The ECT might not have done such a good job in developing an idea about democratic election campaigns, but they do care for details, such as suggestions as to how the boards, to be provided by state agencies, should be designed so that candidates and parties might affix their posters:
“In recent years you have been described as…”the leading English-language historian of Cambodia” and “arguably the West’s foremost authority on Cambodia”. The University of Washington’s Professor Charles Keyes has written that your “knowledge of Cambodian history…is unparalleled”.”
[Note: Whether you realise it or not, insular little Boudieu like cliques all citing only themselves, and jockeying for prestige and pretending other scholars, particularly in the Asian country they are “studying” or other Asian countries such as Japan, who speak difficult languages, do not exist, is the bane of academia and really should be exposed and subject to massive doses of humiliation. The article reminds me of the annual Fourth of July barbecue at the US embassy in Bangkok. An event for people who are living in another world sheltered from the country they are living in. Viva la Hewison]
It’s a stark thing that the Nation accused the people of having unprincipled needs rather than calling it the politicians’ unprincipled pandering. Shame on Suttichia, Thepchai and Kavi for not knowing the difference.
Evidently, too, they don’t know the difference between the costs of the medical fund for the poor — a supposed “populist policies (which) could expose the country to unacceptable levels of financial liability” and much more costly urban-oriented wasteful megaprojects like redundant highways and the vastly overpriced, and still badly built, Cobra Swamp airport project.
Kind of disgusting, where the Nation’s head is at these days.
These figures are probably the ones that scare Sonthi B. so much! The idea of a big coalition, though, might work in the interests of the military as they can more easily control it.
A question: a couple of weeks ago, in Asia Times Online, Shawn Crispen claimed that Sonthi Lim had been prevented from returning to Thailand (I hope my memory is working on this). He claims that this is part of palace-Thaksin deal to arrange a compromise. Any more information on this?
“Personally, I love HM the king Bhumibol as much as most thais do or more.”
Thanks for your love story and other assertions. Where is the analysis? Come on, this is a serious discussion – or should be. Enough of the assertion and more factual and intelligent discussion.
A few days ago, the People’s Power Party scared some people by claiming it would win 260 MPs. Today (Nov. 1), Post Today uses almost an entire page to estimate the election result. In short:
Given the present animosities, this might result in a 5-6party coalition with the Democrats as core party, or a three-party coalition with PPP. Having five parties with Abhisit as PM is frightening. How much time will they need to agree on the distribution of the spoils? How will this weak leader handle the ministerial fiefdoms of the other parties? How could policies be integrated? On the other hand, the dreams of the constitution drafters would come true: a weak government under all sorts of influences from bureaucracy, academia, and mass media.
NM is among those few websites I drop by nearly daily. But more FOOLERY could add more jazz your site Andrew Walker. But as usual, that is only my personal opinion . . . .
The Bangkok Post of Nov. 1 has a useful article on some of the issues concerning free and fair elections in Thailand.
ANALYSIS / DEMOCRACY IN THAILAND
Upholding the standards of a free and fair election
The recently exposed ‘information dissemination strategy’ to prevent the People Power party from victory at the polls exposes the Council for National Security’s hypocrisy about claiming to restore democracy
Yup . . . Fonzi (ThailandJumpedtheShark) I agree made his point that The Nation is getting to be a very bland uninspiring newspaper. The Nation editors/columnists are getting fat and lazy . . .
So how can a system of Western accountability be implemented for our ‘dregs, chronic unemployable alcoholics and the pedophiles’ in a Thailand that is wholly suspicious of Western intentions? Surely it would mean that the Thai education system would be forced to import teachers through Western governments (or like the JET programme), rather than find them looking for an extended visa. Providing our systems of accountability internationally would surely be viewed as arrogant and neo-colonialist though. So what do you suggest? Also, are you saying that Western fees for this conference will help fuel corruption and the Thai fees, because they are substantially less, will not feed the same corruption as much? It’s all corruption to me and I wouldn’t want to give those corrupt the credit of being fantastically more corrupt because of one set of people over another as it would play into their relativist, stagnant and essentialist views of the world where it seems that we are Jane Goodall’s Apes that are deciding who is alpha and then patrolling the territory. It is beyond words that PhD pimps are allowed into these situations, but to get Rawlsian, doesn’t finding a system of justice within situations of injustice only lead to more injustice because one plays into the ebb and flow of feudalistic success?
