Maybe I am missing something, but could someone please explain how in a democracy (for which I constantly hear Thailand is striving for) one can have an unelected prime-minister as proposed by the CDC.
In a true democracy the head of the government should be either elected by the actual electorate or by the ruling (majority) party in power. Anything else is wide open to corruption and cronyism. Also the proposals put forward by CDC look far too complicated to achieve any sort of agreement on the subject.
Brian Stocks
Sticking it to stickers
I was less than delighted to receive a series of Line stickers as my Christmas present from the government.
Firstly, because I hate Line stickers.
Secondly, because I got charged 2 baht for them as one of 3 million taxpayers funding this 7-million-baht project.
And thirdly, because I am a great believer in the King’s sufficiency economy, and this goes right against the concept of concentrating on what is necessary.
Berni
Mind your manners
Re: "US: Election delay 'unwise and unjustified'", (BP, Dec 25).
It was a disrespectful show of manners by a US State Department spokesperson to describe Thailand’s postponement of an election for a few months as "unwise and unjustified".
In the past decade, Thailand has experienced bad consequences as a result of corruption and unfair partisanship from its elected governments — despite electoral promise by politicians to render honesty and fairness to all the people while in power.
To put it more clearly, if the recent governments were half as "wise" and "justified" in their actions as they should have been, Thailand would not be in such a difficult state it is today.
Therefore, if Thailand rushes an election through before any rules or laws that deal effectively with corruption and bad politics are put in place, it will only spell more trouble ahead for us.
Hence, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha's government should straightforwardly reason with, as well as strongly protest against, such a lack of diplomatic protocol on the part of the US government.
Vint Chavala
MMP not the answer
Re: "Charter drafters back MMP system", (BP, Dec 25).
A group responsible for "reorganising" the Thai government has rejected changing electoral laws and instead decided to adapt the MMP system, which I suspect stands for "More Moneyed People", and which sounds like a confused mess.
The bottom line here is that much like the last coup, about all that will be accomplished is that a few new morality laws will be passed and everything will return to the way it was before Thaksin Shinawatra came on the scene.
I said it several times and I’ll say it again: "Appointing lawmakers leads to corruption and a network of 'understanding' that obviously can not be changed.” Sad for the poor people in this country, but there it is. They will have to continue to live with the knowledge they cannot have any active role in the governing of this country. Let’s hope the seed planted in them by Thaksin doesn’t re-emerge and put us back in the state of divisiveness we were in prior to the coup.
John Arnone
Steamrollered Thais
Re: "Heiress in ‘nutgate’ faces threat of arrest", (BP, Dec 25).
I was impressed. It’s just like in Thailand, right? Here the super rich insult people, evade taxes, hit people with their cars, sometimes killing them, instigate murders, hire hitmen, but walk away scot-free.
It is not because the South Korean justice system is so great, no. It is because South Korean citizens are fed up with the antics of their overly rich and spoiled members of society that they have voiced loud complaints and demanded that these people be brought to trial to pay for the consequences of their actions. Again, just like Thailand, right? Here, the lethargy of Thai citizens is so pathetic. One can steamroller over most and they just shrug it off with a mai pen rai.
Charcoal Ridgeback
Weed out cronyism
The chairman of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, Pramon Sutivong, is quoted as saying that over the past decade, capable civil servants have been hindered in progressing in their careers because politicians appoint their cronies to important jobs.
There is nothing wrong with this statement, but I wonder why Khun Pramon limited the period of rampant cronyism to only the past decade? I think many people would consider this form of political interference has been in place since time immemorial (not only in Thailand) and is not a relatively new phenomenon. Let us hope the current regime continues its efforts to stamp this out and all other forms of corruption.
Martin R
Justice by degree
It is amazing how the justice system works. The lower on the rung the supposed criminal is, the faster he/she is brought to trial. The Koh Tao trial, the Black Widow trial, those unfortunate old people a while ago accused of felling trees when they went to gather mushrooms, etc. The Pongpat trial will never happen and, as for Yingluck, what seems to be the problem? All the evidence is there, in volumes, on the desk in the public prosecutor’s office. Her lawyers keep asking for postponements and they are always granted, while she continues the “lifestyle of the rich and famous”. But the police seem more interested in those who overstayed their visas by a few days. This seems a more lucrative pursuance. Yeah, “With justice for all”.
