Thai govt to rebrand populism

[webfact]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Govt to rebrand populism
Wasamon Audjarint
The Nation

Populist policies get a different slant - pracha rat - on state and private help for the grass roots

BANGKOK: -- The Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha government has begun re-branding populist policies as pracha rat in the hope it will lead to sustained economic and social development.

Populist policies, called pracha niyom in Thai, are now politically incorrect, as they were launched

by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to get support from the poor.

While populism generally refers to pouring money into the rural grassroots, pracha rat refers to an integrated approach among the public, private and people sectors, Sontirat Sontijirawong, adviser to Industry Minister Atchaka Sibunruang and an economic team colleague of Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak, said.

There is no proper English translation for the term pracha rat. Many have suggested "civil state" while the government Spokesman's Office preferred "a state of the people".

"What has been done so far based on pracha rat is still slightly different from pracha niyom," said Somchai Jitsuchon, research director at the Thailand Development Research Institute, referring to the Thai word for populism, which is something distasteful to the current government.

"The concept of pracha rat will be approved once people are 'actively' engaged in the economic system."

While the poor are used to getting handouts from the state, the state under pracha rat would act as a facilitator, rather than a donor, said Sontirat, who is also a member of the National Reform Steering Assembly.

"Those owning most of the resources to market competency are the private and people sectors, not us the government," he said

The concept of pracha rat can be applied to a broad range of economic activities, from marketing local signature products to combating drought crises, he said.

"Farmers won't easily adjust their ways of planting, as they inherited them from generation to generation," he said, referring to one of farmers' obstacles when it comes to drought and climate change.

"But it will work if the government leases their land and hires them to grow alternate crops. This way, farmers will also have products to sell. Once the products are settled in the marketplace, farmers will be able to generate income on their own.

"This is how we are different from populism. We don't simply give money away, but we tend to utilise our budget to create a sustainable economic system," he said.

However, the government cannot understand every little bit of local people's nature and needs. That's why capacity from related players, such as the state-run Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, is needed to do research and development on the most suitable scheme for the local context.

The government is reviving the fading Joint Government-Private Sector Committee to run the pracha rat policies at a national level. The government also expects to install provincial committees within two to three months.

"We aren't starting everything from zero. It's just impossible under the time limits," he said. "We'd rather revive and adjust what we originally have, to make them more aligned with the concept of pracha rat."

One example is the One Tambon One Product scheme to support the making and marketing of products of local districts. Though initiated in 2001 by then PM Thaksin, Prayut's government looks forward to "enhancing" it as a better, more locally responsive version.

"Let's say many districts produce fruit wines. Then the market will be flooded with wine," he said

"But with pracha rat development, the private sector will engage in market research and let local producers know what the market wants," he said.

The government is now working with its economic team, the joint committee and other agencies to create a final list of 100 projects based on pracha rat, he added.

Poldej Pinprateep, a member

of the now-defunct National Reform Committee, is another key person working with Somkid's economic team on the concept of pracha rat.

One of the main outcomes expected from pracha rat policies is economic sustainability. Poldej, however, does not view it from only an economic perspective.

"We also need knowledge sustainability to truly sustain society," he said. "People have to be more educated to achieve this."

One project is organising public venues for knowledge exchanges at the local level, hosted by experts in local project management and administration.

Kicking off on October 28 in Udon Thani, the scheme aims to reinforce the awareness of local people.

"Once educated, people will be aware of what they can do and what they should do.

"They will no longer be just

'people', but they will turn into active citizens. They are 'change agents' - those eager to bring changes and developments to society," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Govt-to-rebrand-populism-30271153.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-19

[Somtamnication]

If you re-brand a snake, it's still a snake. Just sayin' .

[NeverSure]

"...while the government Spokesman's Office preferred "a state of the people"."

How about "a people's republik." They don't even need democracy for that.

[NongKhaiKid]

Let's give it a new name.

Now then, see the difference it makes so that's all good.

[Toknarok]

You can put lipstick on a pig but........

[Laughing Gravy]

As it is an 'ism' why not communism?

[waldroj]

There's no proper English translation for the term pracha rat?

Try "smell a rat"!

If the government can't understand local people's needs, then it's the government that must change (not the people).

[Emster23]

I smell a pracha rat.....

[phoenixdoglover]

So much elite arrogance; so little time.

[cockatoowho]

It dosen't matter what size, colour or persuasion it is, a rat is always a bloody rat.

[Usernames]

Rebranding = lying. Very popular.

[MZurf]

"Populist policies, called pracha niyom in Thai, are now politically incorrect, as they were launched by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to get support from the poor."

Yes, we can't have that, can we?! Why not dispense of any pretenses and just call it by it's real name; Pracha Amart?

[hakuho]

Thailand supposedly a 'developing country'? Government takes over land then leases it back to people/farmers?? Sounds like a regression back to Middle Ages SERFDOM.....with a high tech overlay, Thai rulers can now convince folks to 'serf' the net....55555.

[waldroj]

Mr PM, what the people want is simply pracha tipatai (ประชาธิปไตย), a government "of the people, by the people, for the people".

Edited October 19, 2015 by waldroj

[bkkgooner]

It is so obvious at this point that democracy isn't coming back to Thailand for a long long time. It is hilarious that there were actually intelligent westerners cheer leading these guys when they first took power.

[Enoon]

"four legs good, two legs better"

[MZurf]

It is so obvious at this point that democracy isn't coming back to Thailand for a long long time. It is hilarious that there were actually intelligent westerners cheer leading these guys when they first took power.

"..... intelligent westerners cheer leading these guys...."

Let's just agree to disagree on that one..

[TimmyT]

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

[cornishcarlos]

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in a boat drinking beer all day...

[Srikcir]

When a politican discovers that an ideology once disliked has support of the voting public, it's time to rebrand it as your own.

If Thaksin never introduced populism to Thailand politics, certainly military coups would have little incentive to create it on their own.

Maybe Prayut should send Thaksin a Thank You card.