Credit given to Prayut belongs elsewhere

I read A Johnsen’s assertions and unhesitating glorification of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for his knowledge and associated courage regarding economics. 

I do not want to enter into a debate about the form and content, but I would like to focus on the headline itself. I read the Legatum Prosperity Index for 2015 carefully. Although A Johnsen is correct in reporting the exact ranking of Thailand published in the report, he or she completely missed the fundamental point, which changes everything!

In fact, the ranking is for the period between 2009 and 2015. 

Therefore, it is simply impossible, given the political situation in Thailand during that same period, to attribute any credit for Thailand’s economic performance to the current PM, who came to power in the coup of 2014. 

Without any intention to exploit the argument politically, I would suggest rephrasing the headline as “Findings show PMs Abhisit and Yingluck did better than many now claim”. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s – and give credit where it’s due.

I contacted the Legatum Institute in London. They politely confirmed that the ranking for Thailand stems from 2009 to 2015, so my initial doubts were successfully proven.

Gilles Bernard