Give Prayut time to prove himself
John Arnone did not appreciate what I wrote about the accomplishments of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha. ("Judge this government by how it treats the poorest citizens" Letters, August 26).
He does not approve of the government raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. Would he have supported a reduction to encourage more people to drink, smoke and waste their money?
And how often does he drive inter-city to say that the ‘majority of roads’ are two lane highways? Most routes linking Lanna with Isaan and Lanna with the South are now excellent four-lane highways.
And a bullet train to connect Ubon Ratchatani and Chiang Mai? The current higher income passenger demand between the two cities is reflected in the once-daily 12-seat Kan Air Cessna. Not too many investors likely there.
The final insult to Mr Arnone was the “crisis panel”. I do not see anything wrong with this as long as the elected governments play by the rules of law and are not corrupt. The panel also serves to prevent future coups.
Mr Arnone’s support of poor farmers in Isaan is commendable, and indeed there are still many poor villages where life is very hard. A recent visit there however reflected a different side. Driving for hundreds of kilometres, I continually observed many nice houses in small villages, all with pickup trucks and motorcycles parked in the porch. Regular clusters of True satellite dishes completed an overall impression of growing prosperity.
The prime minister faces a huge and complicated task. Improvements will happen slowly. More mistakes and miscalculations will inevitably be made, eagerly awaited by his critics.
I still believe he is a man of integrity who, given the chance and the support, can take our country forward. Give him time to prove himself.
Dusit Thammaraks
