Poor No Longer Willing To Be Told To Sacrifice By Wealthy: Theerayuth

[webfact]

Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy: Theerayuth

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- There is no short-term solution to Thailand's ongoing political conflict, but long-term measures could be taken up to arrive at a solution in the future, well-known Thammasat University sociologist Theerayuth Boonme said.

The problem was deep-rooted, he said, and stemmed from a century of political centralisation and socio-economic and political disparity between urban and rural areas. It was also an ideological conflict between well-to-do political conservatives who value centralised controls, morality, law and order, and the poor, who want to see respect for the majority of the electorate, better livelihoods and progress.

A key factor, Theerayuth said, was for people from both sides of the political divide to acknowledge the existence of one another. Yellow shirts were often characterised as being "ultra-nationalists" by red shirts, he said, while yellow shirts regarded red shirts as "fools who are being deceived" by ousted and fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. He urges both sides of the divide to "adjust" themselves without fear of losing face, and to be fair to one another.

The sociologist, who has long been critical of Thaksin, warned that poor people, most of whom are red shirts, will no longer accept calls to be good people and sacrifice for the common good when they are poor - while those who tell them to sacrifice are well-off. "[They] always call for ordinary folks to be patient, to sacrifice ... When the hegemonic discourse doesn't work, they resort to staging military coups," Theerayuth said, adding that he does not support coups despite his failure to oppose the coup in 2006.

Theerayuth, who held a one-man press conference at Thammasat University yesterday, said he feared that if the conflict developed into a regional and cultural divide, things would become even more difficult.

The role of the monarchy in a modern and globalised society must also be debated, Theerayuth said.

What Thailand needed was not just a strong democracy, but also "strong rights, strong freedoms and strong responsibility". This called for people being willing to question the powers-that-be, including populist policies initiated by Thaksin and now continued by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, which he insisted were not sustainable and would eventually bankrupt the Treasury, he said.

What was needed was a re-imagining of what Thailand should look like in the future, including what kind of democracy it wants, he said.

While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world - Theerayuth remains sceptical about Thaksin. He called the influential former premier "more of a marketing man than a man of democracy".

He said Thaksin and the ruling Pheu Thai Party clung to three strategies: widening the party's grass-roots base of support; co-opting the checks-and-balances system provided by the courts; and then targeting so-called independent organisations as well as the military.

"For the established conservatives they won't succeed in expanding the grassroots base of support because they tell [the grass roots] to endure and live self-sufficiently and that won't cut it, especially when those words come from rich people... This is the problem," he said.

Theerayuth touched upon other issues of concern that ought to be addressed, including history.

Thai history, he said, was too royal-centric and commoners were not adequately honoured, as they were in foreign countries, with statues, streets and public buildings named after them. "The stress is on a royal historiography. There exists no history of society as a whole. It's as if people in various professions played no role in building the nation," said Theerayuth, who blamed bureaucrats for this imbalance, saying they appeared too eager to please royalty.

Pheu Thai MP Pracha Prasopdee strongly attacked Theerayuth yesterday for having an outdated view of politics and blaming Thaksin. He said the current political problems were caused by those who wielded influence from behind the scenes, so Theerayuth should have attacked these influential people instead of criticising Thaksin.

-- The Nation 2012-03-19

[marquess]

I would hardly call the Boonme's ideas outdated in fact they could be considered forward looking, the people of Thailand need their own Lloyd George to engineer a partial closing of the wealth disparity. Some one from a non elite background. I agree with the author that Thai history is certainly portrayed as being Royal centric, but this might just been a unique trait of Thailand; once LM is reformed, so a to remove it from being a tool of politicians and anyone who has an axe to grind, then healthy debate about alot of things in Thai society will come about, as it may well bringing about the reform of the whole libel law system, which is stifling healthy debate in other areas of Thai society-- especially the reporting of corrupt practises without fear of going to jail.

[CalgaryII]

"Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy: Theerayuth" #1^

"There is no short-term solution to Thailand's ongoing political conflict"

What political conflict?

