Have just finished repainting the house inside & out – bathroom is next. No internal doors and one internal wall gone. Have rigged up a sink, replaced the ceiling but we have baulked at replacing furniture for the time being. Bed rolls and garden chairs, and a home made shelving system that will take the most valuable items – we are not convinced it won’t happen again this year. A 40 minute downpour one afternoon resulted in local surface flooding – the storm water system is still blocked in places, and the pump engines are still being recovered
Rangsit looks as though it has recovered remarkably well, but a walking tour revealed many small businesses still shut, and many houses still bare or shuttered. Mattress output has at least trebled. I was dismayed to read reports of a BHT10m government party being held to ‘celebrate’ the ‘end’ of the flood.
Family did get the BHT5000 compensation, with a possibility of another 30,000. Bill, including lost wages, exceeds BHT150,000 so far, not including the furniture that hasn’t been replaced.
“The entire concept of “sufficiency” is laughable and developed solely with the idea in mind to make the rich even richer . . .”(#15)
If what Georgie says is true about ‘Sufficiency”, then that’s no laughing matter. ‘ Making the rich even richer’, if I am not mistaken, happens to be the very same foundation by which capitalism thrives and exults and multiplies . . . exponentially and to great excess.
But Greece (where democracy was invented?) is being prescribed (coerced yes?) the most austere sort of ‘sufficiency’ imaginable to right its past excesses (spending beyond means) by the world’s capitalist lords (IMF, European Central Bank and Big Banks).
Maybe HMK was ahead of the curve with the ‘Sufficiency Economy’, yes?
Vichai…so Ricky’s time is so valuable that s/he does not wish to read nonsense. I might not agree with all or most of your analyses but I do appreciate your sense of humor……
Permit me to ask for some contextualizing information.
Isn’t Chai-anan the principle author and main organizer of the 1997 country-wide writing of the post-Suchinda constitution?
Before that, wasn’t he the co-author (with David Morell) of the magnificent “Political Conflict in Thailand”?
Help me out, but I would say that these two rule out any facile judgements of him as a right-wing royalist. He may just be a victim of the forced-choice polarization that we see occurring.
Further, isn’t there some writing about his reaction to Thaksin’s abuse of power within the same 1997 constitution? Could his current view of democracy’s fallibility stem from that period?
Yes, many do buy the book – the first print run was sold out very fast.
I am surprised by the Bangkok Post – for this paper the review is brave, as have been many recent articles published in the Post quite critical of the lese majeste laws.
To further contextualize it, could someone remind me? I seem to recall that the same Grant Evans seriously criticized Mr. Handley’s book for being culturally oblivious to the role of monarchy in Thai thinking. If I am correct, is that position not also a form of apologia?
Your comment also gives the impression of someone easily frustrated with any article which doesn’t fit your 100% criteria for ‘good writing’
Well oh well, for one who is supposedly in contact with students, you DO assume a most patronising position.
i) I take offense to your writing because as a lecturer at a private college, you should not be displaying such stereotypical positions.
ii) Sadly, not only do you assume such a high-handed tone, you also lack the grace to acknowledge demonstrating such fallacious perspectives.
iii) I am shocked that you deviated to talking about the cross of Jesus Christ which has nothing to do with the grouses that I highlighted.
Where is the element of objectivity and staying on course with the topic?
Is this how to address concerns raised by those who attend your courses?
iv) And, more importantly, it portrays a kind of impatience / stress / angst about political thinking which, I dunno, could be a part of the problem itself? If nothing else, I pity your “?” and “!” keys…)
I cannot believe that you can give such the above response for all and sundry to see. Bear in mind that :
*made two references (and not particularly complimentary ones) about your boss in your response to by comment – a most unprofessional move and one which is unrelated to the concerns I highlighted so what is your problem? Do you think I am your boss?
*your article is also in The Malaysian Insider
* your biodata and place of employment is clearly stated in websites that featured this article.
