What made these university types think they could ride into power on the coat-tails of generals? They screamed for the overthrow of government elected by the Thai people, whom they despise. They got that, but they dipped out on the spoils. Tough luck!
Thank you for an excellent and insightful article. It is a miracle that a Thai constitutional law scholar can write such an article without being thrown in jail, but then I suspect that this article has not been published in Thailand so far, only abroad.
Ohn, When you say everyone (see below) surely you mean the comfortable middle classes who rejoice in seeing shopping malls, burger joints, sushi and karaoke bars, big towers and condos, beach resorts and theme parks spring up, not to mention new cars.
“People of the country are now getting poorer and poorer with no place to live and no thing to eat and getting worse by the day, yet every one in Burma today swear by how progressed the country has because they now got traffic jams. And cutting down on import licence fee to recoup money from selling fuel at exorbitant price also seems to give happiness to the public.”
Money does make the world go round. History shows us some nations go round the world to make filthy lucre by hook or by crook which continues to this day. Domestic fuel sales then looks like a drop in the ocean, doesn’t it?
Since those who people pages such as these are also educated middle class almost to the man or woman, at best you get the likes of Thant Myint-U, at worst more opinionated guys (I am assuming the gender of course) like plan B, Hla Oo, toch, you, me…. not to mention the non-Burmese.
“Prayuth could have shown the public his sincerity and competence to lead Thailand out of its stalemate if he had appeared broad-minded and fair to all sides in appointing the well-balanced NLA. Sadly, he wasted that chance.”
Khun Khemthong analysis is generally very accurate. However, I’d like to remark on the last paragraph above. Prayuth did not waste the chance. He set out to destroy democracy and deep freeze Thailand for a long time. We have to wait and see how successful his goal will be. One cannot expect to see the seed of poison ivy to grow and becomes an oak tree.
To summarize: because the Prayuth has found that the public can’t be trusted to vote for the people he told them to, he’s taken control at the barrel of a gun, handpicked some of his cronies and enlisted a dictator to set Thailand on its path to democracy. The charge of Thailand’s elite that elections can’t be bought is hollow because even with their money and power they can’t win an election. In fact, as the author mentions, the “public” is still “disappointed” with the new NLA members (even though they weren’t paid to have that opinion).
So now the “new” power structure being formed consisting of the current elites and anti-Thaksin crowd (with no Thaksin representation) will help restore democracy for all but the bottom 65%. Thailand used to be a model for the Burmese. Now it’s the other way around.
Dear Mamat,
Thanks and glad you agree on the pro-poor point. The education argument was indeed not up to academic standards of rigour. But I do believe Indonesia – like Africa – expects too much from education right now. Basic literacy and numeracy are useful for almost everybody, but secondary or higher education will not help farmers or traders much. (Good summary in Ha-Joon Chang, ’23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism’ (2010), ‘Thing 17’.) And in countries with poorish governance it’s especially important to get policy priorities right, as only the things near the top of the priority list will get done effectively. (Shameless plug: my book ‘Asia-Africa development divergence: a question of intent’, to be published later this year by Zed Books.)
Bamar Sit-tut deservedly takes pride in understanding Bamar mentality. SPDC is simply a machination. But Than Shwe surely has supreme understanding not only of the Bamar mentality oand perhaps human mentality in general thus far keeping every one guessing all the time.
Small things are big and most important. Like calling the Sit-tut “Tatmadaw”. When this royal sauk-yuu started his and Kyaing Kyaing’s royal titles and manners and forced other to comply, everyone thought it was a bad joke. Now every one is falling over each other going to “Nay-pyi-daw” (Abode of Than Shwe mintayar gyi) complete with tours around plastic animals. People of the country are now getting poorer and poorer with no place to live and no thing to eat and getting worse by the day, yet every one in Burma today swear by how progressed the country has because they now got traffic jams. And cutting down on import licence fee to recoup money from selling fuel at exorbitant price also seems to give happiness to the public.
And the “Parliament”, which constitutionally cannot make any decision but can receive foreign dignitaries and major Talkfests to be on television all the time, has everyone talking about this and that “Law” and this and that “Rallies”.
After all even he himself might get bored how easy to fool all these guys with no comeback.