The opposition are constantly promoting the refrain that if they ar5e not in power, things must be in political shambles.

Last year's election resolved political conflict, as elections are wont to do.

The beauty of elections.....validates some, and repudiates others.....end of political conflict.

"A key factor, Theerayuth said, was for people from both sides of the political divide to acknowledge the existence of one another"

Not sure if this is possible, when one side is hard-wired to believe the other side has no political awareness. Who holds the other side in contemptuous disdain and politically unequal.....even when they are the ones on the political sidelines.

An arrogance that is accordingly amusing.

"While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality.."

A subtle little put-down isn't it. Either by this guy, or by a reporter isolating this comment out-of-context.

Suggesting she is devoid of political acumen.

Her success strongly suggests otherwise.

"He said Thaksin and the ruling Pheu Thai Party clung to three strategies: widening the party's grass-roots base of support; co-opting the checks-and-balances system provided by the courts; and then targeting so-called independent organisations as well as the military"

Obviously an Opposition operative.

Denigrating some key rationale for Constitution Reform from a different direction.

The following reasons to revisit the constitution after the coupists fiddled with it, directly challenge this guy's assertions:

Under the constitution, procedures to create independent organizations and select their members lack public participation and go against the principle of democracy.

Independent organizations and the judiciary are allowed to operate without a system of checks and balances, which adversely affects the justice system and results in double

[tomyummer]

Should try substituting the headline:

Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy.....to

The People no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by politicians. Same meaning.

In Thailand, there will always be a short fall of 25-30% in each and every governmental project or purchase. And we all know where and to which pocket it goes. We, the people, pay for it.

Thanks to the Internet and fast spread of information (though not always true), the people are getting smarter.

Edited March 19, 2012 by tomyummer

[DP25]

Agreed, the poor shouldn't have to sacrifice. It is time for others to sacrifice, starting with the fugitive billionaire in Dubai who refuses to pay taxes and steals the money that could be used to pay for social programs. Roll back Thaksin's tax cuts for the rich. Get rid of his coorporate income tax cuts. Make him pay the taxes he owes, the money he stole from the Thai nation. Enforce anti corruption laws and jail those who break them.

[Nickymaster]

"Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy: Theerayuth" #1^

"There is no short-term solution to Thailand's ongoing political conflict"

What political conflict?

The opposition are constantly promoting the refrain that if they ar5e not in power, things must be in political shambles.

Last year's election resolved political conflict, as elections are wont to do.

The beauty of elections.....validates some, and repudiates others.....end of political conflict.

"A key factor, Theerayuth said, was for people from both sides of the political divide to acknowledge the existence of one another"

Not sure if this is possible, when one side is hard-wired to believe the other side has no political awareness. Who holds the other side in contemptuous disdain and politically unequal.....even when they are the ones on the political sidelines.

An arrogance that is accordingly amusing.

"While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality.."

A subtle little put-down isn't it. Either by this guy, or by a reporter isolating this comment out-of-context.

Suggesting she is devoid of political acumen.

Her success strongly suggests otherwise.

"He said Thaksin and the ruling Pheu Thai Party clung to three strategies: widening the party's grass-roots base of support; co-opting the checks-and-balances system provided by the courts; and then targeting so-called independent organisations as well as the military"

Obviously an Opposition operative.

Denigrating some key rationale for Constitution Reform from a different direction.

The following reasons to revisit the constitution after the coupists fiddled with it, directly challenge this guy's assertions:

Under the constitution, procedures to create independent organizations and select their members lack public participation and go against the principle of democracy.

Independent organizations and the judiciary are allowed to operate without a system of checks and balances, which adversely affects the justice system and results in double

Oh man you are so wrong with your theoretical diarrhea.

In all of your posts there is only 1 message: "PT won the elections so they can do what they want". Dangerous thinking!

