Kittiratt's export figure no 'white lie'

Kittiratt Na-Ranong’s export growth target of 15 per cent belongs to the last type of lie, and is not a white lie. White lies are minor or benign falsehoods to avoid embarrassment. Asked by one’s wife about the dress she has chosen, one never says the truth that it is ugly but, for the sake of peace, just keeps silent or expresses a neutral term like “interesting”, but never say it is fantastic, like a 15 per cent export growth rate. We swear in court that we will tell “the truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God”. A minister has given an oath to uphold integrity; one would therefore not expect any admitted lie of any category from him.

Khun Kittiratt must have had a momentary lapse of sense, and is now unable to attribute it to poor reporting or translation because he deliberately labelled his distorted growth rate with the English term “white lies”. He will have a hard time living down his image as Pinocchio. I am starting to believe that the IMF never expressed support for a monetary policy based on growth targeting, as opposed to the Bank of Thailand’s policy of inflation targeting.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok