Two-Thirds Of Thai Cabinet Are Millionaires

[waza]

Two-thirds of Thai cabinet are millionaires

A recent report shows that about 70% of Thai shown that almost two-thirds of the Thai cabinet are millionaires. PM Yingluck second on the rich list, with assets worth over US$17 million.........Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ranks number 2 on the list...........The richest cabinet member is the minister for science and technology, Plodprasop Suraswadi, who declared a net value of his assets at 963.5 million baht. Most of his career has been spent in government service....

I guess public service does pay

[PattayaParent]

So are two thirds of Thai Visa readers if you believe the polls.

[x5david]

Only in a country as corrupt as this one could career politicians become millionaires...

[Awohalitsiktoli]

Only in a country as corrupt as this one could career politicians become millionaires...

Which brings up a question: Were they rich before entering office or did they only get rich after entering office? Democracy is only a word when rich and powerful families form what amounts to an aristocracy, control the media and convince the 99% that the 1% are working for them It will be interesting to see if the 99% of Thais who are getting screwed by the 1% finally wake up from their long coma and realize that changing "colors" does not lead to real change.

[travelmann]

POLITICIANS IN MOST COUNTRIES ALWAYS SEEM TO BE RICH.

[StreetCowboy]

Only in a country as corrupt as this one could career politicians become millionaires...

Maybe he was independently wealthy through his family background, and that was the only way he could take a humble job in the service of the public, instead of having to struggle for a crust as a tycoon or international star, like the rest of us

SC

[cheynewalk]

Sounds par for the course, at least in the United States as well. 90% of the politicians in Washington are amongst the wealthiest 1% of all Americans. It's little wonder the wealth divide over there continues to increase.

[ajfoyt]

Um, most politicians in any country are usually rich.

[WebBangkok]

Um, most polititions in any country are usually rich.

THIS

End thread...

[sfokevin]

I would like to see the same study conducted on the local police officers

[WebBangkok]

Most of these "studies" are so wrong anyway.

I remember a University in Bangkok came to the conclusion that over 90% of females in Thailand are prostitutes a couple of years ago and the Nation even published such nonsense lol.

[travelmann]

Actually you could start a thread on" are many poor people lazy and is this why they are poor".

There are many people in the world who work hard and try to get on and if they do make a reasonable income and get on in life does that make some of the poor bone idle and if so how many and are they always the ones complaining about " how bad their lot is".

[Berkshire]

Um, most polititions in any country are usually rich.

THIS

End thread...

Exactly. It would be news if they weren't.

[waza]

This is not the result of a study, but.............The figures were released by Thailand’s corruption watchdog, the National Counter-Corruption Commission, and included assets belonging to the 36 ministers. It is mandatory for cabinet members to register such assets with the organisation.

Other interesting facts are............

The PM declared a total amount of net assets of 541 million baht, including seven Hermès handbags, with the most expensive one worth 350,000 baht.

Three red shirts members are millionaires

[elwood]

Only in a country as corrupt as this one could career politicians become millionaires...

Sorry to criticise your rant against Thailand, but most politicians all over the world become extremely rich; either through connections while in government or later when being given fancy jobs because of who they know when they are out of office.

[Orac]

I am sure nobody is particularly surprised at this. A better measure will be how much that wealth increases whilst they are in power.

Democrat MPs saw their personal net worth increase by 4.3 billion baht while Abhisit was Prime Minister. Democrat financier Kalaya Sophonphanit's personal wealth increased by 422 million baht, while the wealth of MPs Wilat Chanpitak and Chalermlak Kebsap increased by 303 and 302 million baht respectively. 10 out of 10 MPs whose wealth increased the most during Abhisit's premiership were all Democrat MPs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhisit_Vejjajiva

I have little doubt that PT will manage something pretty similar.

[waza]

I am sure nobody is particularly surprised at this. A better measure will be how much that wealth increases whilst they are in power.

Democrat MPs saw their personal net worth increase by 4.3 billion baht while Abhisit was Prime Minister. Democrat financier Kalaya Sophonphanit's personal wealth increased by 422 million baht, while the wealth of MPs Wilat Chanpitak and Chalermlak Kebsap increased by 303 and 302 million baht respectively. 10 out of 10 MPs whose wealth increased the most during Abhisit's premiership were all Democrat MPs

http://en.wikipedia....hisit_Vejjajiva

I have little doubt that PT will manage something pretty similar.

former prime minister and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva reported 54 million baht more in assets than liabilities, compared to 50 million baht when he became prime minister.

Thaksin and his wife had declared assets totaling 15.1 billion baht when he took office in 2001 and had 150 billion when he left.

[Semper]

Which brings up a question: Were they rich before entering office or did they only get rich after entering office?]

They got richer.

[Orac]

I am sure nobody is particularly surprised at this. A better measure will be how much that wealth increases whilst they are in power.

Democrat MPs saw their personal net worth increase by 4.3 billion baht while Abhisit was Prime Minister. Democrat financier Kalaya Sophonphanit's personal wealth increased by 422 million baht, while the wealth of MPs Wilat Chanpitak and Chalermlak Kebsap increased by 303 and 302 million baht respectively. 10 out of 10 MPs whose wealth increased the most during Abhisit's premiership were all Democrat MPs

http://en.wikipedia....hisit_Vejjajiva

I have little doubt that PT will manage something pretty similar.

former prime minister and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva reported 54 million baht more in assets than liabilities, compared to 50 million baht when he became prime minister.

Thaksin and his wife had declared assets totaling 15.1 billion baht when he took office in 2001 and had 150 billion when he left.

