An urgent agenda for the country

When Thais and foreign observers consider 2018, a vaguely promised general election comes to mind. The issue is likely to keep everyone occupied – from the media and grassroots movements to the military rulers and politicians seeking a return to power. Real national issues for the new year, however, are not who is going to win the election and who will remain in power, but the fast-changing way of life that requires a visionary leadership willing to make sacrifices.
First and foremost, “education” has changed, thanks to the fast evolution of technology. The importance of “classrooms” in their conventional sense is dwindling. Adults and children are learning from the multiple screens that offer any lesson or any kind of information they want. This new way of learning is being hampered by business interests, old-fashioned ways to protect them, and misguided “responsibilities” of the powers-that-be or their opponents, both of whom seemingly don’t consider facilitating the new form of education to be the very top of their agenda.
Education is the most important thing in the fast-changing world, so the state’s investment in digital infrastructure will bear far greater fruits than, say, buying military equipment, building tall landmarks or even constructing super-fast railroads. However, Internet fees remain high, sending all platform operators laughing to the bank, and the government’s education portfolio is there to pacify rebellious political factions.
Next on the “must-do” list for 2018 is visionary manpower and labour management. This has to be done along with the education revamp, which, if executed properly, will upend the labour landscape, especially in terms of domestic skills and the need for foreign work forces. Already, the fledgling existence of the Asean Economic Community has led to more fluid labour movement, something that can cause international friction if not handled with good planning.
Then there is the urgent need to clean up corruption in Thailand. The issue has been too politicised and that has prevented a totally transparent and responsible Thailand from happening. The military rulers have been accused of being hypocrites, who go after their opponents but spare their own people. Politicians, meanwhile, cite the “hypocrisy” as an excuse for their own deplorable deeds. But Thailand has been stuck in this vicious circle for too long, meaning genuine development is impossible.
Next is the realisation that the three main tasks – education reform, visionary manpower management, and graft eradication – must be drilled into every inch of the national psyche, and everyone must keep the mission in mind regardless of ideology or what state the country is in. The military must hold dear the agendas no matter how much time it has left. The politicians must give the three main issues the utmost priority – whether they are preparing for an election race, sit in the government, or work in the opposition bloc. And both the military and politicians cannot do it without help from the rest of Thailand.
The must-do list concerns real issues for the common person on the street. It has nothing to do with what political system is good or what is bad. If those kind of questions come into play, real national progress can be disrupted as we all have learned the hard way. Those kind of questions also have the illusory quality of tricking us into thinking about how to move forward while in fact keeping us entrenched in a Catch-22 situation.