Thaksin, a wolf in sheep's clothing
In Edward Kitlertsirivatana's recent letter he stated, "What is disappointing is that Thaksin chose to forgo his chance of making a positive impact. If he had been satisfied with his wealth and committed to advancing the nation, he would have been the gre
I too remember Thaksin coming to power. Everybody was saying he would not need to be corrupt as he was already very rich. The thing nobody was asking was: how had he accumulated such vast wealth and why did he need to hide it in other people’s names if it was made legally and free of corrupt dealings? He claimed all these billions stashed in other people’s names was an ‘honest’ mistake! This was ludicrous given he has a PhD in criminology and was a ranking police officer. The day he was exonerated only fuelled the belief that anybody could be bought off in Thailand if the price was right.
The truth about Thaksin was he was unwilling to put his country’s needs before his own personal greed. He was an autocrat who subverted government policy to favour his private businesses and tried to destroy anybody who dared criticise him for doing this. He constantly lied. He lied about his assets, he lied about owning Shin Corp, he lied about having offshore companies, he lied about turning up for court, he lied about “washing his hands” of politics and he lied about funding red shirt protests. The real question is: What is wrong with the Thai system that it can produce a policeman as greedy and self-absorbed as Thaksin? How can a policeman with a high education have such a wayward moral compass? You could say he was only as corrupt as a corrupted system allowed him to be.
Thailand is not a poor country. It is rich in resources, rich in food, rich in natural beauty, and most importantly, rich in spirit with a talented and vibrant population with vast and varied talents. The majority of decent people are constantly let down by a predator class of greedy, corrupt politicians and officials who feel it is their right to plunder the public purse or extort the public for services that they are paid to do. The wealth of Thailand is in the hands of too few and they are reluctant to share or make changes to a more egalitarian system. They say violence is the “language of the inarticulate”. People who cannot articulate their despair often turn to violence to make a point, and who can blame them given the system in Thailand! Unfortunately for the poor in Thailand, they have chosen a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” as their saviour. How do we know a wolf? By his own actions he has revealed himself. He had his chance but his own greedy nature was his downfall.
People should stop making excuses for him. He had more advantages than most of us ever get.
Logbags
Australia