I leave you to meditate and pray about the consequences of your irresponsible actions.
v) You seem to have elevated yourself to a deity level in the way you wrote As for my meandering around topics and the use of movies, sigh, my Secondary School English teacher is to be blame (but I forgive her).
FYI, you are scapegoating your English teacher most pathetically.
Secondly, you made TWO serious grammatical errors. It should be:
A) because you sound like my boss (who never leaveS online comments, unfortunately).
B) ‘to be blameD“.
And are you going to blame your SECONDARY English teacher for that or are you going to take on your PRIMARY English teacher this time for that error?
What sort of example are you setting to other students or persons who have the misfortune of chancing upon your comments?
vii) You seem to have an issue sticking to the topic. Why did you go off-track AGAIN with this statement :
To wax Zizekian, maybe it helps to consider a stronger connection between political truth and sexual fantasy – in sexual fantasy, how many “get to the point” immediately? Don’t they “fool around” first?
viii) It is appalling that you, as an educator can state this in black and white : Why bother to explain yourself when you can leave people confused and guessing, right? Is this how you treat students and netizens?
Don’t bother responding. I am NOT going to waste my time to visit this site again to read your drivel!!!!!!!! (Note: Exclamation marks included for emphasis!)
@66 “Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, I have clearly broken Thai law, and so could be liable for arrest and detention if I visit.”
Keep in mind what Hishammuddin Hussein just said: “Do not look at Malaysia as a safe transit country or a safe haven for those who are wanted by their country of origin … ““. Mr Hussein is the Malaysian home minister.
> “If I add Andrew MacGregor Marshall to my Facebook does that open me up to a lese majeste charge?”
Most probably yes, if you stick out enough, seeing that anyone can press the police to investigate a supposed crime. Next question, I suppose, is: “If I add someone who added Andrew MacGregor Marshall to my Facebook does that open me up to a lese majeste charge?“.
The entire concept of “sufficiency” is laughable and developed solely with the idea in mind to make the rich even richer, being it in money terms or in power terms and the poor even poorer. Kings and emperors who are not “sufficiently” schooled in economics, water management or any other field should not give their unwanted advice to society, knowing that in a feudal society there close to nonsense comments are often taken seriously by those who close to the top.
It is about time that serious economists will write about nonsense theories of monarchs and their horsemen. If sufficiency was practiced minimum wages in Thailand could have been raised to Chinese levels long time ago, the king would not have donated 100,000 Baht to the flood victims but like Bill Gates a few billion dollars. The rich embraced the nonsense of sufficiency a decade ago, since than their wealth have skyrocketed. Please stop kissing the royal boots.
[…] is never built, Chinese investment, on top of investment from Thailand and Vietnam, will probably crowd out aid from the West, with its knit-picking emphasis on political reform, open markets and sustainability. It is another […]
“On the other hand the book’s attempt to deal evenly with the history of King Bhumibol’s reign will give little comfort to hardline royalists who wish to turn the clock back. ”
I’ll gladly drown in any water,
Deep or shallow,
Or thick as mud
Just for a taste of just one,
Full of heat and very deep,
One Yingluck kiss!
Then oooh to be Red . . very Red
Because of that one Yingluck kiss
On the contrary i think the ‘threat’ of violence DOES work, because BN remains in power(!) [there could be some confusion here, because i gather you read ‘work’ as in ‘helps justice’, whereas i was saying that glimmers of ’69 helps BN to stay in parliament].
likewise, with PERKASA, PEMBELA, etc. notice how their bark seems louder than their bites? To wax Zizekian, they seem to be ‘holding back’ from full-blown all-out extremism. “cakap aja” as some might say. yet the paradoxical thing is that such half-baked threats function to **keep BN in power** – not actual violence but the threat/talk of it.
as for civil in-fighting, let me emphasize that by in-fighting I meant something like ‘civil war’ – not the heavy words traded in the media, the accusations, the partisan clashes, etc. i meant that global capitalism cannot work if may 1969 actually repeats itself, and thus BN will – whatever else PERKASA says – work to ensure that racial riots will NOT happen. this is not to say that para-BN groups won’t on occasion create trouble and even murder a few people, but Syria-Egypt-kind of upheavels on the streets of KL simply won’t help BN (which is precisely why Zizek **supported** the Arab Spring : it throws a wrench into Capitalism in the process.
and to the extent that Najib is a Capitalist player, to that extent will he (or the system he represents) will continue to play shadow games **as a means of avoiding the Real game**?
