This will cost all of us
Thaksin Shinawatra introduced the government's rice price-pledging scheme in the 2011 general election campaign. He was quoted as saying his Pheu Thai Party must win the poll at any cost. Now Thaksin's win has turned out to be the biggest cost ever - not
The total cost to the country is likely to reach Bt1 trillion within the remaining two years of the government’s tenure. More, Thailand’s standing as a leading rice exporter will slip further.
But the biggest losers seem to be the Thai farmers. First, they were lifted high by the government’s promise to pay Bt15,000 per tonne of paddy. However, in reality they got only approximately B10,000 due to the cheating and corruption on the part of millers, state officials and politicians on the government side.
Worse, as the law of gravity dictates, the higher you are lifted, the greater the impact when you fall and hit the ground.
The government has now dropped its pledge to farmers to B12,000, effective almost immediately. So say thank you to Thaksin, all ye well-behaving Thais!
Vint Chavala
Lamphun
