Two sides to Thaksin
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Re: "Elitism is what crippled Thailand", Letters, July 8.
Eric Bahrt blames the “elite” as the real root cause of Thailand’s major problems because the elite forever fault Thaksin Shinawatra but never praise his contribution. The writer is half-correct.
There is a large section of Thais, both elite and non-elite, who are fair-minded and have never forgotten Thaksin’s initiatives in making Thailand better, not only for the rural poor but also in establishing a social safety net for all that had previously only been considered half-heartedly. However, they also recognise the evilness of Thaksin in enriching himself and many other misdeeds. He is still on the run and has been damning Thailand through foreign lobbyists to whitewash his guilt. It is naive to give these elite Thai letter-writers such importance regarding the fate of Thailand. They are simply no fools, unlike some expatriate letter-writers who blindly adore one aspect of Thaksin while ignoring or not knowing of many of his ills, meanwhile using bombastic prose to uphold their half-truths. The Thais I write of are more like historians reading political developments objectively and emotionless after the events.
Songdej Praditsmanont
