Abhisit Insists He Did His Best To Tackle Problem Of Corruption

[arrowsdawdle]

<snip>

a too strong baht ruining exports,

<snip>

I suppose it's Abhisit's fault for all the other currencies strengthening against the $US too.

Oh they couldn't use those, it wouldn't support your position. Or, are you saying that all exports go to America?

[arrowsdawdle]

I disagree more with the policies and actions of the dems and this is how I form my opinion.

Which of the Democrats' policies are you against?

Yes, this is a valid question well worth an answer and not an evasion.

[whybother]

<snip>

a too strong baht ruining exports,

<snip>

I suppose it's Abhisit's fault for all the other currencies strengthening against the $US too.

Oh they couldn't use those, it wouldn't support your position. Or, are you saying that all exports go to America?

I'm saying that there are many currencies that are strong against the $US.

Is it Abhisit's fault that ALL of these currencies are strong, or just possibly it's the $US that is weak due to US economic policy.

That obviously doesn't support your, or Random's, position. But don't let the facts get in the way of a bit of propaganda.

[tragickingdom]

What a joke, he does business with 4 of Thailand's most corrupt men: Suthep (who stole the land of the poor under Chuan and was involved in the palm oil price scam this year). Sanan (ask the courts) Banharn (ask the people in Banharnburi and ask his competitors) and Newin (from rice to fish scams Newin knows it all). So how can he say he did his best. Did he do his best for the sex slaves too by hiring a minister who is running brothels? Mark Abhisit is a big failure and disappointment. If the new generation is like him, nothing will change in thailand.

[caribbeanman]

If he did his best to fight corruption amongst his cabinet, why did he appoint Suthep as deputy pm, the man that had to stand down as an mp due to conflict of interest?

More waffle from the soon to be ex pm that should never have held that position anyway, your tenure has been a complete failure and I look forward to the day you are facing a court,

Dammed right...

Besides that Suthep is far from the most corrupt in the kingdom,

he also was very good at dealing with the players involved and making deals that worked.

Yes, he IS old school, and so corrupt, but so are the vast majority of people he'd deal with, on their terms, and there was a pressing need to keep Abhisits fingers clean in the long run, while getting things done in the short term.

So why Suthep?

Pragmatism in working within a system that already exists.

You get more done working within a system than outside it.

Hmmm your post is very interesting. Let me see : PRAGMATISM=MACHIAVELLISM=LACK OF ETHICS=LACK OF MORAL, very interesting indeed

Edited June 10, 2011 by caribbeanman

[sirchai]

If he did his best to fight corruption amongst his cabinet, why did he appoint Suthep as deputy pm, the man that had to stand down as an mp due to conflict of interest?

More waffle from the soon to be ex pm that should never have held that position anyway, your tenure has been a complete failure and I look forward to the day you are facing a court,

In his second open letter to the public, posted on his Facebook page on Thursday morning, Abhisit admitted he could not stop some corruption from taking place.

How could you stop a totally corrupt system from some little cops up to the big shots? It's already old tradition....but please Mr. Abhisit, I'd vote for you if I could.

Even after 10 years being here legally, working for the government, supporting my Thai family, paying taxes, a.s.o., but there seems to be no way to get something that's similar to a green card?. What's wrong here? :jap:

[sirchai]

What a joke, he does business with 4 of Thailand's most corrupt men: Suthep (who stole the land of the poor under Chuan and was involved in the palm oil price scam this year). Sanan (ask the courts) Banharn (ask the people in Banharnburi and ask his competitors) and Newin (from rice to fish scams Newin knows it all). So how can he say he did his best. Did he do his best for the sex slaves too by hiring a minister who is running brothels? Mark Abhisit is a big failure and disappointment. If the new generation is like him, nothing will change in thailand.

I'm just wondering who could have given you such ideas...............:jap:

[animatic]

If he did his best to fight corruption amongst his cabinet, why did he appoint Suthep as deputy pm, the man that had to stand down as an mp due to conflict of interest?

More waffle from the soon to be ex pm that should never have held that position anyway, your tenure has been a complete failure and I look forward to the day you are facing a court,

Dammed right...

Besides that Suthep is far from the most corrupt in the kingdom,

he also was very good at dealing with the players involved and making deals that worked.

