Thai editorial: Time to derail this gravy train

[The Deerhunter]

Talk is cheap they say... the proof is in the pudding... the road to hell paved with good intentions....

While I vigorously applaud at the well meaning junta plans to put this country on the right tracks

it yet to be seen.....

One of the "1/2 empty" brigade. Getting a bit sick of them too. We all know this but it is too early to know if they are going to run off the rails. BUT they are doing brilliantly so far, and the Thai peoiple are getting a damned good primer in what they should be voting for next time there is an election.

[The Deerhunter]

A benevolent dictatorship is superior to a corrupt democracy.

Know of any benevolent dictatorship that you can qoute?

Lee Kuan Yew. for one.

[The Deerhunter]

It is not about not having PTP in power (maybe for some it is) but to make sure they can't do what they did last time. Going for total control with disregards for the rules. If the checks and balances are strengthened to make sure they can't it will be enough for most. I know it will be enough for me if they can't rob the country blind anymore or try to get dear leader back.

The only way he will not have a chance is if they completely amend the constitution so its simply impossible for anyone other than the Democrats or an army party to get in, which is no doubt what they plan.

Reconciliation is not alienating 48.41% of the voting population, by persecuting one person whilst ignoring all other wrong doers.

They must have pretty low opinion of 48.41% intelligence if they think they will not notice what is happening when it comes to the next election.

Basically they won't be able to make too much money out of winning the election so dear leader wont invest too much to win it. That is enough for most. They will be tied to the rules and checked all the time.

So the way to improve this is to take total control themselves and remove any last things resembling checks and balances. Who is going to be the check and balance over the next 2 years?

And then amending the constitution so only friendly persons can get into power, how is that better? Surely that is exactly the same thing as they are allegedly fighting against? abuse of power and making political law changes to ensure their continued want is met.

Absolute biased on sided view-of sour grapes. Any thing is better than the disgraced PTP.

Oh the irony!!!!

Nowhere in my post have i made any comment on the PTP being good, or not corrupt etc etc etc

I was merely pointing out replacing one poor Government, by replacing it with something similar to what it was despised for, is not a good long term plan.

OK, so you are not so much a closet PTP apologist as just another "jug half empty" man. There is way more than enough of them!!! Being negative or trying to cast the current government into the same mould as the PTP is not very endearing either. Most of the "Negative Neddies" ARE PTP apologists just trying to sing a different song at the moment. Sorry, but I think more than just Jinjag & myself are reading you wrong. "by replacing it with something similar to what it was despised for, is not a good long term plan."

Edited June 19, 2014 by The Deerhunter

[The Deerhunter]

I agree that these steps are positive for Thailand, and if they continue, puts Thailand on the path of decreasing corruption. However, it is important for these institutions be open to public inspection. Thailand needs to publicly show the compensation of government paid salaries and to allow the media to cover all aspects of government without fear of prosecution or imprisonment for fact-based reporting.

Absolutely and should also include the military institutions. As soon as I hear that the General is embarking on an army reform, I will start believing in the coup.

What the HEL# do you think he is doing--picking his nose ??? he is trying to pave the way to doing what you stated, so for starters try to believe a little Thailand has nothing to lose by doing this.

You dont change my mind with the nose picking analogy. I want to see deeds, not words. I want to see total reform, not selective. Every coup started with the same excuses of breaking political impasse, bring back happiness, corruption too rampant and ended with an agenda. Then we start the cycle all over again. I cant be a believer if we had precedents like past coups. I am not an easy believer like you too. This coup may be different but yet to run its course. I will reserve judgement till then.

You are one of nature's lucky people Eric. A pessimist!!! You will go through ilfe never being disappointed. But only because you were never expecting or hoping for anything good or better. Smile. Try being optimistic for Thailand or go somewhere really depressing & enjoy being negative. I recommend North Korea. You will never have to be disappointed there. No matter how bad you think it might get, it will always be worse.

[robblok]

I keep cheerleading.. so do many others and many Thais I know.

Well if it gives you a purpose in life and makes you happy so be it

The more politically astute can assess the dire situation Thailand is in, not just in terms of Human Rights, but with a junta approving populist policies perhaps even more wreckless than PTP. Frying pan into the fire is where we are.

You mean people like you who don't even live here full-time. So far what I have seen was that the PTP was corrupt to the core as you said and nothing happened that was good for the normal people. Only the farmers.

Now taxi mafia is getting a rough time.. no more deaths.. illegal logging is getting attention, the rice scam is getting exposed. The red terrorist from Trad are getting caught. I see loads of great things while when the PTP was there Charlem was saying you can better go home and then the anti government got attacked by a third party (now we know reds). So actually a big improvement.

So far nothing bad.. the improvements for roads and train from the normal budget.. not from a 2 trillion loan. The fact that it was so high is because its spread out over years.

Minor points are the Facebook lies.. the problems with freedom of speech.. and how the migrant workers are spooked.

The rest is all goed.. and all of this in a month.. what did the reds achieve in 3 years besides getting the country in the worst economic problems ever because they wanted their dear leader back.. that is what started it all.

