The irony of Prayuth's mission

[gk10002000]

"...government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.." Abraham Lincoln.

[klauskunkel]

Grandma Ying: "Hey all you Grandpas, quit playing and get home this instant, dinner is ready!"

[smutcakes]

Jesus wept. Is this the best The Nation can do to explain a failed political system, endemic corruption and massive failings in the application of the law? Try this - Grandapa Yoo takes a lesson from China's purge on corruption and ruthlessly pursues those responsible for systemic corruption and applies draconian prison sentences to Grandas In and Na and the rest of the relatives. And the rest of us can live happily ever after.

How about simply try this?

Prayuth is doing nothing ironic. He is deliberating, taking advice from educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years, by a suppressing previous government, and he's making headwaves like a Tsunami, at speeds faster than previous governmental/coup leaders could only dream of.

He's achieving on a major scale, in tremendously positive ways for Thailand and its people, and he's hell bent on eradicating corruption and all that goes with it.

Sod the fairy tales...

This man is for real, and doing an excellent job when considering the huge steaming turd he walked into!

Hi Ubon,

Please can you tell us who these " educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years" are?

Are these the same 'educated' Thais who fill parliament, the army, the police, judges and those who created the system in what we work?

Be interested to hear some names of these people who have been suppressed. Quite ironic really talking about suppression now...............

[hawker9000]

"...government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.." Abraham Lincoln.

So insightful...

Edited June 14, 2014 by hawker9000

[ginjag]

Grandpa in grandpa na and grandpa yoo!

No grandmas ?

Anyway it's a nice fairy tale and I especially like the part about the fish and the blending of the colours!

Off to eat my porridge now in the enchanted forest!

Always wondered where you originated ?

[JesseFrank]

For jeez sake Nation writers. Are you lot the three monkeys in reality. A reasonably good analogy ruined by this monkey trite at the end:-

"He must declare that it won't be his forever"...what do you think he has been saying right from day one.

But to say it in military lingo, He talks the talk, but does he walk the walk ?

[UbonRatch]

Jesus wept. Is this the best The Nation can do to explain a failed political system, endemic corruption and massive failings in the application of the law? Try this - Grandapa Yoo takes a lesson from China's purge on corruption and ruthlessly pursues those responsible for systemic corruption and applies draconian prison sentences to Grandas In and Na and the rest of the relatives. And the rest of us can live happily ever after.

How about simply try this?

Prayuth is doing nothing ironic. He is deliberating, taking advice from educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years, by a suppressing previous government, and he's making headwaves like a Tsunami, at speeds faster than previous governmental/coup leaders could only dream of.

He's achieving on a major scale, in tremendously positive ways for Thailand and its people, and he's hell bent on eradicating corruption and all that goes with it.

Sod the fairy tales...

This man is for real, and doing an excellent job when considering the huge steaming turd he walked into!

Hi Ubon,

Please can you tell us who these " educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years" are?

Are these the same 'educated' Thais who fill parliament, the army, the police, judges and those who created the system in what we work?

Be interested to hear some names of these people who have been suppressed. Quite ironic really talking about suppression now...............

Read up on the UNIVERSITY professors who are currently called to Prayuth's meetings as advisors, and you'll find they are the same ones ignored by PTP when warning about impending financial impossibilities and disastrously expensive project proposals.

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Jesus wept. Is this the best The Nation can do to explain a failed political system, endemic corruption and massive failings in the application of the law? Try this - Grandapa Yoo takes a lesson from China's purge on corruption and ruthlessly pursues those responsible for systemic corruption and applies draconian prison sentences to Grandas In and Na and the rest of the relatives. And the rest of us can live happily ever after.

How about simply try this?

Prayuth is doing nothing ironic. He is deliberating, taking advice from educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years, by a suppressing previous government, and he's making headwaves like a Tsunami, at speeds faster than previous governmental/coup leaders could only dream of.

He's achieving on a major scale, in tremendously positive ways for Thailand and its people, and he's hell bent on eradicating corruption and all that goes with it.

Sod the fairy tales...

This man is for real, and doing an excellent job when considering the huge steaming turd he walked into!

Hi Ubon,

Please can you tell us who these " educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years" are?

Are these the same 'educated' Thais who fill parliament, the army, the police, judges and those who created the system in what we work?

Be interested to hear some names of these people who have been suppressed. Quite ironic really talking about suppression now...............

Well if your not aware that there are many Thais who are sincere, honest and very capable, but avoid current politics / political parties, etc., then you need to get a wider understanding of Thailand.

