OPINION

Money badly spent

According to local media reports, the Royal Thai Army is spending 2.3 billion baht to buy 14 more Chinese tanks to join last year's lot of 39.

I have no problem with defence spending that meets our military's needs. But tanks are for land battles: which of our land neighbours might we fight in the foreseeable future? Our legendary enemies from Myanmar? Laos? Malaysia? I don't see that happening, so what about domestic enemies? Tanks aren't suitable for fighting terrorists whose main weapons are IEDs or hit-and-run attacks such as drive-by shootings of police stations.

Since World War II, the main (or only?) action that RTA tanks have seen are conducting coups or suppressing student unrest: surely we don't need 53 tanks for that? For starters, the military should learn that their role is to guard against external threats, and leave domestic peacekeeping to the police.

Cancel the tanks, and put the money towards clear and present dangers, for example, patrol craft to fight smugglers or equipment to fight terrorists.

So it's another weekend of smog at deadly levels, following another week of official action aimed at the wrong target. Our government halts construction, which produces PM10. Legions of motor vehicles meanwhile remain free to belch out PM2.5 -- and that is what proveably destroys lives.

Yes, construction is a problem, but more for what it deprives us of than what it emits. Inexorably, the authorities have allowed trees -- the cleansing "lungs" of our planet -- to be hacked away, making room for a grim procession of concrete monoliths.

With hindsight, the year 2002 can be seen as a turning point, when the well-functioning and decidedly "green" Siam Intercontinental Hotel was demolished. Simultaneously, at the heart of the city, most of its 10.5 ha of life-saving parkland and foliage were razed, and replaced with a high-end shopping mall and another hotel.

Ironically, it was also in 2002 that the Ministry of Natural Resources was set up, charged with "returning the natural environment to the Thai people". Far from returning it, they have presided over its decline. In what state will they bequeath it to future generations? The replacement complex of the old Dusit Thani Hotel, will Lumpini Park itself have been concreted over soon?

The mind is filled with horror, as our lungs are filled with toxins.

I downloaded the Road Transport Department's new app which would display your driving licence on your smart phone and dispense with the requirement to carry the original in your wallet. What the department failed to notify was that the app will not work for existing licence holders as there is no QR code on the back of the old licences.

The only way drivers will be able to take advantage of this new technological advancement is by losing their old licence and then applying for a new one with the code on the back. Of course you can expect a charge for this.

Thais are anticipating the "imminent" general election. I think Thailand should adopt electoral reform to allow Thais to elect the head of government directly.

If elected MPs served only as legislators, self-serving politicians might find no incentives to participate in an election.

As it is, local constituents may elect unscrupulous representatives partly because they are influential and wealthy. The new system would attract more honest and capable candidates and Thais could get to choose their leader directly who didn't need to repay those MPs for their support.

The mixed votes could represent the majority. The elected leader should, then, be more accountable to the overall voters and country.

That should boost the government performance and lead to subsequent reduction of the level of corruption that includes bribery, graft, cronyism, nepotism, and others.

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