An now the “West” even dare not use the word “Rohingya” in case it upsest the delicate little minds yet every one finish their sentences saying how progressed the country has been. It may yet be the first time in the history of the world that Violent Pogroms including burning people alive on camera including little children are done in broad day light and the perpetrators are cheered on by the international communities. It appears Than Shwe cannot do any thing so heinous and violent without the rest of the world coming in with good excuses and alternative explanation for him.
Your points are very valid. From my own observations and conversations with ordinary Thai people was that there was a great sense of relief after the coup that people could get back to normal life. Suthep’s protests were causing great hardship in the economy and it reached down into the lower levels of society.
Businesses were closing, factories were cutting OT, people were fearful to shop or spend because of uncertainties of the future.
I saw the same phenomenon after the 2006 coup, not that the coup was supported but there was a huge relief that the 2006 coup was bloodless.
The feeling after the 2014 coup was that normal people could get back to surviving, something that the street protests was preventing them from doing.
This is not to say the coups were a good thing, but many ordinary Thai people see the coups as part of the great game of which they are not part. A friend saw her business lose half of it’s business during Suthep’s street protests, not enough to support her family.
It wasn’t until Prayuth brought the anarchy under control that business returned to normal levels. As a result my friend considers Prayuth a hero.
You are quite correct in your analysis of the Thai educational system. The people at the bottom of the system are not taught to think critically or to question why there is a great game raging over their heads. But when life is mainly a daily struggle to survive such thoughts may be seen as something of a luxury.
@ Ripley – what are you talking about? Cleaning up the beaches in Phuket – which had been absolutely trashed over the years and exploited to a sickening degree – is one of the very few positive things Prayut and his crew have accomplished since seizing power. It’s doubtful, however, this ‘improvement’ will stand the test of time.
Below is a piece of news that the military personnel under the Junta and some staff members of Tumbon Ban Prok admin org. the province of Ratchaburi closed a sea food factory in Ban Prok which caused bad smell in the neighbourhood. This was such a positive action that people have never seen under the democratic Yingluck govt.
Those ‘ajarns’ NETIWIT CHOTIPHATPHAISAL criticises as ‘confused’ are, in fact, clear and understandable. They realised their full potential and also realised their failed government–the Yingluck administration.
In my opinion, any constitutions of Thailand’s are just politically decorated documents that can be easily abolished. During the Yingluck administration with the believed-to-be-good constitution, corruption could still be seen all over.
The observations about an emphasis on shifting street vendors showing policies that are not necessarily being pro-poor is well worth making. But the criticisms of education policy vis-a-vis poverty alleviation and development are slapdash with unclear and superficial comparisons.
“Unfortunately, however, the fact that an educated individual enjoys an advantage in a competitive job market does not mean that educating a whole nation will necessarily make it more prosperous – at least, not when the starting point is a very low level of economic development.”
What does that even mean? How about ‘if everyone is more educated, they can all do their jobs better and more creatively, and overall productivity rises’? You don’t need a degree in development theory to get to that point.
The subsequent comparisons with Africa are just strange, and seem to be along the lines of ‘African countries prioritise education, and they fail to develop, so don’t even try’. Then there’s a leap to discussing how neighbouring countries have lower poverty rates, with no explicit connection to the discussion of education of which it’s supposedly a part. (Who knows, maybe those countries have more successful education systems and hence less poverty? Or are they just ‘randomly richer’ with no apparent cause?)
Kudos for the observations and detail in the first part of the article, but the second part falls well below the standard of an academic site.
It is true that there are more than one Indonesia today. There is middle class Indonesia and there is poor Indonesia, and the two naturally do not share the same hopes and objectives. However it is unreasonable to dismiss Jokowi’s policies as being pro-middle class and ignorant of the needs of the poor. Cleaning up kaki lima from the markets helps traffic flows, which improves economic activity, which should help all classes – after all, some of those motorists are trying to get to the market to shop. Jokowi during the presidential debates also said he would strengthen village organisations through programs including livestock-raising to improve nutrition in the villages, a point that Prabowo applauded. Jokowi has also talked about improved fertilizer – Indonesia currently only uses one-size-fits-all fertilizer rather than crop-specific fertilizer that would boost yields. There is no doubt that the euphoria about Jokowi will end with disappointments but it’s also important to look beneath the media hype to look at what he has in mind. Categorizing him as bourgeois is too simplistic.