Edited March 19, 2012 by Nickymaster

[chops]

I have a lot more respect for Thais than I do for Americans(my former homeland). At least Thais will stand up and demand a higher wage. The poor in America just think it's their fault or something that they're poor. They never even protest anymore. They are very ignorant to say the least. They even vote for right wing politicians! Is it any wonder the wage inequality there keeps growing? In Thailand the exact opposite is happening. The wealth seems to be much more evenly distributed in Thailand than the US. What a disgrace!

[yoshiwara]

Thammasat University sociology lecturer:

'While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world'

The man is a clown. Doesn't exactly impress one with the quality of some faculty members working at Thammasat these days does it?

[Siripon]

Thammasat University sociology lecturer:

'While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world'

The man is a clown. Doesn't exactly impress one with the quality of some faculty members working at Thammasat these days does it?

I think Teerayut was making a joke.

[Suradit69]

I have a lot more respect for Thais than I do for Americans(my former homeland). At least Thais will stand up and demand a higher wage. The poor in America just think it's their fault or something that they're poor. They never even protest anymore.

Umm. Heard anything about "Occupy Wall Street" or any of it's 101 variations or the major protests in Wisconsin and elsewhere where the Republicans have taken away union rights or the ongoing 1% versus the 99% debate?

Its is amazing to listen to Romney on the campaign trail. He tells GM workers that his wife drives a couple of Cadilacs. When discussing sports he announces that some of his friends own major sporting franchises. A real knack for relating to the voters who aren't multi-millionares.

As George Orwell says in Animal Farm: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

Thammasat University sociology lecturer:

'While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world'

The man is a clown. Doesn't exactly impress one with the quality of some faculty members working at Thammasat these days does it?

I think Teerayut was making a joke.

The difficulty with sound bites and subtle sarcasm is that it flies over the heads of those who insist that everything should be taken literally.

Edited March 19, 2012 by Suradit69

[WackySomchai]

"Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy" except if he's a billionaire with a square face, pays them 500 baht for a vote and 7.5 million baht if you attack hospitals and burn down Bangkok.

[tragickingdom]

The problem stems from absurd ideas like the sufficiency theory. After Thaksin the poor have woken up, the ghost will not go back in the bottle and the sufficiency theory should be changed in a theory that says to the elite that they have sufficient means and need to pay more taxes to develop the country. It is a great thing the poor have woken up and go after what is really theirs.

[belg]

the only way out of poverty is thrue education, and that takes at least a generation...

lazy uneducated farmers who did not study at all and keep on burning forest and making babies by the dozen without being able to support them or even themselfves (drinking, gambling away the money) surely are not helping at all

they send their uneducated daughters to pattaya to send them their stash each month or pray they find a good buffalo farang to help out the sick buffalo

[Nickymaster]

"Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy" except if he's a billionaire with a square face, pays them 500 baht for a vote and 7.5 million baht if you attack hospitals and burn down Bangkok.

+1

[anterian]

The problem stems from absurd ideas like the sufficiency theory. After Thaksin the poor have woken up, the ghost will not go back in the bottle and the sufficiency theory should be changed in a theory that says to the elite that they have sufficient means and need to pay more taxes to develop the country. It is a great thing the poor have woken up and go after what is really theirs.

Indeed the genie is out of the bottle and neither the Dems nor the army will get it back in. Until they realise this and act accordingly they will always be a second rate force in Thailand.

[hyperdimension]

Thammasat University sociology lecturer:

'While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world'

The man is a clown. Doesn't exactly impress one with the quality of some faculty members working at Thammasat these days does it?

I think Teerayut was making a joke.

I agree that it was a small light-hearted joke surrounded by extremely serious big-picture ideas. I agree with just about all of what Theerayuth has said, including his criticisms of the old establishment and royalty-biased history.

[GarryP]

"Pheu Thai MP Pracha Prasopdee strongly attacked Theerayuth yesterday for having an outdated view of politics and blaming Thaksin. He said the current political problems were caused by those who wielded influence from behind the scenes, so Theerayuth should have attacked these influential people instead of criticising Thaksin."

