pursue & upgrade village fund as well as 30-baht-per-hospital-visit scheme. _ @jin_nation

/via@tulsathit:

How do hospitals stay in business with a customer base of 30 baht per person? Is this why the most common remedy in hospitals are antibiotics and Tylenol? And they over charge for those too

They dropped the 30 baht fee for hospitals a few years back

and replaced it with a 30 hour wait to be seen, or treated.

Edited April 23, 2011 by animatic

[featography]

Thaksin, apparently avoiding causing Pheu Thai legal problems, called his phone-in today a special address (not policy declaration)

Thaksin said Thais had been supposed to b all rich two yrs ago but dictatorship postponed it. - @nnanews

Thaksin has vowed to pursue & upgrade village fund as well as 30-baht-per-hospital-visit scheme. _ @jin_nation

/via@tulsathit:

How do hospitals stay in business with a customer base of 30 baht per person? Is this why the most common remedy in hospitals are antibiotics and Tylenol? And they over charge for those too

They dropped the 30 baht few for hospitals a few years back

and replaced it with ah 30 hour wait to be seen, or treated.

good one

[whybother]

With a long history of all sides accusing the other sides of vote buying, I read this report and can see Pheu Thai making campaign promises to get elected, but I have to raise a question regarding the Dems. They are already in control, so why have they not instituted these promises into policy before now? To make these campaign promises for re election, how different is vote buying, from bribery for votes for re election?

All political parties, whether currently in government or not, make promises for the next term. For the party/parties currently in government, they usually spend the current term enacting policies promised in the previous election. Sometimes new policies come about during the term that are enacted immediately, and some for the next budget period or for after the next election.

A government can't do everything all at once. There are limited funds and limited time. And economically, some things need to be done over a period of time. For example, wage increases are usually spread over a number of years. The economy couldn't sustain a sudden 50% rise in minimum wages, so it's done in steps.

That applies for most governments, but the miracle worker, Thaksin, can make everyone rich in 6 months.

[slapout]

The Thai government has been holding diesel cost at a predetermined level for several years, When oil was 15 us/bbl price here was 12+ baht/liter, and the exchange rate was 40+_ to the dollar. Today oil is 120+_/bbl and the exchange rate is 30_/dollar, diesel is 30 baht/liter. The government has lowed tax before and reinstated it when oil dropped, they have used a oil fund to hold pump price at 30 baht, while collecting tax. None of this has held prices of basic goods stable, even though transport fuel costs has been controlled at the pump.

Much of the consumed goods to raise crops are imported, fertilizer, chemicals, machinery, etc thus prices are partially dependent on world oil price, inflation outside Thailand, and of course Thai import duties.

Both political groups have used the same method to control consumer price and neither has worked the way the it was forecast. If the objective is to control prices, wages, etc then a half way approach will not work, especially when the national companies/suppliers of Thailand determine the volume of product to be released to the market and the price they will sell the products which they and their cohorts control and the price to be paid to the grower/producer.

[webfact]

Thaksin: If I ever go back and then prove to be disloyal, Thai ppl can lynch me - /via @Bancha_nna /RT @tulsathi

Thaksin: Today I'm ready to go home and serve the ppl. I will not take revenge; will only fix things. /via @tulsathit: TR @Bancha_nna:

[hyperdimension]

Thaksin: If I ever go back and then prove to be disloyal, Thai ppl can lynch me - /via @Bancha_nna /RT @tulsathi

Thaksin: Today I'm ready to go home and serve the ppl. I will not take revenge; will only fix things. /via @tulsathit: TR @Bancha_nna:

Such are words of desperation. It is almost as if he is begging everyone to vote for him (even though he is not technically an election candidate).

People should realize that the country can still do OK without Thaksin.

[animatic]

Thaksin: If I ever go back and then prove to be disloyal, Thai ppl can lynch me - /via @Bancha_nna /RT @tulsathi ....

Wow, nothing like and engraved invitation!

Since he has proved to be disloyal already many times;

just build the gallows at Swampy, next to the cracked runways.

Before certain parties go on a rant I am not advocating hanging Thaksin,

which is different than wondering how manyThais might think he deserves it.

[animatic]

With a long history of all sides accusing the other sides of vote buying, I read this report and can see Pheu Thai making campaign promises to get elected, but I have to raise a question regarding the Dems. They are already in control, so why have they not instituted these promises into policy before now? To make these campaign promises for re election, how different is vote buying, from bribery for votes for re election?

All political parties, whether currently in government or not, make promises for the next term. For the party/parties currently in government, they usually spend the current term enacting policies promised in the previous election. Sometimes new policies come about during the term that are enacted immediately, and some for the next budget period or for after the next election.

A government can't do everything all at once. There are limited funds and limited time. And economically, some things need to be done over a period of time. For example, wage increases are usually spread over a number of years. The economy couldn't sustain a sudden 50% rise in minimum wages, so it's done in steps.

That applies for most governments, but the miracle worker, Thaksin, can make everyone rich in 6 months.

Very good response.

[Ricardo]

Thaksin has vowed to pursue & upgrade village fund as well as 30-baht-per-hospital-visit scheme. _ @jin_nation

/via@tulsathit:

Did nobody tell him, 'his' former scheme was already made free to patients, a couple of years ago, because it cost more to collect the money than it raised ? Perhaps however the funding for hospitals might be improved, if rich Thais paid a little more tax in future, will he therefore pledge to introduce that and follow it himself ?

