A mind for democracy

Re: "Potential clash of election, university tests alarm educators", (BP, Oct 25).

I am not sure what the conflicts are about university exams and the date of elections? What value do Thai elections have if students are not able to participate?

Voters in any democracy are easily manipulated by fears and smears. There has never been a democracy-loving country in Asean. The region has been in the grip of autocratic regimes and armies for centuries. People who believe in individual freedom and human rights are a minority and always have been. Unfortunately, this also includes young students. Just look at how everyone doubts the value of pending elections in Thailand. In a country where coups have become the norm, it would be hard for these powerful entities to align in favour of democracy.

In Thailand, for young people to vote their way to creating a civil society is not an easy path. There simply are not enough young people who share these values. In reality, most Thai people have little or no values that can force the creation of a democratic society. The educational system and other allied agencies have failed to cultivate the values needed for creating democracy. Even after 22 or more coups, the majority simply react to their surroundings largely controlled by a powerful alliance of legacy institutions, the elite, the military and the police. Politicians are like seasonal arrivals who are dethroned, jailed or exiled.

In Thailand, for a sustained change and to build a government that respects individuals' rights and freedoms, changes need to happen election after the election. Young students should lead the change. For that to happen, all university exams must be rescheduled in favour of elections.

KULDEEP NAGI

Political graveyard

Re: "Lions who lead sheep", (PostBag, Oct 26).

I agree with everything in the letter, but I would like to ask what do you mean by mentioning Thai politicians "dying in disgrace"? Can you give the readers the names of those politicians who are dying, or who have already "died" in disgrace? And why is it a disgrace? And while you are at it, please tell the readers who the Thai politicians were who died in honour, and why they were honoured.

Somsak Pola

Cannibalistic culture

Re: "Lions who lead sheep", (PostBag, Oct 26).

It matters little whether lions lead sheep, or sheep lead lions. The end result is always the same. Everyone eats everyone else. Everything starts out well-intentioned, with peace and harmony. Acrimony inevitably soon sets in. Name calling, accusations, corruption, and of course the most important factor-personal gain, seems to take precedence, leading to chaos, confusion, disenchantment and more.

It doesn't matter who the party leader is, or what party is involved. They all start out with good intentions, but for whatever reasons, there is no such thing as party or political unity in Thailand. It is every man for himself. Therefore, the army always stands by.

Frankly, I support Prime Minister General Prayut, because these past four years have been stable, peaceful, and quiet. Corruption is definitely down. Stay on, general. Stay on indefinitely, as long as you like. You have more supporters than detractors.

Buttercup

Leave it to the people

Re: "Feted economist Pasuk offers tips to curb inequality", (BP, Oct 24).

I commend the celebrated Thai economist Pasuk Phongpaichit for offering a number of wonderful ideas to reduce wealth inequality in Thailand and fully concur that the runaway wealth inequality seen by much of the world is truly the scourge of modern times. However, I do feel that the Bangkok Post's article may have exposed a glaring fault in this economist's thesis: Almost all of the solutions proposed in the article are couched in visions of big government programmes, and the sum total of the published ideas reads like an elitist economic remedy for a problem that is actually elitist and top-down, itself.

Revising the land development and building tax, legal reform, democratic reform, political reform, educational reform, redistributing revenue and organising labour are not only expensive government ventures, but they are often very Western-centric in their philosophies, too. (Excepting the article's tiny aside to a few Korean and Japanese programmes.)

The problem with government solutions is that the tack is still taken of encouraging the common man to rely on either the government or the "learned few" to solve his problems. However, the power of creating an individual's own economy seems all but completely discounted by today's academics and economists -- who themselves are often salaried within enterprises that generate little revenue.

Yet, seeing wealth inequity across a pluralism of host countries, the real answers become clear: Many displaced young Westerners are flocking to Thailand in droves to get a university education that is otherwise out of reach to new domestic out-groups. They are emigrating to new lands of opportunity, as did their forefathers, as well as build their own "economy of 1" ... with no sign of any government aid in sight.

Additionally, less academic, more entrepreneurial Thais have created wealth, opportunity, individual economies, as well as local economies through new ideas like Ling Farm, Local Alike, Wishbeer, Open Innovation Forums, revolutionary forms of distance language education, as well as through reinventing more traditional businesses that harbour labour rates that are competitive on the global stage.

Alas, big government initiatives and large universities do not create wealth; they consume it. So long as the solutions to wealth inequality are left to a government, or to the opulent universities of our states, the draconian cost of solving this problem by making the rich less rich will only be paid for out of the taxpayers' purse; with the poor forever becoming eternally the poorer because of it.

Jason A Jellison

Stick to your guns

Re: "Butchers' logic", (PostBag, Oct 25).

Felix Qui writes, "respect for critical reasoning goes hand in hand with other morals". I am often guilty of failing to act upon the conclusions of my own reasoned analysis of what a good course of action might be at any given moment, for example, eating an ice cream cone when I know it is bad for my heart.

