The past week has been dominated by news of the government's bungling of its cash relief programme for those affected by the Covid-19 infection.
The programme billed as "We Don't Leave Anyone Behind" has left millions of people crying and screaming in desperation because their applications have been rejected.
Actually, the chaos was to be expected. Had the programme run smoothly, it would have been more of a surprise, knowing how Thai bureaucracy works and the misguided presumptions it works with.
Amid growing social anxiety, with people facing job and income losses, the government hastily devised the cash handout scheme to placate them.
But it was done haphazardly using a top-down approach, placing a heavy emphasis not on providing quick and effective relief, but on deterring possible fraud.
That's the reason why registration is painful and slow and millions of applicants were either rejected or unsuccessful in their attempts to register.
That's not to mention the millions of others who are left behind because they either have no access to the internet, are not technologically savvy or are simply unaware of the scheme.
When people complain, officials keep saying the system is AI driven, as if AI is god-like and infallible. Even when overwhelming evidence stares them right in the face, they refuse to admit they have erred.
They don't want to admit that a system, however "intelligently" designed, can be effective only when it is fed the right set of data untainted by prejudices.
Only when a growing number of people were moved by rage and ready to form a protest mob did the government back down and promise to provide a channel for appeals.
Even then, the redress seems inadequate and more trouble looms large.
A group of academics from six universities recently issued a report with a set of suggestions on how to manage relief for the urban poor.
Their study found that the majority of the poor have not benefited from the state assistance packages. While 66.7% of the urban poor tried to register for relief aid, only 21.3% received approval, while half of the applications remain to be processed.
The process is simply too cumbersome and slow to respond to people's needs, the report says.
It says that the Finance Ministry has relied on a mistaken mindset by aiming to help only those successfully screened, leaving the majority of affected people to endure hardships on their own.
As almost everyone has been victimised by the Covid-19 pandemic, the academics suggest that the government change its approach from one of screening the affected to providing universal welfare for all people.
In short, abandon the "opt in" and adopt the "opt out" approach.
This bungled relief programme episode exposes yet again the archaic power structure of the Thai bureaucracy.
It is this mindset which nearly plunged Thailand deeply into the Covid-19 quagmire.
Fortunately, Thailand has an army of dedicated and capable health professionals, support workers and volunteers.
These frontline people risk their lives every day, working non-stop to heal the sick and contain the pandemic.
Their dedication has thus far produced an amazing result, evidenced by the stabilisation of the number of new infections over the past several days.
Things are looking up even though it is more than likely that the actual number of infections is much greater than the official statistics.
But after this period of social isolation ends, those hidden or asymptomatic infections are likely to die out.
But credit has to go to the Thai people as well. The crisis has brought out the good in so many. We have witnessed many instances of people helping others when help is most needed.
Social media is full of such stories. Food vendors, small entrepreneurs and common people find room in their hearts to give, be it food or money, to the less fortunate.
Donations pour in when cries for help rise up. Neighbours help neighbours to make "sheltering in place" more tolerable.
Essential workers -- garbage collectors, street cleaners, bus drivers, store shelf re-stockers, cashiers, etc -- risk their health to keep people's daily life moving.
But, to me, the most amazing thing has been people's response to official recommendations to practice social distancing and wear masks in public spaces, as well as abide by the curfew.
As a frequent critic of the Thais' lack of discipline, I have to rethink my opinion after seeing how the Thai people can act as one, figuratively speaking.
They have demonstrated that they can behave with discipline when the situation demands it. There have been, of course, instances of truancy. But in general people do act responsibly.
The public consensus displayed can only happen in times of crisis.
Another compelling reason, however, is people's respect and trust for doctors and nurses. They see how the health professionals have risked their lives with inadequate protective gear and worked tirelessly under tremendous pressure in a very oppressive environment.
If the doctors and nurses can endure it, the least the people can do is follow their advice.
The pandemic has exposed severe deficiencies in our health system. But if not for the dedication of healthcare workers and volunteers, the situation would not have turned out so well.
More health emergencies, however, can be expected in the future. When or how we do not yet know, but we must be prepared.
The pandemic has confirmed that the threat to national security in the modern age is not a military one. Our health system deserves greater attention and funding.
Military spending should be pared down. After all, you can't fight a virus with bombs and bullets.