Thais Urged To Cooperate Not Compete With Nations

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Thais urged to cooperate not compete with nations

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Mindset about Asean Economic Community is wrong, Nidhi says

BANGKOK: -- Thais should seek cooperation with other societies, rather than allowing themselves to become preoccupied with international competition, prominent historian Professor Nidhi Eowseewong said.

"Thais tend to look at the outside world in terms of competition. Even the Asean Economic Community, for example; we think about how we will compete with Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. According to my understanding, the AEC was founded to foster cooperation and a common market, and not for competition. How did this competitive mindset come about?"

Nidhi argued that such a mentality was the result of the spread of US cultural influence, and that it made Thais think they have to be No 1. This, said Nidhi, had led to such things as the construction of the largest Buddha in the world, the largest joss stick in the world, and so on.

Despite the outwardly competitive mindset, the historian, who delivered the keynote speech on "Thailand Reform for Living in the Same Planet with the Others: The Future Imagination" at the fourth National Congress of Sociology in Bangkok yesterday, said inequality continued to pose a challenge to Thai society. The 20 per cent of the people at the top of the economic pyramid own 69 per cent of the national wealth, for example.

Nidhi advocated decentralisation as a solution.

"This inequality has brought about political and social tension and also prevented the individual potentials [of many people] from being realised, and this affects the country," said Nidhi, who also advocates the fostering of greater bargaining and negotiating skills.

Nidhi said it was imperative that power be decentralised as much as possible and that it should not be merely transferred to local elites at the provincial level. He said subdistrict authorities and tambon administrative organisations should not become replicas of the power structure in Bangkok.

"Structural reform will reduce the concentration of power at the centre," said Nidhi, adding that the challenge lay in how power could be spread as widely as possible.

If this effort succeeds, Nidhi said he expected all other reforms to follow. He said Thailand could not expect to solve its problems by tackling them in a piecemeal, compartmentalised fashion, as was seen in the handling of last year's floods. Structural reform and decentralisation must be tackled as well, as they will be make other reforms possible by giving ordinary people a greater say, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-06-19

[theblether]

Fair enough.........but he better go tell the other countries to play nice and not compete with Thailand.

Good luck with that

[Notstupid30]

Not April Fools' Day is it some madness in the news today ...

[theblether]

Not April Fools' Day is it some madness in the news today ...

You've noticed

You can just imagine Yingluck going along to the next ASEAN meeting and announcing, " We have a new policy, no longer will Thailand compete for jobs, for investment, for progress. We now command all of you to stop competing too".

Actually, now that I think about it, you could imagine her doing that.

[mogoso]

The nature of business is competition. Another pie in the sky academic opining from the far left of never never land.

[Notstupid30]

Not April Fools' Day is it some madness in the news today ...

You've noticed

You can just imagine Yingluck going along to the next ASEAN meeting and announcing, " We have a new policy, no longer will Thailand compete for jobs, for investment, for progress. We now command all of you to stop competing too".

Actually, now that I think about it, you could imagine her doing that.

Yea have to agree with you on that very true ..

[Notstupid30]

The nature of business is competition. Another pie in the sky academic opining from the far left of never never land.

Totally right on this subject ...

[jonclark]

Thais think they have to be number 1 because of US cultural influence - what nonsense.

Thais think they are number 1 because of old field Marshall Phibunsongkhram and his cultural mandates which encouraged economic nationalism and the purity of Thai blood.

Many of these ideas still pervade the mindset of the old elite which run the country.

[theblether]

Thais think they have to be number 1 because of US cultural influence - what nonsense.

Thais think they are number 1 because of old field Marshall Phibunsongkhram and his cultural mandates which encouraged economic nationalism and the purity of Thai blood.

Many of these ideas still pervade the mindset of the old elite which run the country.

Maybe they are just masters at self delusion

[Kilgore Trout]

Nidhi argued that such a mentality was the result of the spread of US cultural influence, and that it made Thais think they have to be No 1. This, said Nidhi, had led to such things as the construction of the largest Buddha in the world, the largest joss stick in the world, and so on.

Be number one by making the biggest stick of incense in the world. Now thats funny.