The pseudonymous Mr (or Ms) Qui eats meat despite describing a sound argument against it.

The important distinction between knowledge and intelligence is the integration of the will to act upon what one's deepest convictions are. It is what we do that determines our moral virtue, not what we know, and it is our moral action that determines our spiritual understanding and destiny.

Most would agree that the needless slaughter of countless animals under the most horrific of conditions is wrong, yet few act to stop it. It is also wrong for governments to oppress their citizens and spend their money on useless weapons of war. But even fewer will act to stop the injustice of those in power. Such is the condition of modern society and the nature of this era.

Michael Setter

Have a veggie burger

Re: "Butchers' logic", (PostBag, Oct 25).

Felix Qui notes how hypocritical it is to condemn the killing of a cat (though of course we should condemn it) while ignoring the suffering of the tens of billions of animals (perhaps trillions if you include fish) who are murdered and often tortured for food.

The reason I'm both an animal rights activist and a vegan is because I believe if an animal can suffer as much as a human, and there is no biological reason to believe that at least vertebrate animals can't suffer as much as us, then making them suffer is just as cruel and immoral as torturing a human.

But it upsets me that Mr Qui, who knows better, isn't a vegetarian. Would it really be so difficult to eat a veggie burger instead of a hamburger so our animal friends don't have to suffer so much?

Eric Bahrt

THAI snottiness

I have some sympathy with the pilots involved in the dispute over seats (BP, Oct 24). The flight crews would know that some of the first-class passengers had not paid for their upgrade and it was probably a "Do you know who I am?" upgrade. There's too much of this on Thai Airways. Ultimately, ground staff should have sorted out the problem.

This year, Thai was ranked No.10 in the Skytrax Best Airline awards, deservedly so in my view. It's sad to see the worldwide publicity their staff members have generated, which will probably result in a lower ranking next year.

Ian

U-Tapao taxi scam

A regular traveller to Chiang Mai, for many years I would take a flight from Suvarnabhumi and recently with Air Asia flying from U-Tapao it is much more convenient for residents of Pattaya.

I would take a minicab to the airport and then the same minicab would pick me up a few days later, until one day when the car was surrounded by soldiers wearing camouflage. We were told that we could not leave, and then the "taxi manager" arrived to inform me that no taxis were allowed as it was a military base.

Minicabs and taxis can take you to the airport, but not pick you up. Fine, I said, I will remember for next time. But they wouldn't let me leave until I used one of the airport limousines, for 1,000 baht.

Try and get a minicab to pick you up. Instant refusal -- everyone is too scared.

This week I discovered the price from U-Tapao to Pattaya has increased to 1,200 baht, more than the cost to the international airport, but a shorter distance.

I told the assistant that it was expensive, to which she replied that Pattaya is very, very far away! Or you can walk!

EBRIL

Soros no Nazi

Re: "The evil of Soros", (PostBag, Oct 26).

Conspiracy theories, although nothing new, are a scourge of our age, and HHB's claim that George Soros betrayed his fellow Jews in wartime Budapest is a particularly odious example of the genre. The truth is very different. Soros' father could see what was coming, and to protect his family from a terrible fate paid for a forged certificate stating that they were Christians. In a further move to avoid detection, he arranged for 14-year- old George to stay, ostensibly as his godson, with an official in the pro-Nazi Hungarian government, part of whose duties was to catalogue possessions of deported Jews.

Apparently George sometimes accompanied him when he carried out this task, but as a young boy he can hardly be accused of being officially involved. Desperate times require desperate measures. Which of us would not have tried anything to survive in similar ghastly circumstances?

There are plenty valid reasons to criticise George Soros, for example his recent support for a movement to overturn the democratic decision of the British people to leave the European Union, but resorting to misrepresentation of the facts and character assassination is vile and an insult to our intelligence.

Robin Grant

Trink's 'Nam hoax

In a review published on Oct 25, Bernard Trink claims there was no Vietnam War in the 1960, when he travelled to Asia for the first time. This is not true:

The first Vietnam War between Vietnam and France took place from 1946-1954.

The second Vietnam War between Vietnam and the US took place from 1954-1975.

Torben Retboll

Storm in a braincell

Why does it take brainstorming to solve the problem of mountains of trash building up on Koh Samui, as mentioned this week in local media? Surely the easy solution would be to fix the the waste disposal plant which is apparently out of action, or is that too easy a solution?

Brian Corrigan

Khashoggi overkill

Regarding the murdered Saudi journalist, which has been in the media's focus for many days, am I missing something? There is a massive clamour from the media and politicians around the world to punish the Saudis. Yes, of course, his murder is horrible. But hang on, aren't there far more horrific murders, especially mass murders, committed elsewhere, including in the West, on a regular basis? Why aren't nations placing embargoes on the US, Europe, etc?

Come to think of it, why are we all trading with each other at all, if trade has any ethics? Is it possible that this media hysteria is because it involves a fellow journalist?

Motoguzzibob

Contact: Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 fax: +02 6164000 Email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
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