The editorial may be a response to “sour grapes” Prachai’s full page advertisement in several newspapers yesterday, probably the Nation also, that listed 42 points, many of which made no economic sense at all, all of which seemed like he was trying to bang all of the keys on the so-called “populist” piano at once (better use a different less worn out word), 2 of which seemed to imply “I want TPI back,” which is what most people suspect, as far as the following statement goes:
“The problem is that it is quite difficult for many people – particularly those who are not well educated or who belong to the lower rungs of the socio-economic groups – to tell the difference between good and bad policies touted by political parties in the run-up to the election.”
Prachai’s ad indicates that this may well be true. Whether the person writing the editorial expressed himself in an acceptable way to certain people, is another issue. Translating the Prachai ad, and criticizing specifics would have been better.
“If it really is an insidious attempt at discriminating against Western academics in order to make some sort of petty political statement, then why would all these academics bother turning up to be judged as neo-colonialists!?” >> Cross-cultural endavours and the pretense of an academic community lead to some funny ambivalences, both from the Thai academics towards the foreign academics, and vice versa.
“If it really is an insidious attempt at discriminating against Western academics in order to make some sort of petty political statement…”
Not a political statement but money.
Rediverted educational budgets are cash, or an asset such as an SUV that the underpaid dean miraculously acquires after a semester of foreign teachers temporarily subsidised from Bangkok, only half of whom got paid the subsidised amount…..etc, etc, corruption is always murky **insidious** and nearly impossible to prove conclusively, but for those who suffer it, it’s real…teachers paid half their salary…or a switch to Phllipinos paid half who never show, pocket the other half of the budget…one soon tires of this treatment and leaves…
I think you really miss the point, the foreign teachers were hired for a reason, for some educational objective to be achieved.
What consistently happens is that these foreign teachers get cheated, abused, and leave, and by extension those objectives are not achieved.
Foreign teachers who are devoted to their work always have other options, if not in Thailand than in other countries.
It’s not an exaggeration to state that what is left over is often the dregs, the chronic unemployable alcoholics, the paedophiles, at the university that I used to teach at the one remaining non-missionary ajaan is a notorious bar owner, and by extension a pimp because bars are places of prostitution, albeit a pimp with a PhD. Does a parent want a pimp with a PhD teaching their 18 year old daughter?
The local YMCA was using volunteer teachers on tourist visas, one of whom was bragging that he was sleeping with his teenage students. The charade really boggles the imagination.
“Som nam na” is in the end the only observation that I can make regarding this system, definitely not Sethakit Paw Piang.
Thaiwoman: The comment “during the Thaksin era, but at least local electoral campaigns were vigorously contested in a climate of relative openness” > I agree that this is a false generalization. However, I would like to join Andrew in encouraging you to provide concrete observations, both about past elections, but even more about the current election campaign. Moreover, Thaksin and TRT had nothing that much to do with the local campaigns, which seem to be the prerogative of locally-based groups and their MP candidates, under whatever party label they might have sailed in past elections and in the current one.
Sidh: Hopefully, Germany won’t follow suit… There was a major upheaval when some state governments considered the introduction of rather limited tuition fees (education is supposed to be free, including university through PhD). Today, I saw an advertisement concerning the annual conference of Thammasat’s economics association. The conference fee is 3,000 baht, with translation provided for foreigners. But, then, this event might not be designed as an academic conference in the first place since the “tickets” are sold via Thaiticketmaster.
Maybe this doesn’t have anything to do with discrimination at all, maybe it is just to try and encourage more Thai people to take an interest in their national future? Do decisions always have to be loaded with essentialist, reactive rhetoric about determining Thai sovereignty?
Cheaper education would certainly prolong my interest in my nations direction! Why is it that Australian universities are allowed to charge more for foreign students?! Clearly they’re just a bunch of xenophobic, discriminatory, intolerant racists over at the Department of Education!
