Ah, digital economy? What exactly is that?

The Quote of the Week for October 19-25 comes from Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula (“Digital Economy Act draft ‘by year-end’,” October 20):

“The digital economy is what challenges me most, as I’m not good at it.”

He's not alone. Hardly anybody over the age of 30 knows anything about the digital economy. I don’t even know what it means.

MR Pridiyathorn’s admission comes as a breath of fresh air, and deserves our praise for its honesty, modesty, and frankness.

We can be grateful that nobody said anything egregiously stupid last week. But Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung may have crossed the line with his insightful assessment of what universal suffrage would mean for his city: “You’d be talking to the half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than US$1,800 (Bt58,000) a month.” (“Hong Kong leader says poor would dominate free vote,”  October 22.)  The people who don’t count, in short.

Close on his heels came the Malaysian Muslim leader Noor Gadut, who responded to an event that encouraged people to pat dogs by warning, “Don’t try to create a culture that is opposite to Islam.” (“Malaysia’s Islamic authorities investigating ‘dog patting’ event,” October 22.)

If the mighty edifice of Islamic culture is threatened by people who pat dogs, it must be a fragile structure indeed.

Stay tuned for the next Quote of the Week. 

Howard Beasley

(The Quote Guy)