While Thailand will have no popular elections for the foreseeable future, the Surayud regime’s public relations campaign for all things “sufficiency economy” has now gone to the polls – to an ABAC poll!
MCOT news has announced (my emphasis added) that:
Over 88 per cent of the respondents said in a recent poll that they were enjoying life after adopting the sufficiency-economy principle initiated by His Majesty the King. However, over half of the 4,215 people interviewed — 53.5 per cent — did not follow His Majesty the King’s philosophy strictly, and presumably, were not having a happy life as a consequence. The poll, conducted by Assumption University’s ABAC poll between January 3-13 in 21 provinces nationwide, found that just slightly more than half of the respondents did not follow the principle strictly and were not living happily. Many of the respondents also said Thailand has been encountering a number of problems in recent time and, therefore, it was necessary for the people to protect themselves by leading life through the sufficiency-economy philosophy.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Andrew Walker // Jan 14, 2007 at 10:21 pm
And, placed nicely beneath the Bangkok Post online article:
Buying Land or Condo?
Free Guide “Legal Ownership” Thailand Property & Legal Services
2 Jon Fernquest // Jan 16, 2007 at 3:01 pm
This probably does reflect the way that a lot of people feel.
They are sick of political disorder and just want peace, even if it comes with the military.
IMHO Myopic tunnel vision focus on one case, i.e. Thailand, doesn’t really help explain much.
Look at the current turmoil in Bangladesh which seems to mirror some of the same perceived problems with democracy:
“The current crisis is all about confidence. The Awami League and its allies simply did not have any confidence in the caretaker administration headed by President Iajuddin Ahmed, to deliver free and fair polls.”
“…The Awami League’s confidence in the new administration will grow if there are clear moves to reshuffle the civil administration, and remove officers loyal to the previous regime from key election duties. It will reach a peak once the electoral rolls are updated and the Election Commission is fully reorganised.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6253889.stm
Thaksin’s TRT was quickly becoming a one party state, a political impasse paralyzed the government, the only force capable of breaking the impasse (the military) acted, coup, now what? Another coup? Despite vocal media criticism and criticism by intellectuals, there is currently no political turmoil like there was last year or like there is currently in Bangladesh.
IMHO Critical economic decisions are now being made by Pridiyathorn who, though lacking the marketing expertise necessary in electoral democracy, is increasing transparency and implementing sound economic policy in his changes, and is showing as he goes along, how the marketing required of democracy itself, may have led to decreased transparency.
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