Maybe this is a necessary discrimination. We live in injustice that tries to be patched up with affirmative action which produces cascading issues of inequality through the affirmative action of one group taking precedence over another without. Do you think there will be more Thai people at the conference as a result of the lower fees? If there are more Thai people there, and there is less apathy and less wallowing in victimization (which from these descriptions seems to be a given norm of Thai identity ?!?!?!?!) – then I think having this pricing policy is surely a good thing. If it really is an insidious attempt at discriminating against Western academics in order to make some sort of petty political statement, then why would all these academics bother turning up to be judged as neo-colonialists!?
The comment “during the Thaksin era, but at least local electoral campaigns were vigorously contested in a climate of relative openness” is quite amusing, or would be if it were not so ironic, or incorrect. Sadly elections involved as much manipulation and intimidation then as they do now. If you had ever tried to campaign against TRT in its feudal heartlands in the good old days of Mr. Thaksin, and as some see it the height of all things good of the most vibrant period of Thai democracy, you would realise this. Not much changes in Thai Democracy. It is more a case of how different people try to argue their case based upon their own assumptions and biases. The same is true for both sides in this current spat. The lack of any analysis not based on taking one side or the other is not only trul astounding but also is a complete diservice to Thailand and its democracy.
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New Mandala’s election watch
The amendments to the ECT regulation/announcement, forced by the public uproar, are to be found here:
http://www.ect.go.th/thai/mp50/mp50_13.pdf
http://www.ect.go.th/thai/mp50/mp50_12.pdf
The ECT might not have done such a good job in developing an idea about democratic election campaigns, but they do care for details, such as suggestions as to how the boards, to be provided by state agencies, should be designed so that candidates and parties might affix their posters:
http://www.ect.go.th/thai/mp50/mp50_15.pdf
One hopes that a budget will soon be provided for this to the provincial election commissions.
Interview with Professor David Chandler
“In recent years you have been described as…”the leading English-language historian of Cambodia” and “arguably the West’s foremost authority on Cambodia”. The University of Washington’s Professor Charles Keyes has written that your “knowledge of Cambodian history…is unparalleled”.”
How ridiculous.
Cambodians?
The French?
Michael Vickery?
Please see indigenous historians at AEFEK: Association d’Echanges et de Formation pour les Etudes Khmeres
[Note: Whether you realise it or not, insular little Boudieu like cliques all citing only themselves, and jockeying for prestige and pretending other scholars, particularly in the Asian country they are “studying” or other Asian countries such as Japan, who speak difficult languages, do not exist, is the bane of academia and really should be exposed and subject to massive doses of humiliation. The article reminds me of the annual Fourth of July barbecue at the US embassy in Bangkok. An event for people who are living in another world sheltered from the country they are living in. Viva la Hewison]
“Unprincipled wants and needs of the people”
It’s a stark thing that the Nation accused the people of having unprincipled needs rather than calling it the politicians’ unprincipled pandering. Shame on Suttichia, Thepchai and Kavi for not knowing the difference.
Evidently, too, they don’t know the difference between the costs of the medical fund for the poor — a supposed “populist policies (which) could expose the country to unacceptable levels of financial liability” and much more costly urban-oriented wasteful megaprojects like redundant highways and the vastly overpriced, and still badly built, Cobra Swamp airport project.
Kind of disgusting, where the Nation’s head is at these days.
New Mandala’s election watch
These figures are probably the ones that scare Sonthi B. so much! The idea of a big coalition, though, might work in the interests of the military as they can more easily control it.
A question: a couple of weeks ago, in Asia Times Online, Shawn Crispen claimed that Sonthi Lim had been prevented from returning to Thailand (I hope my memory is working on this). He claims that this is part of palace-Thaksin deal to arrange a compromise. Any more information on this?
The King Never Smiles?
oo,
“Personally, I love HM the king Bhumibol as much as most thais do or more.”
Thanks for your love story and other assertions. Where is the analysis? Come on, this is a serious discussion – or should be. Enough of the assertion and more factual and intelligent discussion.