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Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly
What made these university types think they could ride into power on the coat-tails of generals? They screamed for the overthrow of government elected by the Thai people, whom they despise. They got that, but they dipped out on the spoils. Tough luck!
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly
Nice try NM! But you have to be more convincing that this to outdo Not The Nation!
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly
Thank you for an excellent and insightful article. It is a miracle that a Thai constitutional law scholar can write such an article without being thrown in jail, but then I suspect that this article has not been published in Thailand so far, only abroad.
Of pragmatism and politics
Ohn, When you say everyone (see below) surely you mean the comfortable middle classes who rejoice in seeing shopping malls, burger joints, sushi and karaoke bars, big towers and condos, beach resorts and theme parks spring up, not to mention new cars.
“People of the country are now getting poorer and poorer with no place to live and no thing to eat and getting worse by the day, yet every one in Burma today swear by how progressed the country has because they now got traffic jams. And cutting down on import licence fee to recoup money from selling fuel at exorbitant price also seems to give happiness to the public.”
Money does make the world go round. History shows us some nations go round the world to make filthy lucre by hook or by crook which continues to this day. Domestic fuel sales then looks like a drop in the ocean, doesn’t it?
Since those who people pages such as these are also educated middle class almost to the man or woman, at best you get the likes of Thant Myint-U, at worst more opinionated guys (I am assuming the gender of course) like plan B, Hla Oo, toch, you, me…. not to mention the non-Burmese.
Open Letter Condemning the Thai Constitution
The people at the top of the system are not trained to think critically either, Tim.
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly
Gen.Prayuth Chan-ocha is like a foreman of his workers; consequently, he has to take the leadership in building to make sure it is what he wants.
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly
“Prayuth could have shown the public his sincerity and competence to lead Thailand out of its stalemate if he had appeared broad-minded and fair to all sides in appointing the well-balanced NLA. Sadly, he wasted that chance.”
Khun Khemthong analysis is generally very accurate. However, I’d like to remark on the last paragraph above. Prayuth did not waste the chance. He set out to destroy democracy and deep freeze Thailand for a long time. We have to wait and see how successful his goal will be. One cannot expect to see the seed of poison ivy to grow and becomes an oak tree.
Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly
To summarize: because the Prayuth has found that the public can’t be trusted to vote for the people he told them to, he’s taken control at the barrel of a gun, handpicked some of his cronies and enlisted a dictator to set Thailand on its path to democracy. The charge of Thailand’s elite that elections can’t be bought is hollow because even with their money and power they can’t win an election. In fact, as the author mentions, the “public” is still “disappointed” with the new NLA members (even though they weren’t paid to have that opinion).
So now the “new” power structure being formed consisting of the current elites and anti-Thaksin crowd (with no Thaksin representation) will help restore democracy for all but the bottom 65%. Thailand used to be a model for the Burmese. Now it’s the other way around.
Jokowi’s coming presidency: a cautionary note
Dear Mamat,
Thanks and glad you agree on the pro-poor point. The education argument was indeed not up to academic standards of rigour. But I do believe Indonesia – like Africa – expects too much from education right now. Basic literacy and numeracy are useful for almost everybody, but secondary or higher education will not help farmers or traders much. (Good summary in Ha-Joon Chang, ’23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism’ (2010), ‘Thing 17’.) And in countries with poorish governance it’s especially important to get policy priorities right, as only the things near the top of the priority list will get done effectively. (Shameless plug: my book ‘Asia-Africa development divergence: a question of intent’, to be published later this year by Zed Books.)
Of pragmatism and politics
Bamar Sit-tut deservedly takes pride in understanding Bamar mentality. SPDC is simply a machination. But Than Shwe surely has supreme understanding not only of the Bamar mentality oand perhaps human mentality in general thus far keeping every one guessing all the time.
