Economists urge govt to remove some unnecessary populist policies

BANGKOK, 25 July 2012 (NNT) – Economists in Thailand have expressed their worries over the government’s populist policies, asking the government to skip some unnecessary ones.

A seminar on the government’s economic performance was held at the Kukrit Institute. Nipon Poapongsakorn, President of the Thailand Development Research Institute, viewed that the populist policies are creating more burdens for the government. He said the first-car and first-home schemes must be abolished, while the amount of rice being under the government’s mortgaging scheme must be reduced so that the administration has more budgets for other developments and necessary projects.

Meanwhile, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula is concerned about the government’s finance and impacts from rice-pledging scheme losses, which is estimated at 200-300 billion baht. He said the losses will create a big problem.

Stock Exchange of Thailand Executive Vice President Veerathai Santiprabhob gave the government 6 out of 10 points as he sees it places an emphasis only on short-term projects. He explained that there is no economic, education, nor civil administration reform, plus the government lacks transparency in debt management.

-- NNT 2012-07-25

Most Government officials are the same all over the world... THEY STINK!!!!!!!

But these were election promises that got PTP elected.

Mustn't cut them now, that would make them liars and we can't have that.

I guess these dissenting economists aren't afraid to have their home-addresses distributed to street thugs.

Dissenters will be sent to a PTP Reconciliation Centre for cognitive purification. Nobody can stand in the way of Unity.

The Government should at least have done the opposite when it comes to the first car scheme due to the already chaotic conditions on the roads.

But these were election promises that got PTP elected.

Mustn't cut them now, that would make them liars and we can't have that.

Not liars, just not the most itteligent persons around leading the country. Many said (prior to the election) they could not live up to the promises they made because the country could not afford it.

socialism ...populist schemes ... money given to people who do not pay taxes .... spending other people's money till there is a big economical gap ... increase taxes for the tax payers, so they can distribute and reward more the people who do not pay, but voted them into office

Dissenters will be sent to a PTP Reconciliation Centre for cognitive purification. Nobody can stand in the way of Unity.

While I agree with you, it's very much a '1984' statement. For the more youthful, I'd recommend something more Star Trek / Borg'ish, try - "You Will Become One with the PTP" or "You Will Be Assimilated", that kind of thing.Have to aim for the younger market!

Edited July 25, 201213 yr by Narratio

The Government should at least have done the opposite when it comes to the first car scheme due to the already chaotic conditions on the roads.

I have to agree. Traffic would be almost bearable without private cars, at least in downtown Bangkok.

Populist policies = vote buying. Something this government will NEVER give up.

It's very clear that this government only has short-term policies: bring back Thaksin and.. bring back Thaksin and....uuhh. That's about it unless I am missing something.

Come on kids! Tell me that the DEMS are that same or worse. If that is all you can say.

I see the country is slipping back into Thaksinomics. The more things change the more they stay the same.

Dissenters will be sent to a PTP Reconciliation Centre for cognitive purification. Nobody can stand in the way of Unity.

While I agree with you, it's very much a '1984' statement. For the more youthful, I'd recommend something more Star Trek / Borg'ish, try - "You Will Become One with the PTP" or "You Will Be Assimilated", that kind of thing.Have to aim for the younger market!

Red village = Borg cube

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Dissenters will be sent to a PTP Reconciliation Centre for cognitive purification. Nobody can stand in the way of Unity.

While I agree with you, it's very much a '1984' statement. For the more youthful, I'd recommend something more Star Trek / Borg'ish, try - "You Will Become One with the PTP" or "You Will Be Assimilated", that kind of thing.Have to aim for the younger market!

Red village = Borg cube

Manned by 7 of 11.

You hear alot about the rice pledging scheme being open to abuse so here is a strange story.

I have recently noticed alot a trucks delivering already dried and bagged up rice to the local rice mill.

In 10 years here I have never seen that before nor has my Thai wife.

A week ago out on a cycle ride the trucks were queued outside and a few of the drivers shouted out a greeting. I stopped and asked what they were doing and where the rice was from. One of them said with a smile that it was from Cambodia!

True or not I have no idea.

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Populist policies are the VERY BEST form of vote buying because you don't have to use your own money.

money given to people who do not pay taxes .... spending other people's money till there is a big economical gap ...

Sorry, I'm not an economist, so can you explain the logic of this to me... how does spending money on the poor (i.e., people who do not / cannot pay tax) create a 'big economical gap'? I'm not saying that so-called 'populist' policies are good, merely trying to understand what you think is bad about them.

Short term market solutions are never a solution for long term problems. Populist Polices are never the answer unless your running for office

are always unequivically without exception failures; they are knee jerk reactions that are poorly thought out.

The chickens always come home to roost.

Better remove the 300 Baht/day min wages.

The rich don't need it.

Edited July 26, 201213 yr by chotthee