I'm sure the Thais don't feel the need to compete, they know they are no. 1 and if the other countries show them up then they are wrong for making Thailand lose face. I'm sure that's more of a prevalant attitude than the notion of them actually doing anything to be no.1

And of course its Americas fault, Thais have to blame somebody right

Edited June 19, 2012 by Kilgore Trout

[Reasonableman]

Please don't dismiss this perspective out of hand based solely on the headline. There are some pearls of wisdom within.

He is not saying that Thailand should not compete economically, he is saying Thailand should compete over substance, not just an appearance of substance. Get real about strengths and weaknesses, instead of assuming everything Thai is superior and doing dumb things to try to prove it, such as the high speed train fiasco, biggest this, best that, the prolific hub of hubs fantasies. How many of these has actually eventuated? The reality, often denied, is that other ASEAN countries lead in some areas. Don't live in a state of unproductive denial. In 2015, cooperation will play as large a role as competition in regional development. Get used to it.

Another topic raised was the distribution of wealth in the country. Greed, selfishness, competition, corruption, the whole package creating this situation, are not solely, if at all, the result of US values. Anyway, that's my reading of it...

[theblether]

Please don't dismiss this perspective out of hand based solely on the headline. There are some pearls of wisdom within.

He is not saying that Thailand should not compete economically, he is saying Thailand should compete over substance, not just an appearance of substance. Get real about strengths and weaknesses, instead of assuming everything Thai is superior and doing dumb things to try to prove it, such as the high speed train fiasco, biggest this, best that, the prolific hub of hubs fantasies. How many of these has actually eventuated? The reality, often denied, is that other ASEAN countries lead in some areas. Don't live in a state of unproductive denial. In 2015, cooperation will play as large a role as competition in regional development. Get used to it.

Another topic raised was the distribution of wealth in the country. Greed, selfishness, competition, corruption, the whole package creating this situation, are not solely, if at all, the result of US values. Anyway, that's my reading of it...

Sorry.........wrong.

I don't know why the US gets the blame for this. It's lazy theorizing and in itself a corrupt reading of human nature. The US had virtually zero influence on Thailand before WW2, are you seriously suggesting that there was no greed, corruption, selfishness and competition in Thailand before that?

Methinks not. Go read Thai history and you'll see plenty of examples of all the things you mentioned.

[Reasonableman]

Please don't dismiss this perspective out of hand based solely on the headline. There are some pearls of wisdom within.

He is not saying that Thailand should not compete economically, he is saying Thailand should compete over substance, not just an appearance of substance. Get real about strengths and weaknesses, instead of assuming everything Thai is superior and doing dumb things to try to prove it, such as the high speed train fiasco, biggest this, best that, the prolific hub of hubs fantasies. How many of these has actually eventuated? The reality, often denied, is that other ASEAN countries lead in some areas. Don't live in a state of unproductive denial. In 2015, cooperation will play as large a role as competition in regional development. Get used to it.

Another topic raised was the distribution of wealth in the country. Greed, selfishness, competition, corruption, the whole package creating this situation, are not solely, if at all, the result of US values. Anyway, that's my reading of it...

Sorry.........wrong.

I don't know why the US gets the blame for this. It's lazy theorizing and in itself a corrupt reading of human nature. The US had virtually zero influence on Thailand before WW2, are you seriously suggesting that there was no greed, corruption, selfishness and competition in Thailand before that?

Methinks not. Go read Thai history and you'll see plenty of examples of all the things you mentioned.

Are you in perpetual knee-jerk negative response mode, or just having a bad week? A blanket wrong, or "wrong" about a specific statement? It would seem you are only picking up on the US jibe. Perhaps I was too subtle: blaming the US alone for these behaviors is IMO wrong. That the US influenced socio-economic development in Thailand post-WW2, thru the Vietnam War up to today is clearly true. But it has not been the only influence, and is often scapegoated by the anti-all-things-US contingent. That's essentially what I wrote, so which other part is wrong, or is it all "wrong"?

[Payboy]

The 20 per cent of the people at the top of the economic pyramid own 69 per cent of the national wealth, for example.

I strongly suspect it is a lot more lopsided than that.

[Thai at Heart]

As though you can stop competition.

The irony is that Thai business has an enormous history of breaking "co-operative" agreements when it suits them anyway. Anyone for Chang beer and Carlsberg for example?

[geriatrickid]

The nature of business is competition. Another pie in the sky academic opining from the far left of never never land.

Totally right on this subject ...

Far Left?