Small things are big and most important. Like calling the Sit-tut “Tatmadaw”. When this royal sauk-yuu started his and Kyaing Kyaing’s royal titles and manners and forced other to comply, everyone thought it was a bad joke. Now every one is falling over each other going to “Nay-pyi-daw” (Abode of Than Shwe mintayar gyi) complete with tours around plastic animals. People of the country are now getting poorer and poorer with no place to live and no thing to eat and getting worse by the day, yet every one in Burma today swear by how progressed the country has because they now got traffic jams. And cutting down on import licence fee to recoup money from selling fuel at exorbitant price also seems to give happiness to the public.
And the “Parliament”, which constitutionally cannot make any decision but can receive foreign dignitaries and major Talkfests to be on television all the time, has everyone talking about this and that “Law” and this and that “Rallies”.
After all even he himself might get bored how easy to fool all these guys with no comeback.
An now the “West” even dare not use the word “Rohingya” in case it upsest the delicate little minds yet every one finish their sentences saying how progressed the country has been. It may yet be the first time in the history of the world that Violent Pogroms including burning people alive on camera including little children are done in broad day light and the perpetrators are cheered on by the international communities. It appears Than Shwe cannot do any thing so heinous and violent without the rest of the world coming in with good excuses and alternative explanation for him.
Chinese did choose a good henchman in him.
He plays the rest of the world, they play him.
Open Letter Condemning the Thai Constitution
Your points are very valid. From my own observations and conversations with ordinary Thai people was that there was a great sense of relief after the coup that people could get back to normal life. Suthep’s protests were causing great hardship in the economy and it reached down into the lower levels of society.
Businesses were closing, factories were cutting OT, people were fearful to shop or spend because of uncertainties of the future.
I saw the same phenomenon after the 2006 coup, not that the coup was supported but there was a huge relief that the 2006 coup was bloodless.
The feeling after the 2014 coup was that normal people could get back to surviving, something that the street protests was preventing them from doing.
This is not to say the coups were a good thing, but many ordinary Thai people see the coups as part of the great game of which they are not part. A friend saw her business lose half of it’s business during Suthep’s street protests, not enough to support her family.
It wasn’t until Prayuth brought the anarchy under control that business returned to normal levels. As a result my friend considers Prayuth a hero.
You are quite correct in your analysis of the Thai educational system. The people at the bottom of the system are not taught to think critically or to question why there is a great game raging over their heads. But when life is mainly a daily struggle to survive such thoughts may be seen as something of a luxury.
Open Letter Condemning the Thai Constitution
@ Ripley – what are you talking about? Cleaning up the beaches in Phuket – which had been absolutely trashed over the years and exploited to a sickening degree – is one of the very few positive things Prayut and his crew have accomplished since seizing power. It’s doubtful, however, this ‘improvement’ will stand the test of time.
Constitutional Court confirms Jokowi’s presidential victory
A superb portfolio, scooping the mainstream media. Congratulations
Political economy of Thai political pathologies
Below is a piece of news that the military personnel under the Junta and some staff members of Tumbon Ban Prok admin org. the province of Ratchaburi closed a sea food factory in Ban Prok which caused bad smell in the neighbourhood. This was such a positive action that people have never seen under the democratic Yingluck govt.