These people do exist and there are many of them, who up to now have totally and deliberately avoided politics / joining the past political parties because they don't want to be associated with the mostly scaly and dishonest folks who make up these gangs of thieves parties.

[scorecard]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

For jeez sake Nation writers. Are you lot the three monkeys in reality. A reasonably good analogy ruined by this monkey trite at the end:-

"He must declare that it won't be his forever"...what do you think he has been saying right from day one.

But to say it in military lingo, He talks the talk, but does he walk the walk ?

My bet is on the good general taking enough time / not too long and then step by step pass it back to a full democratic mechanism.

And I hope he does take enough time to get it right.

What do others think?

[ggt]

He must declare that it won't be his forever, and that the only way for the others to have it is to learn the art of sharing and being honest.!

The Military governing leader...Prayuth...has declared on several occasions...that his position is temporary...as he seeks a political solution among the different political factions...

I did not like the tone of this article...it seemed patronizing an demeaning to the military...they have only been in power a few weeks...and have made what appears to be...positive steps to lay the foundation for a lasting democracy...one with a degree of integrity...rather than corruption...

He does not need YOU...to tell him what he must do...he has a handle on the situation already...

Edited June 14, 2014 by ggt

[Stradavarius37]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Jesus wept. Is this the best The Nation can do to explain a failed political system, endemic corruption and massive failings in the application of the law? Try this - Grandapa Yoo takes a lesson from China's purge on corruption and ruthlessly pursues those responsible for systemic corruption and applies draconian prison sentences to Grandas In and Na and the rest of the relatives. And the rest of us can live happily ever after.

Leave your fictitious Jewish carpenter deity out of this.

[Stradavarius37]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Jesus wept. Is this the best The Nation can do to explain a failed political system, endemic corruption and massive failings in the application of the law? Try this - Grandapa Yoo takes a lesson from China's purge on corruption and ruthlessly pursues those responsible for systemic corruption and applies draconian prison sentences to Grandas In and Na and the rest of the relatives. And the rest of us can live happily ever after.

How about simply try this?

Prayuth is doing nothing ironic. He is deliberating, taking advice from educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years, by a suppressing previous government, and he's making headwaves like a Tsunami, at speeds faster than previous governmental/coup leaders could only dream of.

He's achieving on a major scale, in tremendously positive ways for Thailand and its people, and he's hell bent on eradicating corruption and all that goes with it.

Sod the fairy tales...

This man is for real, and doing an excellent job when considering the huge steaming turd he walked into!

Hi Ubon,

Please can you tell us who these " educated Thais who've been kept in the dark for years" are?

Are these the same 'educated' Thais who fill parliament, the army, the police, judges and those who created the system in what we work?

Be interested to hear some names of these people who have been suppressed. Quite ironic really talking about suppression now...............

Well if your not aware that there are many Thais who are sincere, honest and very capable, but avoid current politics / political parties, etc., then you need to get a wider understanding of Thailand.

These people do exist and there are many of them, who up to now have totally and deliberately avoided politics / joining the past political parties because they don't want to be associated with the mostly scaly and dishonest folks who make up these gangs of thieves parties.

Most TVF posters are unaware of this - because they can't bring themselves to leave their barstools in Nana, Pattaya, etc.

[oneday]

"The truth is that Thailand's democracy has rarely been about sharing. It's about grabbing, abusing, retaking and then repeating the vicious cycle."

One of the best and most consice descriptions of the Thai polical system I have ever seen.

[Stradavarius37]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

When the rot has set in there is no way to remove it! The nation is corrupt and therefore there is no magic that can ever fix that fact or rectify the situation.

Thais love their fairy tales but reality is a whole different world. Its all been tried before and always ended in failure and this will be just more of the same. No coup was ever successful in bringing about constructive change in the country.

When the rot sets it in you dig it out, cut it out, cauterize it, and let it heal. Exactly what they are doing with the Thaksin rot right now.

[The Deerhunter]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Isn't this the unfortunate, dare I say inevitable, truth ?

The moment the junta has given control back to whatever slime ball government that is coming, it starts all over again.

It won't take the politicians but a moment to get back into their stride and it will be like they've never been away.

Yes, and all the more reason to give the good general the time and the support to reform various laws to outlaw the past practices of the scaly politicians and to even make them totally unattractive / make them irrelevant to the future.

Unless this is done then the good guys (and there are plenty of good guy highly capable Thais) will never step forward and take Thailand forward.

