Conflicts Blamed On Populist Policies In Thailand

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Conflicts blamed on populist policies

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand will only become a true democracy if there is a strong sense of community and people should stop waiting for populist policies, because that will make them weak, academic and former activist Thirayuth Boonmi said yesterday.

Speaking on "Citizenship and the Future of Thai Democracy", Thirayuth, director of Thammasat University's Sanya Dharmasakti Institute for Democracy, said the idea of a civil society and strong community had resulted in the establishment of independent organisations as per the 1997 charter.

However, conflicts began arising when then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra started introducing populist policies and a battle broke out between the populists and conservatives, who contribute to society in different ways. That is when the concept of a civil society was forgotten.

"Thai society has not moved with the changes over time, as some groups of people have not been participating in the country's development. All they think about is what they will get from the government and how they can live under patronage. Therefore, there is only a small group of people who do their duties as a citizen.

Meanwhile, people who don't understand the Constitution consider it an odd thing. I confirm that the idea of a strong society and the cultivation of a strong community will bring us closer to democracy," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-24

[Unkomoncents]

Is this someone's idea of news?!

[WackySomchai]

The fugitive - the great divider. Pitting Thai against Thai for his own profit.

[tlansford]

Thai society has not moved with the changes over time, as some groups of people have not been participating in the country's development. All they think about is what they will get from the government and how they can live under patronage. Therefore, there is only a small group of people who do their duties as a citizen.

Is this supposed to be a justification for the rule-of-the-elite?

Or does it say the opposite : the wealthy are not pulling their weight in Thai society and just living off the backs of the poor?

I suspect the former.

people should stop waiting for populist policies, because that will make them weak

Providing affordable health care makes you weak

Providing women opportunities to improve their lot makes you weak

Investing in education makes you weak

Assuring a living wage for working people makes you weak

Hardly...

But it is possible that the gentleman is being taken out of context in order to imply something that he doesn't mean. The article is, after all, only 9 sentences long...

[473geo]

There is strong sense of community.........is it so hard to accept the communities feel they are not seeing enough investment in their future, education, healthcare, agriculture, or adequate renumeration for their labours

Thaksin tapped into the disatisfaction that existed.......the rapid expansion of uncontrollable information flow, communication advancement, had undermined the ability of successive governments to 'contain' the proletariat

[bigbamboo]

Thailand desperately needs to invest in its people and introduce reforms in areas such as education, salaries and healthcare. Now whilst all administrations claim this is their priority too it is rarely, if ever, the case.

What the country needs are politicians who will work for the people and not for themselves.

[Pseudolus]

Thailand desperately needs to invest in its people and introduce reforms in areas such as education, salaries and healthcare. Now whilst all administrations claim this is their priority too it is rarely, if ever, the case.

What the country needs are politicians who will work for the people and not for themselves.

Oh but they are working for the people. 100% .

Working for poor Thai people know their place and feel happy with their lot.

Working for employees to educate them into believing that they are lucky to have a job, and their life would be over without it so put up with anything than happens.

Working for parents up country to help them believe the money that their daughters send them is definitely not from selling their bodies because prostitution is illegal.

Working for the people by ensuring that all the financial institutions are equally rubbish and extortionately expensive.

....the list goes on....

They are doing a very good job as well

[Pinot]

This sounds like what I might hear on Fox News.

My girlfriend worked 72 hours a week for 10 years in an electronic plant. Most of the time she worked that 7 days a week for that overtime. That's 84 hours a week for $400 a month and that's ridiculous. Corupt police and politicians, Thailand has far deeper problems than populist policies.