Seeing how Covid-19 has transformed the way we live, it's tempting to say life will not go back to the way it was after this is all over.
But, of course, it could, though it shouldn't.
It was such a delight the few times I left home to run errands during the past couple of weeks. The only time Bangkok traffic flows this smoothly is during Songkran or New Year when the city is half empty.
Bangkok traffic is, as everybody knows, world-renowned. It causes headaches to all -- rich or poor -- who have to travel in the city, except those important enough to earn a police motorcade. But it hits working people in the lower rungs of society especially hard.
I've read social media posts of working-class people lamenting how miserable their lives are because of poor traffic conditions as well as the cost of public transportation. I feel for them because they have few choices.
Now Covid-19, while it is a scourge, has shown us that it is possible to improve life in Bangkok. Technology makes working from home possible. Not everyone needs to go to the office to work.
We are being conditioned to learn how to spend time at home rather than roaming in shopping centres or sitting in bars and pubs.
The authorities should seize this opportunity to keep the momentum going.
So, let's pretend we have a democratic, functioning government with a genuine desire to improve life for the common people. These are some of the actions it could implement after bidding Covid-19 farewell.
In the immediate future, urge or incentivise businesses to institute work-from-home as much as possible. Use subsidies or do whatever is needed to cut public transport costs.
In the long term, make the inner city, including the business districts a non-private vehicle and thus pedestrian-friendly zone. This will turn life upside down for many people, however, it is necessary if we wish to keep working people and residents alike sane. It will also improve air quality and cut down on CO2 emissions overall.
A well-connected, sophisticated and low-cost network of public transit is absolutely necessary. Ubiquitous use of manual or electric bicycles should be promoted as well.
Encourage businesses to relocate to the provinces. Technology makes this much more feasible now. This will boost the local economy and keep local people from migrating to Bangkok for jobs.
Seriously promote sustainable, chemical-free agriculture. This is the future trend. This will enable local people to stay home and promote family life.
Agriculture is absolutely crucial for Thai society. It doesn't just provide job opportunities and food security but in times of crisis it acts as a safety net for unemployed workers. In the past, it kept the social fabric strong; it could do so again.
When I say agriculture, I don't mean monoculture, which is atrocious. It's what's causing the onslaught of air pollution which is killing people in the northern and northeastern provinces where this practice is normal.
There is no excuse for a government with a popular mandate to continue allowing this calamity to happen year after year. We know exactly when it will happen, who is responsible and what the root causes are. Only a seriously incompetent and ignorant government would fail to address this issue and find the appropriate solutions.
And now that nature is slowly recuperating and natural attractions are getting a much-needed breather, let's not make a mess of this opportunity by allowing extreme tourism exploitation to happen ever again.
Thailand is fortunate to have wonderful natural resources that keep giving just like a golden goose. It would be folly to think we can go back to business-as-usual again and emerge unscathed next time.
The emergence of Sars-CoV-2 is not just a wake-up call, it's a warning that humans have overstepped the line of natural tolerance.
We cannot predict when the next outbreak is going to be and what form the virus would take. Yet, it's not hard to imagine in the face of the current infection that the next novel coronavirus could be more virulent and even harder to protect against.
Any transformative change needs public consensus. Covid-19 presents society with such a serious threat that it has created a public consensus which has made the extreme government measures possible.
The scenario I present here, while not complete, requires a transformative social change and also demands public consensus to make it a reality.
Arguably, the scale and seriousness of the problems as presented are self-evident. So, we have two choices. We could go on with a business-as-usual modality of life that will take us over the cliff or we could grasp a new future that requires difficult, transformative change, but which Covid-19 has shown that we are capable of overcoming.