Thanks for your reply. But to continue the conversation, even the ‘threat’ of violence (rather than actual violence) doesn’t quite work anymore as we’ve seen with state sponsored ethonationalist groups like Perkasa and the silat groups who were meant to scare the Bersih 2.0 demonstrators). Might we shift forward to Najib’s era (which of course doesn’t mean that Mahathirism i.e. all the socio- material effects of Mahathir’s policies, no longer pertain)? and speculate or theorise how Najib’s NEM is precisely trying to encourage global business yet simultaneously causes infighting.
As you say “Civil in-fighting is just bad for (global) business”. So will a Zizekian perspective be effective in explaining the current political and economic situation Malaysia is facing?
Thanks for the (highly rigorous) comment, Charles. So nice to meet another Zizekian – why bother to explain yourself when you can leave people confused and guessing, right?
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
The toll of flooding on lives and politics
Have just finished repainting the house inside & out – bathroom is next. No internal doors and one internal wall gone. Have rigged up a sink, replaced the ceiling but we have baulked at replacing furniture for the time being. Bed rolls and garden chairs, and a home made shelving system that will take the most valuable items – we are not convinced it won’t happen again this year. A 40 minute downpour one afternoon resulted in local surface flooding – the storm water system is still blocked in places, and the pump engines are still being recovered
Rangsit looks as though it has recovered remarkably well, but a walking tour revealed many small businesses still shut, and many houses still bare or shuttered. Mattress output has at least trebled. I was dismayed to read reports of a BHT10m government party being held to ‘celebrate’ the ‘end’ of the flood.
Family did get the BHT5000 compensation, with a possibility of another 30,000. Bill, including lost wages, exceeds BHT150,000 so far, not including the furniture that hasn’t been replaced.
Chai-anan’s sufficiency democracy
“The entire concept of “sufficiency” is laughable and developed solely with the idea in mind to make the rich even richer . . .”(#15)
If what Georgie says is true about ‘Sufficiency”, then that’s no laughing matter. ‘ Making the rich even richer’, if I am not mistaken, happens to be the very same foundation by which capitalism thrives and exults and multiplies . . . exponentially and to great excess.
But Greece (where democracy was invented?) is being prescribed (coerced yes?) the most austere sort of ‘sufficiency’ imaginable to right its past excesses (spending beyond means) by the world’s capitalist lords (IMF, European Central Bank and Big Banks).
Maybe HMK was ahead of the curve with the ‘Sufficiency Economy’, yes?
The toll of flooding on lives and politics
Vichai…so Ricky’s time is so valuable that s/he does not wish to read nonsense. I might not agree with all or most of your analyses but I do appreciate your sense of humor……
Chai-anan’s sufficiency democracy
Permit me to ask for some contextualizing information.
Isn’t Chai-anan the principle author and main organizer of the 1997 country-wide writing of the post-Suchinda constitution?
Before that, wasn’t he the co-author (with David Morell) of the magnificent “Political Conflict in Thailand”?
Help me out, but I would say that these two rule out any facile judgements of him as a right-wing royalist. He may just be a victim of the forced-choice polarization that we see occurring.
Further, isn’t there some writing about his reaction to Thaksin’s abuse of power within the same 1997 constitution? Could his current view of democracy’s fallibility stem from that period?
Another review of King Bhumibol’s life
“john francis lee”:
Yes, many do buy the book – the first print run was sold out very fast.
I am surprised by the Bangkok Post – for this paper the review is brave, as have been many recent articles published in the Post quite critical of the lese majeste laws.
