OPINION

There’s plenty to fear

Re: “It’s not terrorism we fear” (Life, Sept 11).

Adam Kohut’s article was quite accurate in one regard. It is not terrorism we fear. It is crossing in a marked crosswalk with the light green. That is a very sad truism, and a reflection of past governments’ lack of focus.

Mr Kohut fears the men who are still in power. I fear elected officials who hold 2am meetings to whitewash past sins of former office holders. I fear past democratically-elected governments who did nothing about human trafficking, slave labour and airline safety. I fear elected governments who did nothing about massive illegal land grabs, jet ski scams, immigration graft and ineptness. I fear past governments elected on populist policies only to sink the country into massive debt.

Mr Kohut seems all too eager to bring them back. Lastly, I fear journalists who only get the story partly right, but pass it off as dogma.

MWB

Re: “Police crack down on ‘jet-ski mafia’ ” (BP, Sept 12).

Officers raided seven key locations in Pattaya and found out there were 127 jet-skis operated by 58 proprietors and employees and arrested and charged — wait for it — one suspect for allegedly trying to extort money from foreigners — wow!

I don’t believe it, or should I say I can’t believe it. For years people have been making complaints to City Hall, and coming up with video evidence showing the jet-ski mafia and others, including policemen, involved in the scams.

Perhaps when City Hall puts up signs which say “Renting a jet-ski could be bad for your well-being and your finances — Don’t rent a jet-ski”, I will believe something is being done.

RickJomtien

Re: “Blame John Kerry” (PostBag, Sept 12).

I made it very clear in my letter that I did not feel “cheated out of (my) rewards for service to (my) country”. My service was immaterial — it is my previous entitlements from paying British taxes and National Insurance that I feel cheated out of.

Rampart White needs to "look rather more closely" at current and recent events. The problems do not stem from John Kerry and his counterparts — they were simply given a situation where the unjustifiable invasion of Iraq in 2003, a decade beforehand, had destabilised the precarious political and military balance in the Middle East leading to civil wars, the breakdown of law and order, an extremist, fanatical religious movement that crossed national boundaries, and mass slaughter and migration.

The only options the West had was to step back and do nothing in a situation which it was responsible for at least precipitating, or to take some form of limited military action. The West was damned whatever it chose, but at least it took some responsibility for the mess it had just created instead of simply walking away. Look back a decade, Rampart White, and you may get a clue as to who is responsible — or look back a few more decades to when the British and the French were carving up the Gulf and creating kingdoms which bore no relation to ethnic, tribal or religious boundaries and you may get some more clues.

John G

It’s high time for something completely different. The new Constitution Drafting Committee should be tasked solely with providing a framework, procedures, and the organisation and election of an assembly, (please note I am not talking about a parliament). Such an election could take place well within 2016.

The main task of this assembly would be to draft the next constitution which would need no further approval as it would have been created by a nationally elected body. Obviously expert advice and assistance would be needed, but this should be a matter for the assembly itself.

To get away from what has gone before, serving and retired members of the armed forces, the police and civil service should be barred from standing as candidates, as should any member of an elected government over the past 10 years.

All candidates should stand as independents without any political party involvement, neither should there be any canvassing. Hopefully this would encourage persons of goodwill who eschew politics, and activists and those favouring a sustainable economy to take part.

Another function of the assembly would be oversight of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) with power to nullify its decisions. Amongst other things, the new constitution should totally reform the justice system from the police to the courts, with the aim of completing all court cases within one year.

All this is going to take quite a while so there should be no time limit, but there is no reason why completed parts of the new constitution should not immediately be put in place. Thailand should remain stable during this period with the existence of the NCPO.

In time this assembly might morph into a uniquely Thai form of government or go back to parliamentary elections, in either case the NCPO would then be dissolved.

Crustasian

It used to be that candidates for president of the United States essentially said, “Vote for me because I have experience and a proven record of accomplishment in government.” Now the message is, “Vote for me because I have no experience, no record of accomplishment in government and never know what I’m talking about.”

Donald Trump’s position that America should deport 11 million people and build a 3,200km wall gives new meaning to the word insanity. But people like Trump because he’s blunt. It’s certainly blunt to call Mexicans “rapists” and unattractive women “fat pigs”.

But maybe bluntness isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And it certainly is no substitute for competence and human decency.

Eric BahrtChiang Mai

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