Midweek rant: Come on Thailand: Get your priorities straight

[webfact]

Midweek rant: Come on Thailand: Get your priorities straight

 

 

All too often Thais are the victims of compromise.

The victims of efforts to save face.

The victims of their own hankering to somehow appease their own culture, be Thai amidst the difficulties.

If they are not victims of total inactivity in the face of crises, then they are the victims of a press and countless authorities who have their priorities all ass-about-face.

They all have a big problem, for whatever reason, in simply getting their priorities straight.

There are examples in all aspects of problems facing Thai society.

We’d be here all day if we were to try and list them all.

All countries have problems. This is not a Thai bash. But a good country is defined by what they do about those problems.

So here are just a topical handful for a bit of food for thought.

The savage attack by a dog on a five year old out with his mates at the playground.

They want to talk to the owner, come to an agreement. Smooth things over, see everyonn’e point of view.

 

No.

Put the owner in jail. Put the dog down. Sell the man’s house to pay for the hospital bills. When he comes out and he still wants a pet – give him a goldfish to look after.

Something that can’t maim my daughter if she happens to be on the swings.

Police in their dozens arresting traders for selling E-cigarettes and shisha pipes.

God knows why you are doing that one. Protecting the government’s revenue stream in much more dangerous cancer sticks perhaps.

Putting traders in jail for providing a service.

No.

Put those police out patrolling on the street. Arresting bag snatchers, con artists, kiddy fiddlers – you know people breaking the law. People hurting others – rather than people doing no harm at all.

Teens fighting each other on public buses with knives or guns on the streets. Or racing on the public roads killing each other and innocent people.

Letting the courts give them a pathetic slap on the wrist if they are ever caught. Taking their bikes away for a day or two as a so called punishment. Wagging your finger at their folks and accepting wais and garlands.

No.

How about coming out of your police booths – we know it’s hot outside and you may lose valuable computer game playing time but you are called public servants. You are paid to do a job.

Round up some kids. Go to some schools and colleges. Arrest some parents. Confiscate their property. Fine them. Name and shame.

Assaults by teachers, parents, those in authority on the nation’s children.

Compromise. Talk. Investigations. Payments. Face saving……heaven forbid, even apologies from the kids themselves for being naughty and deserving assault.

NO!

Prosecution. Jail time. Double jail time for those who protect the guilty. Triple jail for police who don’t investigate or let matters rest for any reason.

Ever heard of accountability? Think about your greatest asset – your children – and what must be done in their interests, not your own or those in power.

The drunk as a skunk policeman fleecing the public by stopping in the middle of the road. Setting up his Chivas Regal roadblock.

Transfer him to an inactive post. Set up a committee and have an investigation. Hope it’ll all blow over when the next Facebook clip come round.

NOOO!

Sack him immediately. Take away his pension. Publish his name. Get some stocks set up on the road into Udon and ask some farmers to provide some rotten tomatoes. Film that and put it on Facebook.

If you want an investigation try his superiors who allow this to happen. Transfer them if there are clerical duties that need doing.

Hi-So’s driving their cars into people and paying their way out so they can do it again the next week or month. So called people who then think they are so far above the law they can attack their pregnant girlfriends and get away with it. 

Issue a summons to see if they would be awfully kind to pop in for a chat, while they escape over the border. Or simple laugh in your face because they have money or daddy has a few stripes.

NOOOOO!

Go round to his house with a warrant, break the door down, push his sad face to the floor, cuff him and throw him in jail. Yes, it might annoy the hi-so’s but think of the benefits.

People might even think you are men. You might even be able to hold your head up as you walk down the street rather than have every member of the public smile at you and say you are a complete tosser behind your back. They do you know.

You might get something called respect. Even job satisfaction. Try it.

The appalling death toll on what can only be described as the racetracks of Thailand – we can hardly say roads.

 

What do you do?

Run some cutesy campaigns at New Year and Songkran. Pretend you are doing something when you couldn’t care less. Rejig the figures so that they might not appear as bad as they are.

Maybe admit how bad it is…..then do your own version of the inactive post.

NOOOOOOO!

Stop your smoke and mirrors.

Put the issue at the top of the political agenda. Accept that the blood of a million more Thais will be on your hands before 2050 if you don’t. Tell the people that.

You have the laws – enforce them. Stop conniving with the public. Stop hoping the problem will go away or no one will notice.

Politicians, accept that it is a national disgrace and the world is looking at you and your scandalous inactivity.

Every single one of the above have happened in one way or another in the last few days.

And they will continue to happy and plague society.

Everyone who has the slightest interest in the news has followed the stories not just on Thaivisa, but the Thai print media, online, Facebook.

 

There is no hiding these days.

Millions of Thais – the majority of your countrymen and women – can see exactly what is happening. Further countless millions around the world have access to the news about your country.

They are interested in it because they have been here or are thinking of coming. Both the Thais and the foreigners who see what is happening are not stupid.

They are waiting.

Waiting for you to get your priorities straight.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-07-26

[Thaiwrath]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

You have the laws – enforce them. Stop conniving with the public. Stop hoping the problem will go away or no one will notice.

Great suggestion, but probably just wishful thinking, unfortunately.

[canuckamuck]

The police do their job well. They protect influence. If you haven't got any then they don't work for you.

[dcnx]

"People might even think you are men"

 

Doubt it.