New Mandala’s election watch
A few days ago, the People’s Power Party scared some people by claiming it would win 260 MPs. Today (Nov. 1), Post Today uses almost an entire page to estimate the election result. In short:
PPP: 206 (incl. 28 PL)
DEM: 126 (incl. 24 PL)
CTP: 57 (incl. 12 PL)
Motherland: 39 m(incl. 8 PL)
Ruam Jai: 33 (incl. 7 PL)
Matchima: 13
Pracharat: 6 (incl. 1 PL)
Given the present animosities, this might result in a 5-6party coalition with the Democrats as core party, or a three-party coalition with PPP. Having five parties with Abhisit as PM is frightening. How much time will they need to agree on the distribution of the spoils? How will this weak leader handle the ministerial fiefdoms of the other parties? How could policies be integrated? On the other hand, the dreams of the constitution drafters would come true: a weak government under all sorts of influences from bureaucracy, academia, and mass media.
A non-violent war on drugs
NM is among those few websites I drop by nearly daily. But more FOOLERY could add more jazz your site Andrew Walker. But as usual, that is only my personal opinion . . . .
The King Never Smiles?
who can smile all the time? no one!
Interview with Professor David Chandler
another great interview!
New Mandala’s election watch
The Bangkok Post of Nov. 1 has a useful article on some of the issues concerning free and fair elections in Thailand.
ANALYSIS / DEMOCRACY IN THAILAND
Upholding the standards of a free and fair election
The recently exposed ‘information dissemination strategy’ to prevent the People Power party from victory at the polls exposes the Council for National Security’s hypocrisy about claiming to restore democracy
By ADAM COOPER (ANFREL)
The link is http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/01Nov2007_news17.php
“Unprincipled wants and needs of the people”
Yup . . . Fonzi (ThailandJumpedtheShark) I agree made his point that The Nation is getting to be a very bland uninspiring newspaper. The Nation editors/columnists are getting fat and lazy . . .
Sufficiency economy conference in Bangkok
Hmm, thanks Jon.
So how can a system of Western accountability be implemented for our ‘dregs, chronic unemployable alcoholics and the pedophiles’ in a Thailand that is wholly suspicious of Western intentions? Surely it would mean that the Thai education system would be forced to import teachers through Western governments (or like the JET programme), rather than find them looking for an extended visa. Providing our systems of accountability internationally would surely be viewed as arrogant and neo-colonialist though. So what do you suggest? Also, are you saying that Western fees for this conference will help fuel corruption and the Thai fees, because they are substantially less, will not feed the same corruption as much? It’s all corruption to me and I wouldn’t want to give those corrupt the credit of being fantastically more corrupt because of one set of people over another as it would play into their relativist, stagnant and essentialist views of the world where it seems that we are Jane Goodall’s Apes that are deciding who is alpha and then patrolling the territory. It is beyond words that PhD pimps are allowed into these situations, but to get Rawlsian, doesn’t finding a system of justice within situations of injustice only lead to more injustice because one plays into the ebb and flow of feudalistic success?
“Unprincipled wants and needs of the people”
The editorial may be a response to “sour grapes” Prachai’s full page advertisement in several newspapers yesterday, probably the Nation also, that listed 42 points, many of which made no economic sense at all, all of which seemed like he was trying to bang all of the keys on the so-called “populist” piano at once (better use a different less worn out word), 2 of which seemed to imply “I want TPI back,” which is what most people suspect, as far as the following statement goes:
“The problem is that it is quite difficult for many people – particularly those who are not well educated or who belong to the lower rungs of the socio-economic groups – to tell the difference between good and bad policies touted by political parties in the run-up to the election.”
Prachai’s ad indicates that this may well be true. Whether the person writing the editorial expressed himself in an acceptable way to certain people, is another issue. Translating the Prachai ad, and criticizing specifics would have been better.
Sufficiency economy conference in Bangkok
“If it really is an insidious attempt at discriminating against Western academics in order to make some sort of petty political statement, then why would all these academics bother turning up to be judged as neo-colonialists!?” >> Cross-cultural endavours and the pretense of an academic community lead to some funny ambivalences, both from the Thai academics towards the foreign academics, and vice versa.
Sufficiency economy conference in Bangkok
“If it really is an insidious attempt at discriminating against Western academics in order to make some sort of petty political statement…”
Not a political statement but money.