I thought that Taksin was one of "those who wielded influence from behind the scenes". Although, his invisibility cloak seems to have stopped working.

[Buchholz]

The problem stems from absurd ideas like the sufficiency theory. After Thaksin the poor have woken up, the ghost will not go back in the bottle and the sufficiency theory should be changed in a theory that says to the elite that they have sufficient means and need to pay more taxes to develop the country. It is a great thing the poor have woken up and go after what is really theirs.

Indeed the genie is out of the bottle and neither the Dems nor the army will get it back in. Until they realise this and act accordingly they will always be a second rate force in Thailand.

Include nor PTP and Thaksin in the inability to get the genie back in the bottle.

Until such time as a government comes along that is truly sincere in their desire to help the poor (and not the manipulative, deceitful, empty rhetoric those two entities deceitfully proclaim to), there is no genie being freed in the first place.

.

.

Edited March 19, 2012 by Buchholz

[sfbandung]

All typical stuff from The Nation. It is such a partisan rag.

He was making some sense until the photogenic and fashion sense comment. Showed his true colours, or colour rather. I switched off then.

[allan michaud]

"Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy: Theerayuth" #1^

"There is no short-term solution to Thailand's ongoing political conflict"

What political conflict?

The opposition are constantly promoting the refrain that if they ar5e not in power, things must be in political shambles.

Last year's election resolved political conflict, as elections are wont to do.

The beauty of elections.....validates some, and repudiates others.....end of political conflict.

"A key factor, Theerayuth said, was for people from both sides of the political divide to acknowledge the existence of one another"

Not sure if this is possible, when one side is hard-wired to believe the other side has no political awareness. Who holds the other side in contemptuous disdain and politically unequal.....even when they are the ones on the political sidelines.

An arrogance that is accordingly amusing.

"While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality.."

A subtle little put-down isn't it. Either by this guy, or by a reporter isolating this comment out-of-context.

Suggesting she is devoid of political acumen.

Her success strongly suggests otherwise.

"He said Thaksin and the ruling Pheu Thai Party clung to three strategies: widening the party's grass-roots base of support; co-opting the checks-and-balances system provided by the courts; and then targeting so-called independent organisations as well as the military"

Obviously an Opposition operative.

Denigrating some key rationale for Constitution Reform from a different direction.

The following reasons to revisit the constitution after the coupists fiddled with it, directly challenge this guy's assertions:

Under the constitution, procedures to create independent organizations and select their members lack public participation and go against the principle of democracy.

Independent organizations and the judiciary are allowed to operate without a system of checks and balances, which adversely affects the justice system and results in double

PLEASE STOP USING DOUBLE SPACING IT JUST MAKES YOUR POSTS EVEN MORE ANNOYING

[smutcakes]

"Poor no longer willing to be told to sacrifice by wealthy" except if he's a billionaire with a square face, pays them 500 baht for a vote and 7.5 million baht if you attack hospitals and burn down Bangkok.

7.5 million!!! really, who got paid that?

[regine]

100% agree with him on the royal-centric naming policies.

[teko]

Thammasat University sociology lecturer:

'While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world'

The man is a clown. Doesn't exactly impress one with the quality of some faculty members working at Thammasat these days does it?

I think Teerayut was making a joke.

Thammasat University sociology lecturer:

'While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world'

The man is a clown. Doesn't exactly impress one with the quality of some faculty members working at Thammasat these days does it?

I think Teerayut was making a joke.

A slight touch of sarcasm maybe?

[hyperdimension]

He was making some sense until the photogenic and fashion sense comment. Showed his true colours, or colour rather. I switched off then.

He is a sociologist, and would understand that much of the population are preoccupied with unimportant things like fashion and beauty (often moreso than what the person does or thinks), so he was being sarcastic. It is surprising that some people took his comment about Yingluck's fashion sense seriously. He is overall critical of all sides.