The Nation 22 Aug 14
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р╣Ар╕бр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╣Ар╕зр╕ер╕▓ 13.00 р╕Щ. р╕зр╕▒р╕Щр╕Чр╕╡р╣И 22 р╕к.р╕Д.57 р╕Ю.р╕Х.р╕кр╕╕р╕Щр╕▒р╕Щр╕Чр╣М р╕Чр╕▒р╕Ър╕Кр╕б р╕лр╕▒р╕зр╕лр╕Щр╣Йр╕▓ р╕Ър╕Б.р╕кр╣Ир╕зр╕Щр╕лр╕Щр╣Йр╕▓р╕Ир╕▒р╕Зр╕лр╕зр╕▒р╕Фр╕Чр╕лр╕▓р╕гр╕Ър╕Бр╕гр╕▓р╕Кр╕Ър╕╕р╕гр╕╡ р╕Юр╕гр╣Йр╕нр╕бр╕Фр╣Йр╕зр╕вр╕Щр╕▓р╕вр╕бр╕▓р╣Вр╕Щр╕К р╕Хр╕гр╕▒р╕вр╕гр╕▒р╕Хр╕Щр╕вр╕Щр╕Хр╣М р╕Ыр╕ер╕▒р╕Ф р╕нр╕Ър╕Х.р╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕Ыр╕гр╕Б р╣Бр╕ер╕░р╣Ар╕Ир╣Йр╕▓р╕лр╕Щр╣Йр╕▓р╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╕кр╕│р╕Щр╕▒р╕Бр╕Зр╕▓р╕Щр╕кр╕▓р╕Шр╕▓р╕гр╕Ур╕░р╕кр╕╕р╕Вр╕Ир╕▒р╕Зр╕лр╕зр╕▒р╕Фр╕кр╕бр╕╕р╕Чр╕гр╕кр╕Зр╕Др╕гр╕▓р╕б р╣Др╕Фр╣Йр╣Ар╕Вр╣Йр╕▓р╕Хр╕гр╕зр╕Ир╕кр╕нр╕Ъ р╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щ р╣Ар╕ер╕Вр╕Чр╕╡р╣И 95/35 р╕Лр╕нр╕вр╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕Ыр╕гр╕Б 4 р╕лр╕бр╕╣р╣И 1 р╕Хр╕│р╕Ър╕ер╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕Ыр╕гр╕Б р╕нр╕│р╣Ар╕ар╕нр╣Ар╕бр╕╖р╕нр╕З р╕Ир╕▒р╕Зр╕лр╕зр╕▒р╕Фр╕кр╕бр╕╕р╕Чр╕гр╕кр╕Зр╕Др╕гр╕▓р╕б р╕Вр╕нр╕Зр╕Щр╕▓р╕Зр╕кр╕▓р╕зр╕гр╕╕р╕Ир╕┤р╕Юр╕▒р╕Кр╕гр╣М р╣Вр╕Кр╕Др╣Ар╕ир╕гр╕йр╕Рр╕╡р╣Ар╕Ир╕гр╕┤р╕Н р╕нр╕▓р╕вр╕╕ 30 р╕Ыр╕╡ р╕лр╕ер╕▒р╕Зр╣Др╕Фр╣Йр╕гр╕▒р╕Ър╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕гр╣Йр╕нр╕Зр╣Ар╕гр╕╡р╕вр╕Щр╕Ир╕▓р╕Бр╕Кр╕▓р╕зр╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕зр╣Ир╕▓р╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕лр╕ер╕▒р╕Зр╕Фр╕▒р╕Зр╕Бр╕ер╣Ир╕▓р╕зр╕бр╕╡р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Чр╕│р╕лр╕нр╕вр╕Фр╕нр╕Зр╕Ир╕│р╕лр╕Щр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╣Бр╕ер╕░р╕кр╣Ир╕Зр╕Бр╕ер╕┤р╣Ир╕Щр╣Ар╕лр╕бр╣Зр╕Щр╣Др╕Ыр╕Чр╕▒р╣Ир╕з
р╕Ир╕▓р╕Бр╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╣Ар╕Вр╣Йр╕▓р╕Хр╕гр╕зр╕Ир╕кр╕нр╕Ър╕Бр╣Зр╕Юр╕Ър╕зр╣Ир╕▓р╕бр╕╡р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Чр╕│р╕лр╕нр╕вр╕Фр╕нр╕Зр╣Вр╕Фр╕вр╕Лр╕╖р╣Йр╕нр╕лр╕нр╕вр╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╣Бр╕Бр╕░р╣Ар╕Ыр╕ер╕╖р╕нр╕Бр╣Бр╕ер╣Йр╕зр╕бр╕▓р╕Ир╕▓р╕Бр╕Ир╕▒р╕Зр╕лр╕зр╕▒р╕Фр╕кр╕бр╕╕р╕Чр╕гр╕кр╕▓р╕Др╕г р╣Бр╕ер╣Йр╕зр╕Щр╕│р╕бр╕▓р╕лр╕бр╕▒р╕Бр╕Фр╕нр╕З