It is a shame you didn't bother to look up some of his past statements. The man would be right at home at a Maggie Thatcher/Ronald Reagan tea party;

Writing in Matichon July 2010; ‘Globalization and change cannot be halted whether Thai society has Thaksin or not. "The yearning by the middle class for an established order is not really bad in itself. It can provide a brake on violent change so that there is time to assess what should be discarded and what preserved.

Now, where have you hear stuff like that about the middle class and a need for order?

In December 2011 again in Matichon, he lambasted all of the governments of Thailand, past and present, that were in favour of price controls, calling it a dubious policy. Know what? He sounds more like a free market capitalist than a "leftie".

He is a proponent of decentralization, which again is quite compatable with "conservative" elements that favour the reduction of central government and a return of responsibilities to states, provinces, counties, districts, cities etc.

The gentleman is more an adherent of Thailand's "middle class" virtues than of any political ideology. He is known fo having taken the religious establishment to task for what he perceives as monks weakness in bring the Dharma to the middle class. With Dharma would come calmness, justice, peace, prosperity etc. Know what? He sounds alot like some of these religious holy rollers in the USA that think there should be a state religion and that it should dictate social mores. He does have an advantage as there is a state religion in Thailand.

I do have a chuckle sometimes when people rush to affix a label to anyone that they don't agree with. Sorry, but in this case, he's more at home with "conservatives" than he would be with the "far left".

Edited June 19, 2012 by geriatrickid

[SuneeTH]

USA? At U-Tapao? NASA perhaps?

[Unkomoncents]

Please don't dismiss this perspective out of hand based solely on the headline. There are some pearls of wisdom within.

He is not saying that Thailand should not compete economically, he is saying Thailand should compete over substance, not just an appearance of substance. Get real about strengths and weaknesses, instead of assuming everything Thai is superior and doing dumb things to try to prove it, such as the high speed train fiasco, biggest this, best that, the prolific hub of hubs fantasies. How many of these has actually eventuated? The reality, often denied, is that other ASEAN countries lead in some areas. Don't live in a state of unproductive denial. In 2015, cooperation will play as large a role as competition in regional development. Get used to it.

Another topic raised was the distribution of wealth in the country. Greed, selfishness, competition, corruption, the whole package creating this situation, are not solely, if at all, the result of US values. Anyway, that's my reading of it...

I think you are being far, far too generous. If this article had expressed the views you espouse, then it might be slightly harder to dismiss. I'm sorry Reasonableman but in my limited experience, Thailand and Thais are about as disconnected from a concept of "substance" as any subset of people I've ever lived amongst in my life (this can be seen in the quality of everything in Thailand, from Suvarnabhumi Airport to TrueVisions; there is absolutely no focus on real quality, only on the appearance of quality). It honestly sounds like this academic is just spouting regurgitated Buddhist metaphysics, none of it particularly groundbreaking.

Also, again in my limited experience (I have worked with the family that owns True Corp and the family behind Central, however), the wealthiest Thais are so successful precisely because they are intent on out-competing their compatriots. They seek out the fanciest international/private preparatory schools and send their sons and daughters to the best universities, all while (in the very least) turning a blind eye to the fact that information regarding social and economic advancement for the underclasses is in conspicuously short supply.

Edited June 19, 2012 by Unkomoncents

[lovetotravel]

Please don't dismiss this perspective out of hand based solely on the headline. There are some pearls of wisdom within.

He is not saying that Thailand should not compete economically, he is saying Thailand should compete over substance, not just an appearance of substance. Get real about strengths and weaknesses, instead of assuming everything Thai is superior and doing dumb things to try to prove it, such as the high speed train fiasco, biggest this, best that, the prolific hub of hubs fantasies. How many of these has actually eventuated? The reality, often denied, is that other ASEAN countries lead in some areas. Don't live in a state of unproductive denial. In 2015, cooperation will play as large a role as competition in regional development. Get used to it.

Another topic raised was the distribution of wealth in the country. Greed, selfishness, competition, corruption, the whole package creating this situation, are not solely, if at all, the result of US values. Anyway, that's my reading of it...

There are some pearls of wisdom here. But the last sentence is incorrect. If anything, it's the Chinese that are to blame. They pretty much run this country, right? And "tea money" came from them. Along with making money at all costs.

[bigbamboo]

Not April Fools' Day is it some madness in the news today ...