Muddled Mango
Army role explained
Re: "Army backs soldiers over 'abduction'", (BP, Dec 22)
We all owe a debt of gratitude to Maj Gen Teenachat Jindangeon, the commanding officer of the 41st Military Circle, who set us right on what the mission of the Royal Thai Army is following the arrest in Phuket of four of his soldiers by the Royal Thai Police.
They were suspected by the police of wrongful detention and extortion. Seems the police had it all wrong. According to Maj Gen Teenachat, his soldiers were only mediating a civil debt dispute involving three Ukrainians.
I too have had it all wrong. As a former officer in the US armed forces, I had always thought that the function of the army was to defend the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of the state.
I had no idea that part of our military duties was to mediate civil debt disputes among private parties. Silly me. We should be grateful to the military government and generals like Maj Gen Teenachat who are enlightening us all on what the true function of the armed forces is.
Robert Jacobs
Raising a stink
It's about time the authorities take notice, but not necessarily any action, to stop the appalling pollution on Koh Chang. I stopped going there exactly for this reason. However, it is not only White Sand Beach, but every beach in this former paradise that smells and often looks like an open sewer. I sincerely doubt that "it was the locals" who complained about it, as it is primarily them who are the culprits.
It does not take a rocket scientist to find the source of the pollution. All you have to do is to follow the streams of the countless raw sewage discharges, mainly from the resorts, or just follow your nose.
Thus, even a blind man would find it. But will any action be taken and when? That is the question.
Isan Proofreader
In a draft muddle
Re: "Charter drafters back MMP system", (BP, Dec 25).
The Charter Drafting Committee (CDC) is moving closer to a fix for parliament to ensure that the agricultural majority do not end up running the country.
Gen Lertrat Rattanawanich, CDC spokesman, suggested that the UDD and PAD could form legitimate political associations and field candidates.
If they want to be political parties, let them form them and publish a manifesto so that people will know what they are voting for. It would be a breath of fresh air if all parties would do the same.
Any party winning more than 45 seats will have no party list-MPs in parliament. It will mean ministers and hopefully the PM will face the hustings.
It is laudable that the CDC wants to avoid demagogues by limiting parties from getting more than 75 seats (unless the CDC allows the TRT, PPP and PT parties to re-emerge).
The reaction of other parties in 2004 and the recently aborted elections suggest that the only thing that would happen would be that they would sell out to the largest party. They could also provide their talented party list for ministerial positions.
I'm not really sure how all this fits in with "democracy".
The CDC says that in the past there were coalitions. Closer inspection might reveal collusion.
RICHARD BOWLER
Angry at Abbott
Re: "The real victims in the ‘war on terror'", (BP, Dec 21)
This editorial is one of the most insightful and penetrating I have ever read in the Bangkok Post. It is spot-on in its exposure of the lack of political integrity in Australia today.
Former prime minister John Howard’s deceptions to hang on to power long after his use-by date was one of the primary reasons why I packed my bags, said goodbye to Australia and came to live in Thailand 12 years ago.
His latter-day protégé Tony Abbott is already resorting to the Howard tactics of pandering to the lowest common denominators in his attempts to shore up his plummeting popularity, which is at an all-time low for an incumbent prime minister after just one year in office.
This disillusionment with Abbott is not only among the Australian electorate at large, but within his own party and cabinet ministers.
I hope Thailand will continue to tolerate my presence here because it looks as though it will be a long time before I to go back to Australia, if ever.
David Brown
Rayong
Drive home laws
Re: "Activist urges drink driving crackdown", (BP, Dec 20).
Trying to ensure safe driving conditions over the New Year and Songkran holiday periods can only be achieved by the strict enforcement of traffic laws.
I wish the government would utilise martial law and announce special road accident prevention measures, such as deploying more military personnel and police officers along roads across the country to control traffic and enforce all applicable traffic rules. This should be backed up with the handing out of heavier punishments against wrongdoers such as drink drivers, speedsters and other reckless motorists.
This might hopefully discourage unsafe drivers from taking to the roads in the first place.
R H Suga
Lamphun
Odd views on diet
Often people who have read what I have written about vegetarianism say something like: “While what you write is true, no one will follow such advice.”
But Dr Dean Ornish (From the book: Voices of the Food Revolution) who without using any medication was able to reverse heart disease and early stage prostate cancer in his patients by putting them on low-fat, vegetarian diets, said that 85% to 90% of his patients stick to the diet.
On the other hand, Dr Ornish notes that only 30% of people who take blood pressure pills or cholesterol-lowering drugs will continue to take their medication for more than three or four months.
"I don’t understand," Dr Ornish complains, "why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered radical, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives."
Eric Bahrt
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