With the New Year nearly upon us, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government has been quick to play Santa, with a sackful of presents unveiled to please the public over the festive period.
The cabinet's gift-giving, which was initiated during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, has now become a tradition, with no leader wishing to be seen as Scrooge by ending it. This year's gift list is so long that some media outlets have even begun calling the prime minister "Santa Tu" in honour of this perceived generosity.
Part of this year's package has involved several state agencies operating longer hours or waiving service fees for members of the public.
Other highlights include major stimulus packages, mostly offered by the Finance Ministry, to ease hardship following a year of lockdowns and shrinking economy. Among them are tax deductions of up to 30,000 baht when purchasing goods or services, an extension of the co-payment subsidy scheme, a cut in property transfer and mortgage fees, and a subsidy for domestic tourists.
Of course, members of the public have welcomed those gifts. But, in isolation, they are not enough.
Regardless of the time of year, state officials should fulfil their obligation to do their utmost to serve the public to the best of their ability while adhering to key values like efficiency, effectiveness, integrity and transparency. These principles of dutiful governance are ill-suited to sharing a platform with Christmas crackers and a turkey dinner.
A pledge by the police force to enforce a zero-tolerance policy on motoring misdemeanours only serves to highlight a lack of adequate law enforcement during the rest of the year.
More importantly, Prime Minister Prayut, who became known for his mantra of wishing to "return happiness to Thais" while serving as unelected post-coup leader, should pursue more meaningful, albeit less crowd-pleasing, policies aimed at permanently eradicating poverty through structural reform.
Thailand has a notoriously high level of income inequality, with a significant concentration of land ownership among a few wealthy families. Having been at the helm or almost eight years now, Gen Prayut should be looking to grasp these problem by their roots, not just prune the leaves.
Instead, he must push for amendments to laws and policies that give business giants an advantage and aggravate inequality, and do more and help small businesses compete.
Sweeping changes are also needed with regard to tackling discrimination against ethnic minorities and landless villagers, as well as the urban poor.
On the environmental front, year-round cleaner air and water would be legacy-making policy, remembered in years to come, rather than a swiftly forgotten act of populist tokenism.
Graft is another area that the prime minister must not turn a blind eye to, and bad apples among those in positions of power should be swiftly transferred to "inactive" posts pending legal investigation.
It is unfortunate that our general-turned-politician has done so little to foster reconciliation and reduce political conflicts as, without a will to change, Thailand will remain mired in political difficulties.
Gen Prayut has to know that these piecemeal presents cannot bring sustainable happiness. On the other hand, however, good governance, with concrete action to create a fair and just society, can.