Yes, he IS old school, and so corrupt, but so are the vast majority of people he'd deal with, on their terms, and there was a pressing need to keep Abhisits fingers clean in the long run, while getting things done in the short term.

So why Suthep?

Pragmatism in working within a system that already exists.

You get more done working within a system than outside it.

Hmmm your post is very interesting. Let me see : PRAGMATISM=MACHIAVELLISM=LACK OF ETHICS=LACK OF MORAL, very interesting indeed

As opposed to...

BLIND IDEALISM AND NO PRAGMATISM AT ALL =

NOT EFFECTIVELY DEALING WITH THOSE YOU MUST DEAL WITH

FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MOST CITIZENS =

NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE FOR THE MOST PEOPLE =

NOT WINNING THE ETHICAL BATTLES YOU CAN WIN =

NOT CHOOSING THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS,

BY NOT SUCCESSFULLY MAKING ANY CHOICES.

Let's be totally moral and make the poor in the country starve

because we are too high horse moralistic to work the system

while trying to change it from within.

Reality is very interesting and not cut and dried, but filled with infinite shades of gray areas, and considerably more likely to be REAL than philosophical ideals, that rarely do exist except as concepts. Poor people rarely do fill a stomach with principled stands on ethics. But eventually ethically based actions can cause change towards more global ethical positions and actions, without starving people in the process.

Edited June 10, 2011 by animatic

[Ricardo]

What a joke, he does business with 4 of Thailand's most corrupt men: Suthep (who stole the land of the poor under Chuan and was involved in the palm oil price scam this year). Sanan (ask the courts) Banharn (ask the people in Banharnburi and ask his competitors) and Newin (from rice to fish scams Newin knows it all). So how can he say he did his best. Did he do his best for the sex slaves too by hiring a minister who is running brothels? Mark Abhisit is a big failure and disappointment. If the new generation is like him, nothing will change in thailand.

Weren't the other lot also happy to do business, when in-power, with at least some of these people ? If it helps you get into power, then prospective-PMs hold their noses, and haggle & do deals.

One can only hope that the new generation will be different, if one wants change to come faster, however the poor have now been on-the-agenda for a decade or more, and there are slow-but-steady improvements coming through all-the-time. The Thailand I see, and live-in today, is far-advanced on the Thailand I first visited, more-than 25 years ago.

So I, for one, would argue that things have changed, and will hopefully continue to change.

[slapout]

Someone must bite the bullet and get rid of the Thai punishment/thinking for those who are caught out via, inactive posts, immunity due to position, resignation, bail for convicted persons and allow them to leave the country and/or allow the appeal process to drag on and on, point to someone else to bring legal charges, etc. Jail time, seizure of assets here and abroad, with the same treatment of all those who were involved could set the line of what is not acceptable nor will be tolerated.

We hear many excuses as to why corruption is accepted/ignored, give solidarity to the government, other groups have done the same, Asia business practice, etc. When someone puts the numbers up to public review of the total figure of monies lost thru corruption vs the government expenditure for individual services for the public, such as health car, education, transport systems, etc, there is little chance of any real attempt to rectify the problem.

Some times you have to smack someone to get the attention of the audience.

[animatic]

Yes, there is improvement, but totally changing the game is a multigeneration function, not an elect a good team and it's done in a few years thing. We can idealistically wish this was so, but realistically that is also Pie In The Sky like everyone in the country being rich in 6 months.

Any moves that limit graft and make grifters think twice about a scam IS progress.

If much of the graft on a large project like Newin's bus purchases can be cut off and prices brought down this is progress.

Someone like Apirak quitting when charged, even if it is for signing a document he was required to sign by his office position, because it is tied to a previous administrations crooked deal ( Samak fire engines) and Apirak STILL makes the gesture to fall on his sword, till the courts decide he wasn't acting wrongly... more progress.

The head of police being a bought position had a serious monkey wrench thrown in by Abhisit, and eventually he got HIS man in the job and not the guy who thought he had won. Progress. I wonder if the loser got a rebate. No doubt Suthep made several new enemies over that one.

All these things are part of gradual progress and increasing public expectations that graft and corruption CAN be limited more and more over time... IF the voters pick the right people to fill their leadership positions. Pick thew wrong ones and it's back to the bad old days again.

[Thai at Heart]

Subtle difference, but shouldn't it be "has done" rather than "did" his best.

Presumably lost in translation.