Every day is All Fools Day in the mad, mad world of Thai politics...!

[thequietman]

Nidhi argued that such a mentality was the result of the spread of US cultural influence, and that it made Thais think they have to be No 1.

'to be No. 1 " Think now........... where did this saying come from ?

its plastered all over schools with the picture of the prominent person who said and promoted it.

Blaming America..............

[Time Traveller]

Thailand has never been competing with anyone. They block all types of foreign investment when it directly competes with thais.

[h90]

Thailand has never been competing with anyone. They block all types of foreign investment when it directly competes with thais.

of course Thailand is competing, an look what all is produced in Thailand from foreign companies.

[lovetotravel]

Nidhi argued that such a mentality was the result of the spread of US cultural influence, and that it made Thais think they have to be No 1.

'to be No. 1 " Think now........... where did this saying come from ?

its plastered all over schools with the picture of the prominent person who said and promoted it.

Blaming America..............

Umm...that wasn't my point....

[thequietman]

Nidhi argued that such a mentality was the result of the spread of US cultural influence, and that it made Thais think they have to be No 1.

'to be No. 1 " Think now........... where did this saying come from ?

its plastered all over schools with the picture of the prominent person who said and promoted it.

Blaming America..............

Umm...that wasn't my point....

what are you rambling about ? my point wasnt directed at you. did I use a quote from your point that I,m not aware of ?

are you asking a question or stating sarcasm ?

[belg]

very funny, with the country that puts up to 308% tax on imported cars they do not even produce here... i guess they mean : competition = do not try to take a share of my market but i will sell you my s*it

who needs to be competitive? as you farang do all the work and you give us 51% of your company, for freeeeeeeeeeeee

Edited June 19, 2012 by belg

[animatic]

Thais compete with every other Thai for status and face 24/7/365,

why would competing with sub-Thai- societal foriegners be any less correct to this mindset?

[h90]

very funny, with the country that puts up to 308% tax on imported cars they do not even produce here... i guess they mean : competition = do not try to take a share of my market but i will sell you my s*it

who needs to be competitive? as you farang do all the work and you give us 51% of your company, for freeeeeeeeeeeee

What is the my s*it?

What are the Thai brand cars? (Hint hint, Toyota, Isuzu, Mercedes, Chevrolet aren't Thai cars, that are foreign companies).

[Unkomoncents]

This advice is all well and good because Thais can hardly compete with those from other nations, nor do I sense any anxiety among the public about competing with other countries. It's important to remember that most Thais cannot find Thailand on a map, so it would be hard to conceive of other countries if you cannot conceive of yourself as a political unit positioned among other political units. Other posters have noted the fact that they, in real terms, don't compete within Thailand, where they've been able to create a regulatory structure that smothers a true/fair competitive marketplace at every turn. This "academic" is completely tuned out of reality (like most of his fellow Thais). I'd love to know where he got his credentials; it sounds like it might as well have been Buddhism 101 University. The sad thing is that morons like this "historian" spout off with this kind of nonsense constantly; meanwhile, credulous Thais would love to believe that they shouldn't stress, work harder, or, god forbid, compete. They take this cr*p hook, line, and sinker while those that know better pick up the slack and benefit disproportionately. This is precisely why Thailand is so unequal (the 20%/69% figure cannot possibly be correct; wealth is extremely concentrated in Thailand and Thai statistical figures are always highly suspect). Thailand will always be a "low wattage" contributor to world culture and progress. There are no Thai champion athletes, Nobel prize laureates, astronauts, great artists, writers, scientists. In fact, if Thailand disappeared spontaneously off the face of the planet, I can hardly believe it would affect the trajectory of humanity. Merely landing at Suvarnabhumi seems to come with a temporary lobotomy. You instantaneously feel dumber as you disembark from the plane.

http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-2011-2012/

http://www.economist.com/node/21556940

Edited June 19, 2012 by Unkomoncents

[InseeDaeng]

A Thai internationalistic socialist, not heard of everyday!!!!!

Let Thailand be Thailand and don't get lost in the other international socialdemocratic illuminati community/multicultural khee kwai.

Compete and see yourself's as the center of the world. The rest should learn from you instead! Let's have friendly competition, sound nationalism.

it develops the world more and makes it more interesting than a one-world-state government ruled by few assh*les in a cultureless nation!

Go Thailand