COMMENTARY

Adapt or die. Thailand is no Islands of the Galapagos, but it seems to have recently shown all kinds of symptoms of failure to adjust that the islands are famous for. If Charles Darwin were alive and found his way to these shores, he might have "adapted" himself and ditch the finch, the iguana or the giant tortoise in favour of the more primitive specimens our country has to offer.

He could take the much more vivid case of Thai Airways International. When a large ground-feeding finch arrived on the Galapagos, the medium-sized ground one evolved to grow a smaller beak so that it could compete better for food - find a new niche so to speak.

So how about THAI?

The national carrier has soared into the news recently because of its financial trouble. The airline is suffering losses, to the tune of 10 billion baht in 2008. It also has trouble finding loans to solve its "liquidity" problem. Basically, it does not have enough cash to run its operations and its credibility is not good enough for creditors to extend loans without charging exorbitant interest rates.

Thanong Bidaya, former chairman of the board of Thai Airways International, said the other day if the 48-year-old airline continues to fail to adjust itself to the modern world, it will soon fly into extinction.

What has THAI done, or not done?

Without going into operational details, Mr Thanong targetted THAI's "ineffective corporate management" as the culprit for the airline's woeful performance. Without going into details, anybody would more or less agree with his comment. The airline was established at a time when competition was not as fierce, or as diverse, as it is now. It also enjoyed near-monopoly status for many years. It only had to please certain people. Its clients were not really key to its survival.

A medium finch chirping happily before the arrival of a larger one, and by extension, smaller, no-frill finches to compete for the same limited food sources?

I have only dealt with THAI on occasion, and I am thankful for that. Most of the times I had to get in touch with the airline's staff, I felt like I had to beg for their services. Many times I heard a frosty THAI voice telling me to go to another airline if I didn't like it.

From these experiences, it seems to me THAI is stuck in the past, when it reigned supreme in its field of operation and had no need to care. If an organisation pivots around that egocentric belief, there is no need to get into details about its work culture or methods. It's only now when it has too little to eat because larger and smaller birds are around and feeding as well that it realises it is stuck with an excessively cumbersome beak!

THAI is not alone in the evolution tribulation.

Look around and we will see other entities struggling for a firm grip as changes rush in.

How about the army? Its handling of the Rohingya boat people suggests it is also operating outside of the world view and under values shaped by a time that is far in the past. Security versus humane treatment of immigrants? The army stays trapped in the old mode of defending every square inch of its territory against foreign invaders.

They can't quite grasp the fact that the world has moved on and that the two issues must go hand in hand (or be seen as being so).

Or take the police and their attempt to solve the continuing, at times fatal, brawling among vocational students. Do they think people will believe the brawls will end because members of the two rival groups are brought together to shake hands and give each other red roses for a photo op in front of the police?

Again, the nature of crime has evolved. The expectation of people towards the police's responsibility, and accountability, has changed. The officers themselves have to learn about the new environment they are operating in and find a niche for their continued existence. Otherwise, they too will find it difficult to do their job and find appreciation.

It's true that politicians have been compared to dinosaurs many times. After watching the debates in the parliament for a few days, I can't help but realise these people are really suffering from the readjustment syndrome. They were nitpicking. They called one another names. They protested, then called a quorum.

Few actually scrutinised the Asean framework agreements and what they entail for us in the country.

A large part of the country's political crisis is caused by these out-of-date politicking politicians.

They too will realise it's too late when they find their beaks are way over-sized.

• Atiya Achakulwisut is Editorial Page Editor, Bangkok Post.