Tips for tackling Thaksinism, part II: 3D development

My last letter dealt with the need for real reform if we are to move forward out of the current political malaise.
But what kind of reform are we talking about, and haven’t we tried it before and failed miserably?
One reason for previous failures might be because we focused only on the political dimension each time we tried to fix the system. We forgot that, in order for meaningful reform to take root, we need to make fundamental changes in the direction of our economic and social development as well. Without a strong middle class resulting from robust economic development, we lack the rock-solid foundation that a healthy democracy needs to flourish.
An economically strong and well-educated middle class is the best immunity we can have in our fight against Thaksinism, or whatever “ism” is thriving at the grass roots among people who feel left out by economic progress.
One way to tie economic development to political and social development (the three dimensions of development) is to place industrial clusters around the country to build competitive advantages, based on suitable geographical locations and available local resources. This should ensure that economic progress is fairly distributed around the country based on each region’s contribution, rather than any arbitrary allocation of resources to curry political favour. It should also ensure that political power is not be concentrated at the centre, thus making it harder for corrupt politicians to exploit.
To focus only on political development and ignore the other two dimensions runs the risk of repeating the same past mistakes over and over again.
Anan Pakvasa
Bangkok