I would venture to suggest the disappearance of Yingluck Shinawatra to avoid a jail sentence does not fit in the same category as other examples of criminals escaping justice in the Land of Smiles. Whether she is guilty or not is surely irrelevant.
The reality has become clear that to imprison such a personable and inoffensive lady who enjoys, rightly or wrongly, the passionate support of at least half the population would have been an act of folly that would have invited divisions that could have led to unintended consequences, including civil strife and even civil war.
Frankly, I would hope that all people concerned would appreciate that Yingluck's departure, from a pragmatic point of view, is by far the best outcome and should be gratefully accepted as such!
Tony Ash
A benevolent dictator
In his Sept 30 comment, Kong Rithdee said: "But still, history tells us that when a prime minister has been driven out, the country has gone from bad to worse, from one uncertainty to more uncertainties…" Perhaps in the past.
Actually Thailand has not gone from bad to worse, but bad to much better than it was before. At least there are less uncertainties, less corruption, and hopefully, it will get better and better, the longer Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha remains.
Sure, lots of reforms are a long way off, but they were a longer way off with those past prime ministers who focussed on themselves rather than focusing on the country. If Prayut is quite a benevolent dictator in many ways. Thailand could have had a Hun Sen, a Suu Kyi, (talk about wishy-washy indecisiveness), or even, someone akin to that blob who rules his personal fiefdom called North Korea.
Devilish Mango
Plan carefully
Crafting a 20-year national strategy plan is essential for Thailand. To accomplish this, we need to know where we are, where we want to be in 20 years, and how to get there. While I agree with having a national blueprint, I have a few concerns.
1. Will those picked into various categories in the blueprint be fully heard, and their expertise fully tapped on? Substance is far more important than appearance.
2. The real engine of growth in Thailand's economy is SMEs. They are the champion in boosting our GDP as well as making society more equitable and decentralised, not big businesses. This must be explicitly addressed in the blueprint.
3. Since it is a national strategy with everyone's interest at stake, should we not reach a consensus on where we want to be and how to get there? It defeats the purpose having a plan if it won't be carried out.
4. Will successive governments (elected or otherwise) be required to follow through this national strategy? What will be their incentives to carry the plan through?
5. We need to be realistic. Are we, as a nation, disciplined and prudent enough, to see the plan executed to its fruition? Our relative strengths and weaknesses, the capabilities of our human labour and the resources available must be honestly considered.
As a case for comparison, Singapore has always committed itself to national strategies. One of them was in 2015 -- a 10-year master plan published in 2006 to make Singapore "an intelligent nation, a global city, powered by Infocomm". Indeed, in 2006 Singapore's GDP per capita was approximately US$33,000 (1.1 million baht). By 2016, it increased to $54,000, a 63% increase within 10 years, making it one of the top 10 highest earners in the world then. Can we accomplish half of what Singapore achieved within 20 years? Only time will tell, aided by a visionary leader with a competent team, and a population devoted to that vision.
Edward Kitlertsirivatana
Time for a change
Re: "Archaic laws handicapping Thailand 4.0", (BP, Sept 29). It is indeed refreshing to read that Kobsak Phutrakul and Borwornsak Uwanno will be looking to amend restrictive laws and regulations that handicap business operations in Thailand.
For foreign business operations, the need to amend archaic immigration and labour laws immediately spring to mind. A good starting point would be to visit different foreign chambers of commerce for their views.
PR Observer
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