[Ruffian Dick]

On the sports shows in the States, I sometimes see female sportscasters; don't get me wrong, but I just can't look at them with any credibility. There's no chance that they've ever come to playing any of those games. Of course, they are eye candy for the jocks, and that's just about it.

By the same token, I don't feel qualified to comment on another country's politics.

[mark01]

If only.....

Unfortunately, nobody will admit there's a problem, let alone deal with it.

[Stargeezr]

Another good rant, Rooster.  It would be nice if the PM and politicians would read it and

realize they have a chance to all change Thailand into a better country.  I fear though that

 it will take at least a generation for any changes to happen.  The dog that has attacked 5 times

should already be a dead dog, and shame on the local police that it is not. Even soe of the politicians

who are doing what, these days could step in and get some thing that simple done, but none of them

have done a thing.I agree that that drunk police man should be sacked immediately, sad that It won't

happen. Corruption and blind eyes are still  in big existence.  As long as the Hi Sos and rich people get

treated differently than most of the population, the people will continue to regard the police and

the government in the way that they do.  I will still enjoy my visits to LOS but I certainly have seen

the same shameful abuses to children continue since my first visit years ago. I have seen and talked with

corrupt police members who actually thought I was stupid when I said that on my job I felt that honest

and hard work was very important.  I reminded them that I worked for the Canadian Government and it

was expected of me to be that way, they still thought I should be able to figure out how to make extra

money by not having to be so honest.  Oh well that was years ago,  Retirement, Got to love it!

Geezer

[zyphodb]

Agree with all of it Rooster, however we all know that nothing will be done,

 as far as the Thai feudal Lords & robber Barons are concerned it all works perfectly well for them, & keeps the masses who are nothing more than their slaves in place.....

 We all know what would be the only thing that would change it, & much as I'd like to see change, with a young family here I can't wish for that...

[YetAnother]

surprised military spending wasnt included in the list

[maewang99]

well, it starts when you are very young.  and ends.... when?

your high school principal has a huge office... behind one way mirrored windows... so that you can't see into his office.... in which you know he ain't hardly ever in.. almost ever.  that's why the one way glass. 

your teacher leaves his or her car motor running, a new car, one that is 2 or 3 years old needs to be replaced.... and the car driver's side door left open... so as soon as they get to hit the fingerprint machine... then can get back in their car and zoom away.... from your school....

as for your Tea Money paid ajarn du jour..... the one that actually shows up in the classroom... today once again is still drunk from 'tying on a few'.... at what used to be a fairly good local area restaurant.. but now can't survive unless it sells "alcohol"..

and that's 10AM...  on the start of another school day..... just for openers....

 

what do you learn from this?

hmmmm......

life long lessons, I suppose. but a love of learning?

 

absent.

more likely.... how to copy stuff... and make jokes about book reading.... i.e. "they all read from the same book".... "we are too poor to afford books"...."books are boring"..... etc etc etc.

and besides.... what about what you see and hear?

everyday.

and what don't you see?

and why?

oh gee... we need more.... blah blah blah blah....

one of the biggest Social Contracts in the world. but we "farlang" have our own versions of that sort of thing..... and the consequence perhaps even worse than this.. maybe.





 

Edited July 26, 2017 by maewang99

[ben2talk]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

you are called public servants. You are paid to do a job.

Oh, lost me there.

 

Did anyone EVER, since the dawn of time, ever consider the ROYAL Thai Police to be anything more than that?

 

They're not (and never have been) for 'serving the public'.

 

They were created by people of influence and wealth,  their job is to follow instructions. IN their free time they only serve themselves and (when ordered to do so) their King.

 

So strictly that you see, when they're ordered to catch a junky, they will catch the junky and take a nice photo do display the act. Otherwise they will not catch anyone... They are third rate soldiers - they only follow instructions. They are not police.

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

People might even think you are men.

Without seeing them I might assume they're women... there's another story. We never assume the Thai Police are women because it's a completely sexist country.

 

31 minutes ago, maewang99 said:

oh gee... we need more.... blah blah blah blah....

That's why you're here... I'd say we need more sentence structure and a bit less blah blah blah.

 

 

[williamgeorgeallen]

yu tink too mut.

[petermik]

Farangs are like buffalo,s and do not understand that doing things the "thai way" is best 

[sawadee1947]

It's a nice article but useless

You see there is a govt which is very much dealing with themselves.....jobs, influence, money....That's it. Oh, I forget....and to buy some toys for little soldier men.

I come back to the dog incident:

I was in this country when Thaksin was ruling this country. You can say what you want about him, but......he got dog hunters around the country. I never saw so many gos in Thailand than in these days. It would be soooo easy to stop that nonsense, if.........the govt would do what a govt should do.

But....hey.....we live in Thailand, a country with a wannabe govt.

[trainman34014]

Nice try but pissing in the wind.    Been there, done that, worn the T shirt, talked to a thousand Thai's about such things but to no avail.  Stupid is as stupid does.

 

Just enjoy your own life and let them continue to screw up theirs  !

[Bangkok Barry]

44 minutes ago, petermik said:

Farangs are like buffalo,s and do not understand that doing things the "thai way" is best 

 

My wife has said to me on occasion that it's the Thai way, and I've replied, "Yes. that's the problem."

[seajae]

pretty well spot on but we all know it will never happen, would cause to many thais to lose face if laws etc were actually enforced/followed and common sense verdicts were used, would also stop too many "bonus" payments.

[Lucky mike]

Buddhist saying "the only thing constant is change !" Unfortunately not soon enough.......

[aussie11950]

Bloody oath