[HerbalEd]

I keep cheerleading.. so do many others and many Thais I know.

Well if it gives you a purpose in life and makes you happy so be it

The more politically astute can assess the dire situation Thailand is in, not just in terms of Human Rights, but with a junta approving populist policies perhaps even more wreckless than PTP. Frying pan into the fire is where we are.

You mean people like you who don't even live here full-time. So far what I have seen was that the PTP was corrupt to the core as you said and nothing happened that was good for the normal people. Only the farmers.

Now taxi mafia is getting a rough time.. no more deaths.. illegal logging is getting attention, the rice scam is getting exposed. The red terrorist from Trad are getting caught. I see loads of great things while when the PTP was there Charlem was saying you can better go home and then the anti government got attacked by a third party (now we know reds). So actually a big improvement.

So far nothing bad.. the improvements for roads and train from the normal budget.. not from a 2 trillion loan. The fact that it was so high is because its spread out over years.

Minor points are the Facebook lies.. the problems with freedom of speech.. and how the migrant workers are spooked.

The rest is all goed.. and all of this in a month.. what did the reds achieve in 3 years besides getting the country in the worst economic problems ever because they wanted their dear leader back.. that is what started it all.

Indeed. The fatal mistake Yinluck & Company made was attempting to change the laws so Thaksin could safely return to Thailand. How ironic it backfired the way it did.

[Emster23]

Is the army going to divest itself of TV stations, banks etc? Seems those businesses would be perfect breeding grounds for corruption. Why do they have businesses anyway? Are they all that different from Thai Air? What do those businesses have to do with role of defending the country? Nothing I can think of.

[Cuchulainn]

Nero fiddled while Rome burned

PTP fiddled (literally) while Thailand plummeted into the abyss

Last I heard Thailand maintaining its BBB+ credit rating, debt well managed, SET at record high, record BOI investment, full employment, steady currency and full employment. Doesn't seem heading into the abyss.

BBB+ eh?

Top marks all round, then.

[jope]

Nero fiddled while Rome burned

PTP fiddled (literally) while Thailand plummeted into the abyss

Last I heard Thailand maintaining its BBB+ credit rating, debt well managed, SET at record high, record BOI investment, full employment, steady currency and full employment. Doesn't seem heading into the abyss.

BBB+ eh?

Top marks all round, then.

Well, Greece and other EU-states were worse. Anyway, with the new order in place, there can be no doubt that Thailand will soon be on the same level as, lets say, Germany. Why not?

[northernjohn]

It's not just Thailand that has problems with this. It's one of the reasons Japan had the Fukushima reactor melt down. Too cozy of a relationship between the inspectors and the energy company. Another example of how corruption can seriously hurt a country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

Three investigations into the Fukushima disaster showed the man-made nature of the catastrophe and its roots in regulatory capture associated with a "network of corruption, collusion, and nepotism."^[47][48] Regulatory capture refers to the "situation where regulators charged with promoting the public interest defer to the wishes and advance the agenda of the industry or sector they ostensibly regulate." Those with a vested interest in specific policy or regulatory outcomes lobby regulators and influence their choices and actions. Regulatory capture explains why some of the risks of operating nuclear power reactors in Japan were systematically downplayed and mismanaged so as to compromise operational safety.^[48]

Critics argue that the government shares blame with the regulatory agency for not heeding warnings and for not ensuring the independence of the oversight function.^[49] The New York Times alleged that the Japanese nuclear regulatory system sided with and promoted the nuclear industry because of amakudari ('descent from heaven') in which senior regulators accepted high paying jobs at companies they once oversaw. To protect their potential future position in the industry, regulators sought to avoid taking positions that upset or embarrass the companies. TEPCO's position as the largest electrical utility in Japan made it the most desirable position for retiring regulators. Typically the "most senior officials went to work at Tepco, while those of lower ranks ended up at smaller utilities."^[50]

In August 2011, several top energy officials were fired by the Japanese government; affected positions included the Vice-minister for Economy, Trade and Industry; the head of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, and the head of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.^[51]

Are you trying to justify corruption in Thailand because others do it.

We know all other countries do it but that is no reason to justify it in Thailand.

[northernjohn]

Is the army going to divest itself of TV stations, banks etc? Seems those businesses would be perfect breeding grounds for corruption. Why do they have businesses anyway? Are they all that different from Thai Air? What do those businesses have to do with role of defending the country? Nothing I can think of.

You are posting like you believer the Junta will be in power for ever. Sorry to rain on your parade but that is not going to happen.

But I do have to admit it sure looks attractive with what they have done to date.

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts and replies have been removed as well as posts with messed up quotes.

[Chris Lawrence]

meeting fees?

Aren't meetings part of the job description? Did they get paid extra to go to the toilet and read the newspaper?

Chooka, some board members are not always employees. They don't recieve a 'salary'. In Oz a board member may be paid a sitting fee for each meeting they attend; although a iot may like to hear this type of action as it sounds as though the little guy in the paddy field is winning. (Executives are usually employees of the company and hence their income should cover sitting in meetings.)