Another review of King Bhumibol’s life
To further contextualize it, could someone remind me? I seem to recall that the same Grant Evans seriously criticized Mr. Handley’s book for being culturally oblivious to the role of monarchy in Thai thinking. If I am correct, is that position not also a form of apologia?
┼╜i┼╛ek and social change in Malaysia – Part 1
Dear Alwyn
You wrote:
Your comment also gives the impression of someone easily frustrated with any article which doesn’t fit your 100% criteria for ‘good writing’
Well oh well, for one who is supposedly in contact with students, you DO assume a most patronising position.
i) I take offense to your writing because as a lecturer at a private college, you should not be displaying such stereotypical positions.
ii) Sadly, not only do you assume such a high-handed tone, you also lack the grace to acknowledge demonstrating such fallacious perspectives.
iii) I am shocked that you deviated to talking about the cross of Jesus Christ which has nothing to do with the grouses that I highlighted.
Where is the element of objectivity and staying on course with the topic?
Is this how to address concerns raised by those who attend your courses?
iv) And, more importantly, it portrays a kind of impatience / stress / angst about political thinking which, I dunno, could be a part of the problem itself? If nothing else, I pity your “?” and “!” keys…)
I cannot believe that you can give such the above response for all and sundry to see. Bear in mind that :
*made two references (and not particularly complimentary ones) about your boss in your response to by comment – a most unprofessional move and one which is unrelated to the concerns I highlighted so what is your problem? Do you think I am your boss?
*your article is also in The Malaysian Insider
* your biodata and place of employment is clearly stated in websites that featured this article.
I leave you to meditate and pray about the consequences of your irresponsible actions.
v) You seem to have elevated yourself to a deity level in the way you wrote As for my meandering around topics and the use of movies, sigh, my Secondary School English teacher is to be blame (but I forgive her).
FYI, you are scapegoating your English teacher most pathetically.
Secondly, you made TWO serious grammatical errors. It should be:
A) because you sound like my boss (who never leaveS online comments, unfortunately).
B) ‘to be blameD“.
And are you going to blame your SECONDARY English teacher for that or are you going to take on your PRIMARY English teacher this time for that error?
What sort of example are you setting to other students or persons who have the misfortune of chancing upon your comments?
vii) You seem to have an issue sticking to the topic. Why did you go off-track AGAIN with this statement :
To wax Zizekian, maybe it helps to consider a stronger connection between political truth and sexual fantasy – in sexual fantasy, how many “get to the point” immediately? Don’t they “fool around” first?
viii) It is appalling that you, as an educator can state this in black and white : Why bother to explain yourself when you can leave people confused and guessing, right? Is this how you treat students and netizens?
Don’t bother responding. I am NOT going to waste my time to visit this site again to read your drivel!!!!!!!! (Note: Exclamation marks included for emphasis!)
I leave you to face your Maker.
Review of A Life’s Work
@66 “Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, I have clearly broken Thai law, and so could be liable for arrest and detention if I visit.”
Keep in mind what Hishammuddin Hussein just said: “Do not look at Malaysia as a safe transit country or a safe haven for those who are wanted by their country of origin … ““. Mr Hussein is the Malaysian home minister.
Review of A Life’s Work
> “If I add Andrew MacGregor Marshall to my Facebook does that open me up to a lese majeste charge?”
Most probably yes, if you stick out enough, seeing that anyone can press the police to investigate a supposed crime. Next question, I suppose, is: “If I add someone who added Andrew MacGregor Marshall to my Facebook does that open me up to a lese majeste charge?“.
Chai-anan’s sufficiency democracy
The entire concept of “sufficiency” is laughable and developed solely with the idea in mind to make the rich even richer, being it in money terms or in power terms and the poor even poorer. Kings and emperors who are not “sufficiently” schooled in economics, water management or any other field should not give their unwanted advice to society, knowing that in a feudal society there close to nonsense comments are often taken seriously by those who close to the top.
