On a road to nowhere with self-serving MPs

Over the past few weeks, the performance of Thai MPs, in both government and opposition parties, has been disappointing – even at a time when voters may want them most.
While voters are suffering from rising costs of living as well as uncertainties from external factors such as the debt crisis in Europe, which could explode and sink the global economy, Thai politicians have not done their jobs to help people prepare for the possible crisis.
Instead, they have heightened up the political temperature by trying to push for their political agenda regardless of the consequences. Some have engaged in childish acts in the parliament.
During this difficult time, these politicians should instead have acted as exemplary models to show voters that it was possible to solve any issue in a decent and civilised manner. But they did not.
Over the past few weeks, many crises have loomed across the nation. The Bank of Thailand, for instance, has warned Thais that the impact from the European debt crisis may be larger than the initial forecast because the problem is unlikely to be fixed any time soon. In the meanwhile, disappointing economic data in the US as well as economic slowdown in China do nothing to help enhance consumers’ confidence. Thai consumers are meanwhile struggling with the rising costs of living, day in and day out. This is not to mention the arrival of seasonal flooding, which already happened in some provinces.
Amid these concerns, the politicians from both sides have failed to calm voters’ nerves. None have led a discussion on how the country should be prepared for economic impacts. On the contrary, some of our MPs are engaged in brawls in the House or exchanging catchy words to push their agenda without trying to fulfil the expectations that voters have had with them.
Otherwise, they set a higher priority on their own agenda instead of considering what voters want, which is quite simple, that is a good economy or a supportive business environment that they can thrive on. Some politicians may have taken things for granted, assuming they could easily satisfy voters with hand-outs. But that isn’t always the case.
Of course, politicians often reflect the characteristics of their supporters. Voters want people whom they can feel comfortable with or people whom they can identify with. Sometimes, MPs like to use catchy phases to entertain their supporters but they should have done more to upgrade the level of discussion for the benefit of their people.
For instance, other countries are debating the options for economic policies such as what the proper tax collection rate should be, or what should the proper level of welfare benefits be, that won’t create too many burdens on the state in the future. Thai politicians are still engaging in tit-for-tat exchanges. They did not rise above the voters, even though they should have done so, given their privileges in society.
Even in China, the people at the top understand well that power alone cannot help them maintain their positions, unless people enjoy economic well-being. This is because economic well-being matters the most to people.
Instead of urging people to be aware of changing economic environment, many Thai politicians are still engaging in routine political bickering without any solutions for voters.
Their supporters may be entertained by political sound bites. But after the people are directly affected by economic woes, voters may no longer be amused easily. Then, the social capital of these politicians could run out mighty fast.