A tall order? Yes.

But is can be done.

In fact we must never say it can't be done.

Too may TVF posteres remind me of the two old guys ine th balcony seat in "Sesame Street". We must encourage Thais and hope they take it on as important as it is to them (and us) to end this extreme political corruption. The game has to be changed so most of the proven worst players are taken out of the game and the penalties for politcal corruption for those remaining players, are compulsory & enforced, particularly the two strike rule = out for life. One side benefit of a reformed Thailand would be denying the grumpy cynical old TVF posters the chance to say "I told you so."

[axact]

Is there not a Thai fairy tale about pigs at the trough ? Would be far more relevant

And daddy bear was at the pink trough, it was the fullest one available, unfortunately (maybe) all the other pigs were trying to eat out of the same trough.

Orange bear (red & yellow mixed) had already 'salted' the food with poison so they all died and everyone else lived happily ever after. This farm went on to become the most honest & progressive farm in Asia & were so superior that they ruled the world. & then I woke up......................

[Lancelot]

My take is that the ordinary Thai people want social justice- and the elite don't want to lose their privileges.

Making one side happy will enrage the other.

Good luck to who ever picks up this hot potato

[Robby nz]

When the rot has set in there is no way to remove it! The nation is corrupt and therefore there is no magic that can ever fix that fact or rectify the situation.

Thais love their fairy tales but reality is a whole different world. Its all been tried before and always ended in failure and this will be just more of the same. No coup was ever successful in bringing about constructive change in the country.

The Thai nation and the Thai people are not corrupt.

There are corrupt people who are mostly those in positions of power or of the criminal type but the vast majority of the Thai people are not corrupt.

The vast majority are good honest hard working people who in the past they have put up with the corruption that their so called leaders have imposed on them for there was nothing they could do about it.

6 months back people started to come out on the streets as they had seen the damage a corrupt government was doing to the country.

Now they can see that there no longer needs to be corruption and that there is a way it can be tackled and brought under control if not eliminated.

There will, I am sure, be ways in the not to distant future that honest people can report and fight against corruption without the fear they have had in the past.

It will then be the corrupt that have to fear the honest people. As it should be.

Who was it that said "The people should not fear the government the government should fear the people"

[UbonRatch]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

For jeez sake Nation writers. Are you lot the three monkeys in reality. A reasonably good analogy ruined by this monkey trite at the end:-

"He must declare that it won't be his forever"...what do you think he has been saying right from day one.

But to say it in military lingo, He talks the talk, but does he walk the walk ?

My bet is on the good general taking enough time / not too long and then step by step pass it back to a full democratic mechanism.

And I hope he does take enough time to get it right.

What do others think?

I'm not so sure about 'not too long'.

Prayuth seems to be enjoying every moment of his new found passion. Plus, to go with it, his popularity is soaring (justly).

I could well foresee the possibility of him contesting elections come September, and winning; Thus, becoming a legitimate military elected primeminister.

Whatever happens I, as you, sure hope he takes some time to see through all that he's set in motion so rapidly.

[arminbkk]

Of course, after all is done, clean up, reform, elections, new government.......the army will remain in the background, watching and checking if

things don't go for worse again, or back to the old ways. Like a separate entity, a watchdog.

Watching the new government. What and whoever that may be will have to tread carefully, to not stir up big green brother.

Sort of like it was before?!

[junk1e]

Whilst Western governments continue to protest about the coup because it is not democratic, one has to say that General Prayuth appears to be doing more good in the past few weeks than his predecessors have managed in years. The concern must be that when Thailand returns to democratic elections everything will just go back to as it was before.

Maybe he should form a Thai military party! Would get my vote.

[Ozziepat]

(Just for fun...) A herd of large Thai elephants gorges on easily available hay and leaves great piles of manure all over the scenic landscape. Responding to complaints from influential citizens, handlers lead the elephants away in chains, then quickly clean up some of the mess with large shovels. Soon afterward a similar [hungry] elephant herd arrives and is given free access to the plentiful hay. Want to guess what happens next?

[ratcatcher]

When the rot has set in there is no way to remove it! The nation is corrupt and therefore there is no magic that can ever fix that fact or rectify the situation.

Thais love their fairy tales but reality is a whole different world. Its all been tried before and always ended in failure and this will be just more of the same. No coup was ever successful in bringing about constructive change in the country.

The Thai nation and the Thai people are not corrupt.

