OPINION

Unfair trade

Re: "30% not a majority", (PostBag, May 25).

Yingwai Suchaovanich should know that his maths are indeed "wrong" -- in the moral sense. Firstly, on his "whataboutism", he surely knows that senators are appointed, a holdover of a form of authoritarian control called "military government".

Through their salaries, they owe fealty not to the people but directly to the Royal Thai Army, which can replace them at will.

Secondly, the approximately 300 seats won by the reform-inclined parties would appear to constitute a majority greater than 30%, and that is what matters.

In any case, according to Khun Yingwai's own logic that the senators are disinterested non-partisans reflecting the true will of the people, many could back the reform parties anyway, even if it meant their own dissolution. But would a tiger ever trade places with a buffalo?

Reform wave

Re: "30% not a majority", (PostBag, May 25).

In his eagerness to diminish Move Forward's stunning success in the May 14 poll, Yingwai Suchaovanich appears to have failed to understand that Move Forward is in fact well aware of the simple mathematics that 30% is not even an outright majority, let alone a landslide win.

That is also why the party promptly entered into negotiations to form a coalition with reasonably like-minded parties.

One that Khun Yingwai may have failed to spot, is that over 70% of Thais did indeed vote in favour of parties not tainted by association with coups against both democracy and justice for Thai people.

That landslide in favour of democracy and against the traditions of dubious worth represented by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Graft pays

Re: "Make wages real", (PostBag, May 13).

Lungstib writes it's time to look at why life here is so expensive and who is raking in the money in but still won't pay a living wage.

Sir, don't look any further for an answer. A great deal of it is graft at all levels, be it infrastructure or politicians and everything in between.

Another one is monopolies of big companies like CP among others, controlling large swathes of the economy. That alone could add up to half the price of goods and services. The government stands by and does nothing.

Since the former senior country economist at the World Bank, Sawai Boonma, wrote his column about fighting corruption in 2010, nothing in Thailand has really changed.

And worst of all is that survey after survey shows the majority of Thais do not mind corruption as long as they get something out of it. So, can we assume that the population itself is ultimately to blame that life here is so expensive?

Bright sparks

Re: "Pushing Pita for premier", (About Politics, May 27).

We hope Pita will become the new prime minister. He will be in the same youthful, highly educated league as the British, Canadian and French leaders. Thailand's future will certainly be much brighter if education is on the priority list and democracy implemented.

Leave the monarchy issues to the people. The UK monarchy always works hard for the wellbeing of the people but, with perceptions of the monarchy changing, especially among young people, the royals have to find new ways to stay connected to them without relying on power and regulations.

Alluring watch

Re: "Trashy Caligula", (PostBag, May 23).

Some years ago when I was teaching at Dhurakij Pundit University, there was an Indian English teacher.

He was returning to India on leave, and the dean gave him a cash advance to buy some English language DVD films to put into the library.

He duly brought back a grand selection of big-name titles, which were duly placed on the library shelves.

A few weeks later the librarian told me that she couldn't understand why one of the films was so popular, particularly with the male students, who were reserving the film weeks ahead.

It turned out, of course, that the film was Caligula, and the teacher had bought it on the strength of the all-star cast, which included Peter O'Toole and Sir John Gielgud. Until the film was rapidly withdrawn, learning English by watching English films was the most popular language acquisition methodology at the university.