Edited March 19, 2012 by hyperdimension

[connda]

But the Thai Banks supported by the government will tell you there is no inflation:

All you "little people" out there -- there is no inflation. It's all in your mind. See! We have a paper issued by the government saying there is no inflation. It's all in your head "little people". And your empty stomach? That's all in your head too.

Of course there is no inflation. If there was - officially - the central bank issued debt would become unserviceable. As long as there is no inflation, the government keeps spending big, government officials rake their 10 to 30% off the top, banks win by "loaning" huge sums of money to the government, bank executive make obscene bonuses -- the average middle and lower class Thai get shafted.

Considering that the average bank exec, politician, and upper-level bureaucrat probably never sets foot in a market to buy food and everyday consumer goods, they can easily ignore the fact that many of these items have jumped 10, 20, 30 per cent or more in the last couple of years -- I've seen it and it affects me. I can only imagine how it is affecting someone making 8k to 15k baht per month.

So it will be a "big surprise" that "nobody could have seen coming" when the next influx of red shirted protesters surge into Bangkok and other cities complaining about income disparity and the inability to adequately care for their families. We might actually start seeing some "orange shirts" out there when the middle class break ranks and start dying there yellow shirts "red".

Edited March 19, 2012 by connda

[craigt3365]

One post with thinly veiled references to the monarchy has been removed from view.

Per forum rules:

2) Not to express disrespect of the King of Thailand or anyone else in the Thai royal family, whether living or deceased, nor to criticize the monarchy as an institution. Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family. Discussion of the lese majeste law or lese majeste cases is permitted on the forum, providing no comment or speculation is made referencing the royal family. To breach this rule will result in immediate ban.

[hyperdimension]

"While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality.."

A subtle little put-down isn't it. Either by this guy, or by a reporter isolating this comment out-of-context.

Suggesting she is devoid of political acumen.

You are contradicting yourself here, as you yourself, in Can PM Yingluck Win Over A Foreign Audience?, made a statement that is extremely denigrating and disrepectful of a Prime Minister whose party was democratically elected by such a large swathe of the electorate, supporting the notion that she is just good for her looks on the international stage:

As a result she has no difficulties with Foreign audiences. I have seen many instances where significant international figures were only too happy to be photo-opped with the well respected and photogenic Thai Prime Minister.

Edited March 19, 2012 by hyperdimension

[volk666]

I've seen several accounts of this same press-conference, on Twitter and in the other English paper, Nation's Pravit seems to have added a few points no one cared to report on or even mention before, and span it the "red" way.

Come to think of it, it's pretty sad that the genie can't be put back in the bottle regarding sufficiency vs unlimited growth supported by unlimited borrowing, ie living beyond your means.

Meanwhile the "people" government quietly rolled back the plan to tax the idle land held by the richest owners and boldly cut corporate taxes for them instead, while the poor folk all over the country live in anticipation of the promised salary hikes for Bangkokians and price rises for everybody else.

Good times a-coming.

[animatic]

Thammasat University sociology lecturer:

'While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality - he predicted that by year's end the PM would be named one of the best-dressed female leaders in the world'

The man is a clown. Doesn't exactly impress one with the quality of some faculty members working at Thammasat these days does it?

Actually this line seems to be taking the piss,

while pretending to complement her.

[animatic]

"While praising Yingluck for her "smart" fashion sense and photogenic quality.."

A subtle little put-down isn't it. Either by this guy, or by a reporter isolating this comment out-of-context.

Suggesting she is devoid of political acumen.

You are contradicting yourself here, as you yourself, in Can PM Yingluck Win Over A Foreign Audience?, made a statement that is extremely denigrating and disrepectful of a Prime Minister whose party was democratically elected by such a large swathe of the electorate, supporting the notion that she is just good for her looks on the international stage:

As a result she has no difficulties with Foreign audiences. I have seen many instances where significant international figures were only too happy to be photo-opped with the well respected and photogenic Thai Prime Minister.

Yes, taking a picture with her, isn't the same as actually listening to her.