To be fair Abhisit is probably one of the cleanest politicians out there financially and Thaksin is way off the spectrum.

Another issue might be how accurate these figures are as I am sure these politicians have had plenty of practice at hiding things from public scrutiny. I did notice in an article I can't link to that a number of MPs claimed not to own cars or underdecared them. Industry Minister Wannarat Channukul claimed his car was worth BT.5000 and Chalerm declared vehicles worth only 4m baht - If that includes his pink pimp mobile them I wonder how much he would sell it for??

[geriatrickid]

POLITICIANS IN MOST COUNTRIES ALWAYS SEEM TO BE RICH.

Who else can afford the cut in salary that public service brings?

Most successful people are not willing to give up time with his/ her family, take the pay cut and suffer the abuse and pettiness that many losers hurl at politicians.

So many good people have tried their hand at politics on the assumption that people would appreciate their public service. the result is that they got trampled and now we usually get the 3rd tier quality we deserve. There must be some decent Thais who work in the various ministries and there must be a few decent Thai MPsout there. Would you want to be in their place right now taking the abuse from the general public?

[Dave9000]

I am no fan of politicians and bureaucrats in general; particularly those who are corrupt and who seek office to gain wealth and influence rather than to make the country a better place. However, if the choice of leaders was between those who have the nous to personally succeed and make money in the process, or those who have neither the brains nor will to succeed, I would have to choose the former.

Shakespeare wrote the line ".....we get the government we deserve". So true! In Thailand almost 70% of young respondents to a survey, said they were largely comfortable with the remarkably high degree of official corruption. Given that level of tolerance amongst the leaders of tomorrow, we have, in general, the government we deserve.

The only way to stop corruption is from the top down...not from the bottom up. In Thailand it seems that by the time the young turks have got into a position to make a difference, it is already too late...they are, as this thread suggests, already wealthy and attuned to the ways of the corrupt Thai political world.

In the words of a squillion Thais, "It's up to you".

But, unfortunately, it is not!

[lannarebirth]

Only in a country as corrupt as this one could career politicians become millionaires...

That's not completely fair as they'd have had to have had a certain amount of money to buy their way in in the first place.

[lannarebirth]

POLITICIANS IN MOST COUNTRIES ALWAYS SEEM TO BE RICH.

Who else can afford the cut in salary that public service brings?

Most successful people are not willing to give up time with his/ her family, take the pay cut and suffer the abuse and pettiness that many losers hurl at politicians.

So many good people have tried their hand at politics on the assumption that people would appreciate their public service. the result is that they got trampled and now we usually get the 3rd tier quality we deserve. There must be some decent Thais who work in the various ministries and there must be a few decent Thai MPsout there. Would you want to be in their place right now taking the abuse from the general public?

You forgot something that would have helped readers put your post in its proper perspective:

[waza]

The point I was trying to make isn't that most politicians are corrupt. But this government came to power on a platform of they are grass root socialists and identify with the masses because they are from them and not from the elite. Their only goals are to bring true democracy and redistribute the countries wealth. But the reality is that they are just more of the same, but with less abilities to govern, even some of the red shirt leaders are to Hi So to step into a rice paddy.

[rgs2001uk]

To be fair Abhisit is probably one of the cleanest politicians out there financially and Thaksin is way off the spectrum.

Another issue might be how accurate these figures are as I am sure these politicians have had plenty of practice at hiding things from public scrutiny. I did notice in an article I can't link to that a number of MPs claimed not to own cars or underdecared them. Industry Minister Wannarat Channukul claimed his car was worth BT.5000 and Chalerm declared vehicles worth only 4m baht - If that includes his pink pimp mobile them I wonder how much he would sell it for??

I remember years ago (about '98) the Bangkok Post used to publish,on page 2, the personal assets of various politicians.

The poiltician would be named, and about half of page 2 on the right hand side would list all the assets and total worth.

From memory most of them were paupers on paper, with all their assets being tied up in their wifes name, childrens name and my perosnal favourite, religious artifacts.

[scorecard]

POLITICIANS IN MOST COUNTRIES ALWAYS SEEM TO BE RICH.

Who else can afford the cut in salary that public service brings?

Most successful people are not willing to give up time with his/ her family, take the pay cut and suffer the abuse and pettiness that many losers hurl at politicians.

So many good people have tried their hand at politics on the assumption that people would appreciate their public service. the result is that they got trampled and now we usually get the 3rd tier quality we deserve. There must be some decent Thais who work in the various ministries and there must be a few decent Thai MPsout there. Would you want to be in their place right now taking the abuse from the general public?

You forgot something that would have helped readers put your post in its proper perspective:

Dear G'kid, who do you include in your term 'losers'? Do you mean the folks who have lost their houses and all resources because of the mismanagement of the floods?

[ShopBoy]

POLITICIANS IN MOST COUNTRIES ALWAYS SEEM TO BE RICH.

I would say ALL POLITICIANS IN ALL COUNTRIES

[Soboringtochooseaname]

POLITICIANS IN MOST COUNTRIES ALWAYS SEEM TO BE RICH.

I would say ALL POLITICIANS IN ALL COUNTRIES

Right !

But in Thailand also big cops, big public officers, and anybody with big job...

Amazing Thailand !

[waza]

POLITICIANS IN MOST COUNTRIES ALWAYS SEEM TO BE RICH.

I would say ALL POLITICIANS IN ALL COUNTRIES

Right !

But in Thailand also big cops, big public officers, and anybody with big job...

Amazing Thailand !

actually anyone with any power and or influence

[theblether]

What has it got to do with us how much money Thai politicians make? Unless you have a right to vote in Thailand get on with your life and don't waste a minute bothering about it.