It is about time that serious economists will write about nonsense theories of monarchs and their horsemen. If sufficiency was practiced minimum wages in Thailand could have been raised to Chinese levels long time ago, the king would not have donated 100,000 Baht to the flood victims but like Bill Gates a few billion dollars. The rich embraced the nonsense of sufficiency a decade ago, since than their wealth have skyrocketed. Please stop kissing the royal boots.
The Western aid sector in Laos – days numbered?
[…] is never built, Chinese investment, on top of investment from Thailand and Vietnam, will probably crowd out aid from the West, with its knit-picking emphasis on political reform, open markets and sustainability. It is another […]
Another review of King Bhumibol’s life
“On the other hand the book’s attempt to deal evenly with the history of King Bhumibol’s reign will give little comfort to hardline royalists who wish to turn the clock back. ”
Really?
Chai-anan’s sufficiency democracy
Hehehe…
Reminds me of when David Collier and Steven Levitsky warned against “Democracy with Adjectives”.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7620760
Another review of King Bhumibol’s life
Will anyone but reviewers read the book?
The toll of flooding on lives and politics
Please stop nonsense postings which really do waste our time. Thanks
The toll of flooding on lives and politics
I’ll gladly drown in any water,
Deep or shallow,
Or thick as mud
Just for a taste of just one,
Full of heat and very deep,
One Yingluck kiss!
Then oooh to be Red . . very Red
Because of that one Yingluck kiss
┼╜i┼╛ek and social change in Malaysia – Part 1
Gaik Cheng,
On the contrary i think the ‘threat’ of violence DOES work, because BN remains in power(!) [there could be some confusion here, because i gather you read ‘work’ as in ‘helps justice’, whereas i was saying that glimmers of ’69 helps BN to stay in parliament].
likewise, with PERKASA, PEMBELA, etc. notice how their bark seems louder than their bites? To wax Zizekian, they seem to be ‘holding back’ from full-blown all-out extremism. “cakap aja” as some might say. yet the paradoxical thing is that such half-baked threats function to **keep BN in power** – not actual violence but the threat/talk of it.
as for civil in-fighting, let me emphasize that by in-fighting I meant something like ‘civil war’ – not the heavy words traded in the media, the accusations, the partisan clashes, etc. i meant that global capitalism cannot work if may 1969 actually repeats itself, and thus BN will – whatever else PERKASA says – work to ensure that racial riots will NOT happen. this is not to say that para-BN groups won’t on occasion create trouble and even murder a few people, but Syria-Egypt-kind of upheavels on the streets of KL simply won’t help BN (which is precisely why Zizek **supported** the Arab Spring : it throws a wrench into Capitalism in the process.
and to the extent that Najib is a Capitalist player, to that extent will he (or the system he represents) will continue to play shadow games **as a means of avoiding the Real game**?
┼╜i┼╛ek and social change in Malaysia – Part 1
Hi Alwyn,
Thanks for your reply. But to continue the conversation, even the ‘threat’ of violence (rather than actual violence) doesn’t quite work anymore as we’ve seen with state sponsored ethonationalist groups like Perkasa and the silat groups who were meant to scare the Bersih 2.0 demonstrators). Might we shift forward to Najib’s era (which of course doesn’t mean that Mahathirism i.e. all the socio- material effects of Mahathir’s policies, no longer pertain)? and speculate or theorise how Najib’s NEM is precisely trying to encourage global business yet simultaneously causes infighting.
As you say “Civil in-fighting is just bad for (global) business”. So will a Zizekian perspective be effective in explaining the current political and economic situation Malaysia is facing?
cheers,
Gaik Cheng
The toll of flooding on lives and politics
So Vichai are you going to say no if Yingluck blows a kiss your way??????
┼╜i┼╛ek and social change in Malaysia – Part 1
Thanks for the (highly rigorous) comment, Charles. So nice to meet another Zizekian – why bother to explain yourself when you can leave people confused and guessing, right?