р╣Вр╕Фр╕вр╣Гр╕Кр╣Йр╕Щр╣Йр╕│р╕кр╣Йр╕бр╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╕Бр╕гр╕Фр╣Бр╕нр╕Лр╕┤р╕Хр╕┤р╕Б р╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╣Гр╕Кр╣Йр╣Гр╕Щр╕Ьр╕ер╕┤р╕Хр╕ар╕▒р╕Ур╕Ср╣Мр╕нр╕╕р╕Хр╕кр╕▓р╕лр╕Бр╕гр╕гр╕б р╕Лр╕╢р╣Ир╕Зр╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╕нр╕▒р╕Щр╕Хр╕гр╕▓р╕вр╕Хр╣Ир╕нр╕кр╕╕р╕Вр╕ар╕▓р╕Юр╣Бр╕ер╕░р╕бр╕╡р╕Бр╕ер╕┤р╣Ир╕Щр╣Ар╕лр╕бр╣Зр╕Щр╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╕гр╕╕р╕Щр╣Бр╕гр╕З р╣Бр╕ер╕░р╣Др╕бр╣Ир╕бр╕╡р╣Гр╕Ър╕нр╕Щр╕╕р╕Нр╕▓р╕Хр╕┤р╣Гр╕Щр╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Бр╕нр╕Ър╕Бр╕┤р╕Ир╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Чр╕│р╕лр╕нр╕вр╕Фр╕нр╕Зр╣Ар╕Юр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╕Ир╕│р╕лр╕Щр╣Ир╕▓р╕в
р╕Фр╣Йр╕▓р╕Щ р╕Ю.р╕Х.р╕кр╕╕р╕Щр╕▒р╕Щр╕Чр╣М р╕Бр╕ер╣Ир╕▓р╕зр╕зр╣Ир╕▓ р╣Др╕Фр╣Йр╕гр╕▒р╕Ър╣Бр╕Ир╣Йр╕Зр╕Ир╕▓р╕Бр╕Кр╕▓р╕зр╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕зр╣Ир╕▓р╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕лр╕ер╕▒р╕Зр╕Щр╕╡р╣Йр╕Чр╕│р╕лр╕нр╕вр╕Фр╕нр╕Зр╣Бр╕ер╕░р╕кр╣Ир╕Зр╕Бр╕ер╕┤р╣Ир╕Щр╣Ар╕лр╕бр╣Зр╕Щр╕кр╕гр╣Йр╕▓р╕Зр╕Др╕зр╕▓р╕бр╣Ар╕Фр╕╖р╕нр╕Фр╕гр╣Йр╕нр╕Щр╕гр╕│р╕Др╕▓р╕Нр╣Гр╕лр╣Йр╕Бр╕▒р╕Ър╕Кр╕▓р╕зр╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╣Гр╕Бр╕ер╣Йр╣Ар╕Др╕╡р╕вр╕З р╕нр╕Ър╕Х.р╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕Ыр╕гр╕Б р╕Ир╕╢р╕Зр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕кр╕▓р╕Щр╕лр╕Щр╣Ир╕зр╕вр╕Зр╕▓р╕Щр╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╣Ар╕Бр╕╡р╣Ир╕вр╕зр╕Вр╣Йр╕нр╕Зр╣Ар╕Вр╣Йр╕▓р╕Хр╕гр╕зр╕Ир╕кр╕нр╕Ъ р╕Юр╕Ър╕зр╣Ир╕▓р╕бр╕╡р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Чр╕│р╕лр╕нр╕вр╕Фр╕нр╕Зр╣Ар╕Юр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╕Ир╕│р╕лр╕Щр╣Ир╕▓р╕вр╣Вр╕Фр╕вр╣Др╕бр╣Ир╕Вр╕нр╕нр╕Щр╕╕р╕Нр╕▓р╕Х р╣Бр╕ер╕░р╕кр╕гр╣Йр╕▓р╕Зр╕бр╕ер╕ар╕▓р╕зр╕░р╣Вр╕Фр╕вр╣Ар╕Йр╕Юр╕▓р╕░р╕Бр╕ер╕┤р╣Ир╕Щр╣Ар╕лр╕бр╣Зр╕Щ р╕Чр╕▓р╕Зр╕нр╕Ър╕Х.р╕Ър╣Йр╕▓р╕Щр╕Ыр╕гр╕Б р╕Ир╕╢р╕Зр╕нр╕▓р╕ир╕▒р╕вр╕нр╕│р╕Щр╕▓р╕Ир╕Хр╕▓р╕бр╕Юр╕гр╕░р╕гр╕▓р╕Кр╕Ър╕▒р╕Нр╕Нр╕▒р╕Хр╕┤р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕кр╕▓р╕Шр╕▓р╕гр╕Ур╕░р╕кр╕╕р╕В р╕Ю.