Rediverted educational budgets are cash, or an asset such as an SUV that the underpaid dean miraculously acquires after a semester of foreign teachers temporarily subsidised from Bangkok, only half of whom got paid the subsidised amount…..etc, etc, corruption is always murky **insidious** and nearly impossible to prove conclusively, but for those who suffer it, it’s real…teachers paid half their salary…or a switch to Phllipinos paid half who never show, pocket the other half of the budget…one soon tires of this treatment and leaves…
I think you really miss the point, the foreign teachers were hired for a reason, for some educational objective to be achieved.
What consistently happens is that these foreign teachers get cheated, abused, and leave, and by extension those objectives are not achieved.
Foreign teachers who are devoted to their work always have other options, if not in Thailand than in other countries.
It’s not an exaggeration to state that what is left over is often the dregs, the chronic unemployable alcoholics, the paedophiles, at the university that I used to teach at the one remaining non-missionary ajaan is a notorious bar owner, and by extension a pimp because bars are places of prostitution, albeit a pimp with a PhD. Does a parent want a pimp with a PhD teaching their 18 year old daughter?
The local YMCA was using volunteer teachers on tourist visas, one of whom was bragging that he was sleeping with his teenage students. The charade really boggles the imagination.
“Som nam na” is in the end the only observation that I can make regarding this system, definitely not Sethakit Paw Piang.
The dead hand of electoral bureaucracy
Thaiwoman: The comment “during the Thaksin era, but at least local electoral campaigns were vigorously contested in a climate of relative openness” > I agree that this is a false generalization. However, I would like to join Andrew in encouraging you to provide concrete observations, both about past elections, but even more about the current election campaign. Moreover, Thaksin and TRT had nothing that much to do with the local campaigns, which seem to be the prerogative of locally-based groups and their MP candidates, under whatever party label they might have sailed in past elections and in the current one.
Sufficiency economy conference in Bangkok
Sidh: Hopefully, Germany won’t follow suit… There was a major upheaval when some state governments considered the introduction of rather limited tuition fees (education is supposed to be free, including university through PhD). Today, I saw an advertisement concerning the annual conference of Thammasat’s economics association. The conference fee is 3,000 baht, with translation provided for foreigners. But, then, this event might not be designed as an academic conference in the first place since the “tickets” are sold via Thaiticketmaster.
Sufficiency economy conference in Bangkok
Maybe this doesn’t have anything to do with discrimination at all, maybe it is just to try and encourage more Thai people to take an interest in their national future? Do decisions always have to be loaded with essentialist, reactive rhetoric about determining Thai sovereignty?
Cheaper education would certainly prolong my interest in my nations direction! Why is it that Australian universities are allowed to charge more for foreign students?! Clearly they’re just a bunch of xenophobic, discriminatory, intolerant racists over at the Department of Education!
Maybe this is a necessary discrimination. We live in injustice that tries to be patched up with affirmative action which produces cascading issues of inequality through the affirmative action of one group taking precedence over another without. Do you think there will be more Thai people at the conference as a result of the lower fees? If there are more Thai people there, and there is less apathy and less wallowing in victimization (which from these descriptions seems to be a given norm of Thai identity ?!?!?!?!) – then I think having this pricing policy is surely a good thing. If it really is an insidious attempt at discriminating against Western academics in order to make some sort of petty political statement, then why would all these academics bother turning up to be judged as neo-colonialists!?
The dead hand of electoral bureaucracy
Thaiwoman – thanks for your comment. Any chance of some illustration or examples of the restrictions on local campaigning during the Thaksin era?
The dead hand of electoral bureaucracy
Sidh. This is a good comment.
The comment “during the Thaksin era, but at least local electoral campaigns were vigorously contested in a climate of relative openness” is quite amusing, or would be if it were not so ironic, or incorrect. Sadly elections involved as much manipulation and intimidation then as they do now. If you had ever tried to campaign against TRT in its feudal heartlands in the good old days of Mr. Thaksin, and as some see it the height of all things good of the most vibrant period of Thai democracy, you would realise this. Not much changes in Thai Democracy. It is more a case of how different people try to argue their case based upon their own assumptions and biases. The same is true for both sides in this current spat. The lack of any analysis not based on taking one side or the other is not only trul astounding but also is a complete diservice to Thailand and its democracy.