Megaprojects yes, but cui bono?

COMMENTARY

Published: 29 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Two trillion baht is a lot of money. It can buy about 17 Suvarnabhumi airports. Even spread over a period of seven years, which is what the government is proposing, it still amounts to spending of about 280 billion baht a year. That would be enough to buy another nine Red Line electric train routes, at an estimated 30 billion baht per line.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra surprised critics of her public speaking skills when she took firm control during an event to unveil national strategy early last week. Speaking solo for a couple of hours, Ms Yingluck delineated where the country stands and where it will be heading over the next five years.

What the PM said hit home. Thailand has lost its competitiveness compared to other countries in the region because we stopped investing in infrastructure many years ago _ when the political problems flared up in 2006 actually. The IMD World Competitive Yearbook showed that Thailand has dropped from No.27 in 2011 to No.30 in 2012, several points below Malaysia and almost in a different league entirely to Singapore.

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Renaissance
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Discussion 4 : 29 Jan 2013 at 06.274
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Being so used to continuous smokescreens, unbridled corruption, self-serving intentions, and outright deception from politicians, who rarely tell the truth or have the country's interests at heart, I can't help feel that someone has spent a lot of time writing the perfect speech for Yingluck in order to get people to support the massive spending so that the "right people" will benefit handsomely. Thaksin surely has no intention of land reform and of removing inequality because then he won't be able to manipulate the poor as he wishes.
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musashi
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Discussion 3 : 29 Jan 2013 at 06.063
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"..it still amounts to spending of about 280 billion baht a year."

1.5 Trillion Bht of debt was incurred by AV's government in 2 years (double the combined debts of the previous 26 governments over more than 30 years) on boondoggles. AV's "grand schemes", but cui bono?
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brilliant
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Discussion 2 : 29 Jan 2013 at 06.002
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Thjink what the estimated 300 to 400 billion baht lost in the rice scheme could have done. More than one years worth of investment at the rate quoted above. With another similar amount to be lost this year.
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DonAleman
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Discussion 1 : 29 Jan 2013 at 04.551
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Mega projects when the mega projects built 20,30,40 years ago are falling apart ?
Much of Thailand, outside of some hotels, resorts, entertainment venues primarily foreign built/owned, is at best, shabby and, in some cases, dangerous. Plenty of people could be put to work renovating, painting, rebuilding, repairing, what is already here before embarking on new projects.
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Megaprojects yes, but cui bono? | Bangkok Post: opinion