However, wonder if this will be the same transparency for the military as is for the private sector the General is talking up.

After the coup of 2006, the armed services budgets increased 33.8% in 2007, 24.7% in 2008 and 18.5% in 2009. When Yingluck came in the budget was slashed to -3.6% and very little increase since then. Now, the military bought a bomb detector a GT200 that was a plastic box with no moving parts at a cost of 1.4 million baht each. The budget for 2008 was 143 Billion Baht. Another purchase was the 'Sky dragon' at 350 million baht, that sits in a shed as it costs 2.8 million baht to inflate and 280,000 baht a month to top up: The company involved with this had only 12 employees and was an agent for the real manufactures?

I asked my wife this morning 'who or were was the last war the Thai armed services fought in; I thought it was WW2 and they were on Japan side until they went on the Americans side.' I said to my wife that Thailand does not like to loose hence the swap.

So, if the need for an armed service is warranted or is it the need for internal protection? I would think Thailand would rely more on internal needs which should be the responsibility of a police force?

The other factor is that there are over 1600 Generals in the Thai Army (Wikipedia). Thats a lot of mouths to feed. A lot of the military are on boards anyway?

Recently the Thai Junta voted against measures to stop modern slavery, but after a few days reversed its vote. This was a new UN Treaty. Now if they stayed with it, a lot of forigen support, support schemes and opposition from the world bank in the way of financial assistance would stop. (The Pineapple Case where the brother is head honcho in the Democrats, jurno uncovered unlawful employment practices).

So on the whole, the action to curtail the remuneration of board members sounds good, but pay peanuts get monkeys.

However, when you need to ask the hard questions to the General, you will be told to ask easy questions, or you have to go for some re-education.

I just see this as a smoke screen spun by a spin doctor. It is of no real substance and in a free market economy should not be happening. Its up to share holders to vote these conditions.

But, then again if this makes you happy, one of the junta's policy is working.

[MrWorldwide]

A benevolent dictatorship is superior to a corrupt democracy.

Know of any benevolent dictatorship that you can qoute?

Sadly that list seems to end with Lee Kuan Yew, but I might see it differently if I'd tried to oppose him.

http://therealsingapore.com/content/how-lee-kuan-yew-stole-democracy-lim-chin-siong-and-people-singapore

History is always written by the victors.

[worzel]

EDITORIAL

Time to derail this gravy train

The Nation

State enterprises have been used to reward political allies with lavish pay and perks for too long

BANGKOK: -- State enterprises have come under fire over reports of the generous pay and benefits enjoyed by members of their executive boards - all funded, of course, by the taxpayer. Junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered the State Enterprise Policy Office to examine operations on all 56 state-enterprise boards, with the focus on benefits such as bonuses and meeting fees.

The ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) turned its focus on the state-run firms following revelations that benefits for their top executives exceed Bt10 billion a year. The NCPO is now seeking to scale back privileges for board members and also to cut staff expenses and bonuses at all state-owned enterprises. Individual board members can receive benefits to the tune of millions of baht every year.

Thai Airways International (THAI) and Airports of Thailand (AOT) are among the junta's main targets. THAI board members enjoy lavish perks, including 20 free trips every year each and generous monthly and meeting allowances. Retired directors get a lifetime discount on airfare. AOT has faced harsh criticism for paying annual bonuses equivalent to 11 months' salary and handing special privileges to its board members. The NCPO move is expected to staunch the bleeding at the national carrier, which logged a net loss of Bt2.6 billion in the last quarter.

Following the junta's tough action, several board members - most of them with political links - have resigned from state enterprises PTT, Thai Oil, Krungthai Bank and Airports of Thailand. Among them are Krungthai Bank chairman Voravidh Champeeratana, Airports of Thailand chairman Sita Divari, PTT chairman Panpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Government Lottery Office director-general Police Maj-General Attagrit Tharechat and Government Housing Bank director Thanin Angsuwarangsi. More are expected to follow suit, with the ruling junta appointing their replacements.

According to a Finance Ministry source, state enterprises have long been a source of benefits for people with political connections. Politicians in power often reward friendship and loyalty with directors' posts. Many of the appointees are bureaucrats or executives of companies with political connections.

Most state enterprises are majority-owned by the state through the Finance Ministry, so lower running costs at such firms would mean increased revenue for the country.

After years of generous benefits and lavish spending, it's now time for reform and belt-tightening at the state enterprises. Bonuses should be based on results, and the raft of perks for board members needs to be cut back severely. Such changes should help reduce the cost of operations, cut big losses and even increase profits.

It is good practice to reward board members according to their expertise and experience, but appointing board members simply on the strength of their close ties to those in power threatens the corporate health of state enterprises.

The NCPO should avoid the mistakes of the past by ensuring that new board members are appointed for their ability to contribute to state-owned firms, and not for their connections.

-- The Nation 2014-06-19

tax payers money what a laugh you mean farangs paying tax how many thais you know who pay tax land of retards

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