Thaksin: Today I'm ready to go home and serve the ppl. I will not take revenge; will only fix things. /via @tulsathit: TR @Bancha_nna:

Is it insanity or simply totally out-of-touch, that he thinks he will be allowed to return and take-up the reigns of power or control, again ? But he clearly still thinks he can return to power, and become 'CEO' of 'Thaksinland', once more.

The time for him to negotiate a deal, to return and live quietly in his home-country as others had before him, was after the 2006-coup, not after his role in the Red-Songkran of 2009 or the 'peaceful protest' deaths & disruption of 2010.

And his promise to "not take revenge", who could ever believe in this, from the man who promised he had "quit Thai politics" years ago ? When the PTP proudly trumpet that "Thaksin Thinks and Pheu Thai Does It" going into the election ?

[ratcatcher]

Thaksin has vowed to pursue & upgrade village fund as well as 30-baht-per-hospital-visit scheme. _ @jin_nation

/via@tulsathit:

Did nobody tell him, 'his' former scheme was already made free to patients, a couple of years ago, because it cost more to collect the money than it raised ? Perhaps however the funding for hospitals might be improved, if rich Thais paid a little more tax in future, will he therefore pledge to introduce that and follow it himself ?

Thaksin: Today I'm ready to go home and serve the ppl. I will not take revenge; will only fix things. /via @tulsathit: TR @Bancha_nna:

Is it insanity or simply totally out-of-touch, that he thinks he will be allowed to return and take-up the reigns of power or control, again ? But he clearly still thinks he can return to power, and become 'CEO' of 'Thaksinland', once more.

The time for him to negotiate a deal, to return and live quietly in his home-country as others had before him, was after the 2006-coup, not after his role in the Red-Songkran of 2009 or the 'peaceful protest' deaths & disruption of 2010.

And his promise to "not take revenge", who could ever believe in this, from the man who promised he had "quit Thai politics" years ago ? When the PTP proudly trumpet that "Thaksin Thinks and Pheu Thai Does It" going into the election ?

Quote"to return and take-up the reigns of power"

Ah, the reigns as opposed to the reins. A nice Freudian slip. Thaksin would love to exercise power through a reign. Not gonna happen Mr T.

[Pib]

How do hospitals stay in business with a customer base of 30 baht per person? Is this why the most common remedy in hospitals are antibiotics and Tylenol? And they over charge for those too

That 30 baht is just what a person would pay for a typical office/hospital visit, to include any meds handed out. The hospitals actually get a little over 2000 baht per year subsidy per person assigned/enrolled to the hospital under the 30 baht program. They get this subsidy whether the person ever visits the hospital or not during the year. Actually, govt/public hospitals really ain't got no choice in the program--they will participate! However, private hospitals do not have to participate and the great, great, great majority don't.

Probably most middle to upper class Thai's don't use the 30 baht program even though they are probably assigned to a public/govt hospital under the 30 baht program. But when they need medical care they don't go to that govt/public hospital but go to a private hospital of their choice. Many middle class and probably only a few rich class will use the 30 baht program except in cases of a bad illness/disease/accident/high cost medical event and they think the govt/public hospital is adequate...and when they do use it for a hospital stay they will pay out of their pocket for a semi-private or private room and let the 30 baht program pick most other costs. I've seen serveral of my in-laws use the medical system to best effect by combining the benefits of the 30 baht programs with additonal medical care not covered by the 30 baht program but out of pocket. But poor Thai's pretty must rely on the 30 baht program and usually during hospital stays many stay in wards crambed with side by side beds unless a family member/friend will spring additional money for a room.

Edited April 23, 2011 by Pib

[jdinasia]

With a long history of all sides accusing the other sides of vote buying, I read this report and can see Pheu Thai making campaign promises to get elected, but I have to raise a question regarding the Dems. They are already in control, so why have they not instituted these promises into policy before now? To make these campaign promises for re election, how different is vote buying, from bribery for votes for re election?

All political parties, whether currently in government or not, make promises for the next term. For the party/parties currently in government, they usually spend the current term enacting policies promised in the previous election. Sometimes new policies come about during the term that are enacted immediately, and some for the next budget period or for after the next election.

A government can't do everything all at once. There are limited funds and limited time. And economically, some things need to be done over a period of time. For example, wage increases are usually spread over a number of years. The economy couldn't sustain a sudden 50% rise in minimum wages, so it's done in steps.

That applies for most governments, but the miracle worker, Thaksin, can make everyone rich in 6 months.

Feato--- go back and read what was in the OP .. The Dems HAVE been putting forward social welfare projects as well as improving on those that were offered before but prone to corruption and inefficiency. Why are they not doing more TODAY? You can only do so much in any given year, there are still budgets to be balanced and taxation issues to be dealt with. Think for awhile about taxation in the form of personal income tax in Thailand. There is a limit to how much the average taxpayer can or will pay. In Thailand you pay zero income tax until you pass 12,500 a month in monthly earnings. That accounts for a HUGE portion of Thais not paying any taxes at all on income. Then there are all the informal workers and people working in cash businesses that are not paying their share etc etc etc ....

[Ricardo]

Ah, the reigns as opposed to the reins. A nice Freudian slip. Thaksin would love to exercise power through a reign. Not gonna happen Mr T.

Thank-you for pointing that one out.

Purely unintended, I hasten to confirm, correct-spelling was never my strongest-point at school, and there are also often clashes between US & (my own) UK spelling of the same word. All part of the colour of life !

[asiawatcher]

If these elections were actually going to do any good, it would be newsworthy. But it will revert to the status quo on finality so no point really!