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Howard Banwell's avatar

Having lived in Thailand for close to 14 years, and before that having traveled here for both business and sailing regattas since the 1980s, I still find it close to impossibly hard to understand almost anything about the intricacies of Thai politics, the kingdom’s ever-changing constitution, and the roles (and integrity) of the various courts. Which is why I appreciate your analyses so much.



One question that has always intrigued me is why the various governments have achieved so little in the way of practical reform that would enrich and improve the day-to-day experience of the people who elect them. Obvious things such as a long term plan to make drinkable water available to the whole country outside of Bangkok. Or establishing road building standards that are enforced across the whole country to obviate the need to resurface them (equally badly) every few years. Or incentivising central government and provincial agencies to develop customer friendly technology that brings us into the 21st century. But the list is far, far longer and far more complex than this, of course.

I have long felt, and your post today would lend support to this, that the key issue here is that the system of government is pretty well dysfunctional leading to a situation where the PM, the cabinet ministers, the party leaders and the political power brokers must spend 90% of their time focussed on their near-term survival. Such survival issues as where will the next legal challenge to their own position or to their party’s existence come from? What can they trade with rivals to consolidate their power or to remove a new threat to it? What policy “news” can they release to the media today that might strengthen their reputation (despite nothing ever actually transpiring, and little follow-up from the press). And that’s not to even mention the time spent by many on enriching themselves and their fellow-travelers.

So, how do we achieve the fundamental reforms the people of Thailand (and the thousands of well run local companies) so richly deserve? Short of a truly benevolent dictatorship, or a governing party that prioritizes a workable, modern constitution and substantive progressive improvements to the country’s modus operandi — both of which continue to be exceptionally unlikely — I fear nothing will ever change. And Thailand will fall increasingly behind its peers economically.

I returned from 2 weeks in China at the weekend. China overtook Thailand in GDP per capita only 13 years ago, but today China’s GDP per capita is approaching double that of Thailand. Since 2006, Thailand’s GDP per capita has somewhat more than doubled, while Vietnam’s has gone up almost five times. Et alia.



It depresses the hell out of me. Thailand has so much more potential than any of its governments have properly exploited and built upon. But without fundamental change in its political and public systems, it will only continue to lag behind its peers.

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Jeff Sparks's avatar

Another excellent article, Ken. I can't see the elite letting the alliance between PT and Bhumjaithai collapse, however

Could it be Somsak will defy the Medical Council and reject their disciplinary findings regarding the three doctors?

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