29 December 2007

The Nation’s Group webpage, Samak Sundarajev for dummies, about sums up the former Bangkok governor’s best electoral resource – dummies; that is, if you believe a recent Bangkok-based conversation that ended with, “Those voters in the provinces are stupid.”

Those same two having the conversation have perhaps forgotten, however, that Bangkok itself overwhelmingly voted in for governor with over one million votes. Later the City of Angel’s residents found out that while Samak couldn’t do much for city administration, he did make a fascinating television personality chef.

The single-most recurring thing that prompts almost everyone to argue in favor of Thaksin and TRT is the “He helped the poor who were never given any help before.” Perhaps…perhaps not. Thaksin’s populist policies were more in the form of brushfires, impetus given here and there, short-lived but effective, rather than nationally conducive to growth.
His well-known village fund scheme has been, according to experts, well over 75% waste, and other incentives such as the One Village One Product copied from the Japanese have never had a public airing of return on investment. In short, it’s another program likely heavily subsidized by the voter. The one program that Thaksin did put into effect was the 30 Baht medical care scheme that was, of course, helpful to anyone needing medical care. The fact that it put many hospitals out of business from burdening debt and helped raise the cost of living to the general public by offsetting expenses with income from taxes was not much publicized. Which perhaps takes us to one of the central cores of Thai politics in general and Thaksin’s in particular – lack of transparency on the one hand, and irresponsible flippancy toward the media on the other. Those who claim to hold democratic ideals and freedom of speech in high regard may wish to remind themselves of Thaksin’s infamous habit of holding up an ‘X’ when a member of the media asked him a question he didn’t like.
Of course, perhaps Samak one-upped this when he responded to a similar question to a female reporter, “Who did you fornicate with last night?” Are these the kinds of material that Thailand needs for a prime minister.

That the People Power Party is now apparently going to become the Thai government is a fact, albeit one big slap in the face to the military who stepped in on 19 September 2006 to remove a political wrong only to see it come back in a thinly veiled pseudonym.

BK

28 December 2007

One of the great things about living in Thailand is, of course - no, not the weather! - a plural attraction: food, places to see and women. Which order you arrange these three depends on you and your preferences, but generally speaking they are all there and are what brings most of us here to the Land of Smiles.

In Korat, and further inland into the real northeast (Isaan) things are a bit more complicated on the one hand and most simple on the other. As you leave municipal areas of large cities you get into the rural region where costs are cheaper, life a lot more sedate, and where, however, that single element - weather - may keep you from enjoying what might turn out to be life's greatest mistake.

Many foreigners come to Thailand and buy land, build a home and attempt to set up shop in their Thai wife's village. This does not always work, and for very good reasons. The culture divide is a significant one, and sometimes the longer you stay in an area the greater this divide becomes. At first it's relatively simple to ignore the natives and pretend that you are really somewhere where you ought to be and want ot be. But as time drags on you may find that you are not where you want to be and you want to move.

The first hurdle in this conundrum may be that you have spent too much money, or your Thai family have helped you do this, and you can't afford to move out and move on. So the first moral of this short story today is to make sure that you are doing the right thing at the very beginning. Sometimes there is not much of a choice, but even if you are 'cornered' so to speak, keep as many options open and don't put all your cash into one basket. You may lilve to regret it.

BK