In Thailand, democracy is just a fig leaf for kleptocracy

[hanuman2543]

Those who insist in the line "but they were elected" is the panacea to any wrong doing can chew on this amusing fact, Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug lord, was at one time elected to the Colombian parliament. After he was eventually kicked out there was a spat of bombings and murders of courts and judges who were investigating his crimes.

There's nothing new under the Sun...

When Pablo Escobar was a member of the Colombian Parliament? Never and the bombing and killing had another reason. The druglords didn't want that they could be extradited to the US for their drug smuggling.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Seastallion]

I liked the "Dear Leader" analogy to Kim Jong Ill/Un.

[infinity11]

Sad to say this is most like the norm and not the exception to/in most countries.

Some better, some worse.

I read Denamrk was the least corrupt.

I could go on...

[MrJohnson]

A very depressing start to the day reading this article, mainly because it is 100% correct. The integrity of the author is not what is important here, it is what has been said. Let's not just simply shoot the messenger. Corruption is a cancer in this country especially within the education ministry. That a country spends so much on education and gets so little is a disgrace. It is endemic, systemic and ultimately is crippling the development of Thailand. Cynics might suggest that the people at the top have a vested interest in keeping the education system the way it is. They might be right but personally I believe it is simply that it is such an attractive cash cow for the parasites that they cannot resist. Either way it results in the same thing. If the AEC results in increased labour mobility across the region the Thais will be huge losers.

And who does the establishment find as their anti-corruption poster boys?

FIrst it was Sondhi, and as if that wasn't bad enough, then Suthep. And guess what? The stupid supposedly middle class educated numpties fell for it, not once, but TWICE......

Stop corruption, Thaksin Ooork Bpai....Trust us, we are on your side...

I'm not quite sure why you quoted me in your post, but what the hell, I'll bite. The Establishment needs a poster boy, no doubt about that. The problem is that all who are associated currently with the big 'E' are tainted with the same brush. That is the brush of entitlement, arrogance, corruption and contempt for the political process as it relates to the current constitution. I have made this statement in other forum topics but perhaps it is worth making again. The forces of opposition to the Shinwatra Kleptocracy must present a viable alternative and not just the same old wine in a new bottle. They need to go out and win over the hearts and minds of the electorate, just as TS did. We may not like the way he did it but the fact is, he did it. We need more transparency in government. A change to the old system of favours for favours that go from one generation another. A change in defamation laws and that other ridiculous law that cannot be mentioned. We need a system that is based on merit and not on family name. A bit much for one poster-boy perhaps. Maybe a whole lot of poster-boys over a period of time, some of them bloodied no doubt. There is an omelette to be made and, sadly, some eggs may have to be cracked.

[timewilltell]

The original post (a newspaper article) just about nails it, irrespective of the author's background. However it only focuses on the current government and corruption, not the fact that should the Democrats be elected, it will be any different, because that's the way it's always been.

I think Jeffrey Race got it about right when he wrote his article in the Asia Times in January, saying that corruption was endemic throughout Thai society, however Thaksin and his cronies have taken it to a new level, and that is the problem. Normal everyday corruption is okay, but corruption at the high end of the scale is not – – he obviously put on his "Thai thinking cap" for this comment!

So there you have it, and the change in government will not change the fact that Thailand does not have a democracy, but as quite rightly stated in the OP, a kleptocracy.

As another poster has pointed out, this can never change all the while that corruption and its practices (and the wealth that goes with it) are handed down from generation to generation, coupled with the fact that the mass education of children stays at the low-end, with corruption still being practised there as well (paying for schools,grades etc).

I think us farangs had better get used to the idea that things won't change, no matter how much we rant and rave and think that we have found a solution, and just live here doing the best we can. And anyway, since when have Thais/Thailand listened to common sense, because it is not a feature of their culture/upbringing/genetic make up............leave Thailand to the Thais to sort out and hope that it can stumble along in some way, shape or form, without severely affecting those nearest and dearest to us.

Phffff if we did as you suggest this forum would collapse into a black hole with nothing left to complain about. What's the point of retiring if you can't complain?

[Pops]

Quote:

[Contrary to the perception of much of the Western media, the Thai protesters are not anti-democracy; they are protesting to root out a corrupt regime.]

Although I mainly agree with the contents of this article, my biggest problems is that, even though a large part of the Thai protesters might have honorable intentions, such as rooting out a corrupt regime.

The problem I see however, is that the people leading the Thai protesters, are mainly members of a previous corrupt regime.

The impression i get, is that the actual protesting is mainly done by paid protesters, being used by an elite with hidden agendas

​It makes the goal of "rooting out a corrupt regime" sound a bit hypocritical and it makes me feel like the Thais are only being presented with a choice between 2 evils.

​Furthermore the impressions I have, are mainly based on politically motivated media reports, which can also not be trusted.

Not an easy one this one.

[Seastallion]

Odd coincidence; Just a few days before this thread and article was posted, the word "kleptocracy" was brought up in a thread on this general forum. It's not a common word. Just saying.

Do you suppose the author is a TV reader?