As the year draws to a close today, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's government has followed the tradition of gift-giving, which may be part of its "returning happiness" campaign it launched right after the power putsch in 2014.
In recent weeks the prime minister has instructed state agencies to provide "gifts" to the public. He boasted of a long list of freebies, which range from cash giveaways including a 1,000-baht value gift set for more than 5,000 newborn babies, to shopping tax rebates, and extra state services such as free entry to museums and historical sites. Most have been seen by many as measures to boost the regime's popularity at a time it appears to be dwindling. Such gifts look an awful lot like populist measures, and must come at great cost to the state coffer.
But what Thais want go beyond populism or piecemeal measures. They want nothing less than policies that will enable the country to fix its structural problems, such as poverty and inequality, as well as longstanding environmental issues.
While the regime deserves some credit for better performance in the macro economy, which typically reflects in higher-than-expected domestic growth figures. In this regard, Thailand is enjoying a 3.8% growth rate, but this is doing very little to bring about a "trickle down" effect. That is unfortunate as there appears to be no practical way to translate much-publicised growth into wealth distribution.
This explains why most people, as suggested by numerous opinion polls, still think the government has to do more to address the cost of living and to help alleviate economic hardship.
The regime must realise growth alone cannot ensure social justice. Instead, the public expects equal access to natural resources, in particular progressive land taxes that will generate wider land distribution, and real efforts to tackle wealth concentration. When it comes to such crucial issues as inequality, it requires structural changes that will be achieved only with drastic action and fair laws, not cash giveaways or other freebies.
Moreover, the public expects the regime to attach importance to state welfare, in particular the universal healthcare scheme that benefits millions of people. Despite global recognition, the government regards the scheme as a burden and is now reviewing it. But it should know that any change to the scheme must make it better for the people -- or any gifts would be meaningless.
The regime should realise the claims that the state has no money for welfare is no longer justifiable when it has ramped up the military budget over the past few years. Instead, the regime will do the public a big favour if it takes the courageous decision to slash the military budget and allocate cuts where needed, since Thailand is currently enjoying a period of stability and international peacer.
In addition, the public hopes the regime will work out a strategy to tackle chronic environmental problems. For instance, Thailand is one of the worst countries for generating plastic waste, and there is no clear policy to deal with the matter.
More importantly, the regime must also prove that it can do better to meet public expectations regarding corruption.
The way the regime, in particular the prime minister, has handled the scandal involving Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and his flashy accessories has raised a question about transparency and its promise to be different from the many bad politicians who have blighted Thailand's reputation. The Prawit affair has eroded public trust, with many people of the belief that the three and a half years of military rule have far been a waste.
The only way for the regime to regain the much-needed trust is to address these high-profile scandals properly, without compromise.
We are promised elections next year. But some incidents, like the latest use of Section 44 on political parties have raised uncertainty. Thais expect the regime to show sincerity in following its own political roadmap to put the country back on democratic track, rather than issuing empty rhetoric.
Besides, some contentious orders, such as the ban on public gathering, have been misused as a tool to silence critics, and must be revoked. Allowing genuine freedom of expression would truly be a valuable gift.
As Privy Council President Gen Prem Tinsulanonda rightly stated, the prime minister has lost much of his support base. He made the statement this week when welcoming the prime minister, the cabinet and military top brass at his residence for new year's greetings.
Gen Prem, who is a former prime minister, stressed he hoped Gen Prayut would stay true to his stated goals and attract more support.
The senior statesman urged the prime minister to behave appropriately and act as a role model. This would enable him to win back people's support, Gen Prem said.
These are wise words that the prime minister must heed. It will take courage, but it would be a real gift that people cherish.