There are corrupt people who are mostly those in positions of power or of the criminal type but the vast majority of the Thai people are not corrupt.

The vast majority are good honest hard working people who in the past they have put up with the corruption that their so called leaders have imposed on them for there was nothing they could do about it.

6 months back people started to come out on the streets as they had seen the damage a corrupt government was doing to the country.

Now they can see that there no longer needs to be corruption and that there is a way it can be tackled and brought under control if not eliminated.

There will, I am sure, be ways in the not to distant future that honest people can report and fight against corruption without the fear they have had in the past.

It will then be the corrupt that have to fear the honest people. As it should be.

Who was it that said "The people should not fear the government the government should fear the people"

Who was it that said "The people should not fear the government the government should fear the people"

Google is everyone's friend.

For your edification.....

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."

Thomas Jefferson.

“People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” ― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

[ChatterRat]

Seems to me that many here have not understood the jist of the OP.
I cannot find reference to the "The legend of Grandpa In, Grandpa Na and Grandpa Yoo"
but my guess from reading the OP is that Grandpa Yoo steps in
to prevent Grandpa In and Grandpa Na from squabbling over who gets to eat a fish.
Grandpa Yoo now has the fish, and eats it himself leaving In & Na with nothing.
This is why the OP says that "Coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha might hate the "Grandpa Yoo" name tag", its not a compliment.
The "irony" in the title is that Granpa Yoo now holds the fish,
though morale dilema may be a better term, but one can understand a journalist
with his head above the parapet being obtuse at this time.
The article is not being critical of the coup but it is gently asking its leaders
1. Dont eat the fish yourself
2. Before giving the fish back to In & Na (or a.n. other), make sure whoever gets the fish agrees to share it with all.

This is far removed from the "King Solomon splitting the baby parable" and is actually very similar to a
'Thai fairy tale about pigs at the trough', the fish is the trough.
I did though enjoy Ozziepats cautionary tale about elephants, short, simple and spot on.

[Thai at Heart]

Sometimes the nation just reaffirms why it truly is a patronising rag mag.

[NanLaew]

Wasn't it only a couple of weeks ago that the General publicly stated a 'timetable' that stated about 15 months before any elections with the first 12 months allocated to rewriting the constitution and the remaining 3 months on reform. Shortly after there was the bold statement about abolishing the Royal Thai Police and setting up a brand new entity with a non-regal name? Then they culled all the governors and police chiefs from a fair few 'red' provinces, but left the great and pure Bangkok and south untouched. Now they are offering a government in less than 90 days from now... and any reform will happen after the fact.

More smoke and mirrors, it is just that the colour espousing the brave new world is now olive drab.

[belg]

would those farmers in the north / north east not be happier with their own red governement, separated from the rest of thailand, also financially = no more tax money from mostly bangkokians middle class to spend on corruption ?

[bigbamboo]

"...government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.." Abraham Lincoln.

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." Edward Abbey.

[Just1Voice]

When the rot has set in there is no way to remove it! The nation is corrupt and therefore there is no magic that can ever fix that fact or rectify the situation.

Thais love their fairy tales but reality is a whole different world. Its all been tried before and always ended in failure and this will be just more of the same. No coup was ever successful in bringing about constructive change in the country.

The Thai nation and the Thai people are not corrupt.

What planet are you living on? I've been coming to LOS for over 40 years, off and on, and retired here for the last 7. Every Thai I've met is corrupt to some degree. Corruption is endemic in the Thai people. Did you not see the poll where the OVERWHELMING majority of Thai say that corruption is okay, as long as THEY benefit from it.

I love LOS, and the Thai people, but I NEVER forget that they are one of the most corrupt societies and people I have ever known.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Just1Voice

[GAZZPA]

The moment the junta has given control back to whatever slime ball government that is coming, it starts all over again.

Don't want to agree with you here but I fear you may be right.

i think the main problem is the general Thai acceptance of corruption, the best and most obvious example is paying off the local bobby for traffic offenses,,, even serious ones. Being stopped by the police when drunk in charge of your car or motorbike should mean you are arrested, but so often these people are not arrested, a simple cash payment to the police and away you go again,, drunk in charge.

The thing with corruption is that it always grows and gets worse, once people get a taste it just breeds like cancer. So until the everyday people say this is not right, this is not acceptable and embrace all the consequences of a corrupt free country (can't pay your way out of trouble) then things will change.

Until that happens I fear the same as you, it will just go back to "normal". Maybe not immediately but slowly and gradually it will spread again, as i said just like cancer.