Fear of failure and mockery drives inertia
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Re: "Remember your promise, Mr Thaksin?" Letter, December 24.
Vint Chavala ridicules Thaksin Shinawatra for failing to solve Bangkok’s traffic congestion a decade ago. Thaksin probably thought he could, but he failed miserably and people are mocking him.
It is no wonder Thais are shy to express their ideas and afraid to take on daunting tasks. They dare not dream the impossible dream or fight the unbeatable foe, because if they fail they’ll be insulted and laughed at. Had the Wright brothers been born Thai, I’m sure they’d be sneered at and told to leave flying to the birds.
In Thailand, if you excel in something, people will envy you and try to stab you in the back. They don’t want you to surpass them. But if you fail they would be thrilled to laugh at you. Thais grow up believing it is better to do doing nothing than to fail. It’s in our DNA.
Meanwhile, it is ironic that those who took advantage of the first-car tax rebate are well-educated middle-class people who severely criticised Pheu Thai’s new-car policy, while Pheu Thai’s main supporters are uneducated and poor and can’t afford a car.
Somsak Pola
Samut Prakan
