OPINION

Double standards

Re: "Soldier slip-up unforgivable", (Editorial, July 14).

The government keeps telling its people to not let down their guard but they themselves have. There have been many cases, including the Egyptian air crew who breached quarantine requirements and had special privileges. The emergency decree applies only to us, the people in Thailand, but not foreigners with special privileges. It clearly shows double standards are being applied. I'd like to suggest to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to get rid of the emergency decree and open up our country to all. We have survived the HIV/Aids pandemic and others. We should be able to live with Covid-19; it is not going away soon, despite what US President Donald Trump keeps saying.

Economy-wise, the global outlook is not very good at all. Covid-19 might cause an economic depression worse than the 1930s. PM Prayut, don't be afraid to tell the world and invite them to get good health care here in Thailand, encourage and open up for tourists and get the economy going. If you do nothing, the whole country will collapse soon.

I am telling you right now that no Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) members are fit to run any ministry. The only thing they are good at is licking, nothing more. There are many bright and successful Thais out there to get the economy rolling. It will be your call to tap the right people. Open minds, brainstorm, listen well, argue constructively, agreeing or disagreeing will all be okay, nothing personal.

Last but not least, greng jai is PM Prayut's weakest link!

Re: "Govt to create economic recovery task force". Here we go again. There is a task force for THAI, a task force to preserve historic buildings and other sites, a task force to improve the SRT, etc, now an economic task force. Thailand's government has more task forces than people or problems. The trouble is, these task forces are made up of the old guard -- old, tired men who meet infrequently, collect their lunch money, fall asleep in parliament meeting rooms if not in parliament itself while in session, procrastinate and do absolutely nothing. A year later, it's still, "duh" what next? Ohhh, must write a report? No one told us that.

As an expat reading Sanitsuda Ekachai's "hair saga reflects authoritarian culture," (Opinion, July 13), one must resist the temptation to say "no teacher would try that back home".

It awoke memories of my own schooldays when hair-length regulations were something of an obsession and a constant battleground between pupil and teacher, long hair being identified with loutish rebellion while short hair represented obedient conformity. But, as far as I can remember, the worst that happened was being sent to the barber. It was always interesting to note that those teachers most fervently engaged in defence of close-cropped conformity were invariably the ones whose teaching abilities were most questionable.

The "hair debate" disappeared from the agenda almost overnight when England (and, within a year or so, the rest of the world) was hit by a different kind of cultural revolution, ie the Beatles. What a pity the powers that be wish to impose the very kind of repression that prevents such expressions of genius.