Suggested roadmap to reform
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The first step to political reform is for Thailand to get some political parties as opposed to groups of self-seeking businessmen getting together to spend taxpayers' money to their advantage. The parties need to have a vision coupled with a political age
Some elements of the way forward are there. Thailand is a rice-growing country with the ability to produce top-end product and get properly rewarded for it. The rice price-pledging scheme does not fit that scenario. The picture is of spivs making a lot of money, with the government buying votes. It should provide funding and education to improve the quality and variety of rice to justify a higher price for the farmers to charge by right. The farmers are treated like beggars existing on handouts rather than being the backbone of the community with their heads held high, beholden to nobody.
The mega-projects are a good idea but need to be controlled, free of corruption, and paid for out of annual budget.
The second step is to get a completely independent judiciary; the third an independent police force - one that’s in the news for solving crime more often than for committing it.
Richard Bowler
Bangkok