р╕и.2535 р╕кр╕▒р╣Ир╕Зр╕Ыр╕┤р╕Фр╕Бр╕┤р╕Ир╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Хр╕▒р╣Йр╕Зр╣Бр╕Хр╣Ир╕Ър╕▒р╕Фр╕Щр╕╡р╣Йр╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╕Хр╣Йр╕Щр╣Др╕Ы р╣Ар╕Щр╕╖р╣Ир╕нр╕Зр╕Ир╕▓р╕Бр╕Юр╕Ър╕Бр╕гр╕Фр╕Щр╣Йр╕│р╕кр╣Йр╕бр╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╕нр╕▒р╕Щр╕Хр╕гр╕▓р╕вр╣Бр╕ер╕░р╕Бр╕гр╕░р╕Ър╕зр╕Щр╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Ьр╕ер╕┤р╕Хр╕бр╕╡р╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕гр╕░р╕Ър╕▓р╕вр╕Щр╣Йр╕│р╕ер╕Зр╕кр╕╣р╣Ир╕Чр╕▓р╕Зр╕гр╕░р╕Ър╕▓р╕вр╕Щр╣Йр╕│р╕кр╕▓р╕Шр╕▓р╕гр╕Ур╕░р╣Вр╕Фр╕вр╣Др╕бр╣Ир╕Ьр╣Ир╕▓р╕Щр╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Ър╕│р╕Ър╕▒р╕Ф р╣Бр╕ер╕░р╣Др╕бр╣Ир╣Др╕Фр╣Йр╕Вр╕нр╕нр╕Щр╕╕р╕Нр╕▓р╕Хр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Бр╕нр╕Ър╕Бр╕┤р╕Ир╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╕нр╕▒р╕Щр╕Хр╕гр╕▓р╕вр╕Хр╣Ир╕нр╕кр╕╕р╕Вр╕ар╕▓р╕Ю р╕Ир╕╢р╕Зр╕кр╕▒р╣Ир╕Зр╣Гр╕лр╣Йр╕Ьр╕╣р╣Йр╕Ыр╕гр╕░р╕Бр╕нр╕Ър╕Бр╕▓р╕гр╕Вр╕Щр╕вр╣Йр╕▓р╕вр╕Ыр╕гр╕▒р╕Ър╕Ыр╕гр╕╕р╕Зр╕кр╕Цр╕▓р╕Щр╕Чр╕╡р╣Ир╣Гр╕лр╣Йр╣Ар╕гр╕╡р╕вр╕Ър╕гр╣Йр╕нр╕вр╕ар╕▓р╕вр╣Гр╕Щ 30 р╕зр╕▒р╕Щр╕Щр╕▒р╕Ър╣Бр╕Хр╣Ир╕зр╕▒р╕Щр╕Щр╕╡р╣Йр╣Ар╕Ыр╣Зр╕Щр╕Хр╣Йр╕Щр╣Др╕Ы
Confused Thai Educators
Those ‘ajarns’ NETIWIT CHOTIPHATPHAISAL criticises as ‘confused’ are, in fact, clear and understandable. They realised their full potential and also realised their failed government–the Yingluck administration.
Open Letter Condemning the Thai Constitution
In my opinion, any constitutions of Thailand’s are just politically decorated documents that can be easily abolished. During the Yingluck administration with the believed-to-be-good constitution, corruption could still be seen all over.
Thailand’s Constitution: An Empty Text
Come on! It is merely an interim constitution. Do not be too serious.
Of pragmatism and politics
Surely SPDC and Ret SR Gen Than Shwe must be regarded as Burma-experts with the Pauk Pau as a close runner up!
Now you KNOW how useless careless the west has been while trying to vilify the Chinese and the other TRUE Burma-experts.
Jokowi’s coming presidency: a cautionary note
The observations about an emphasis on shifting street vendors showing policies that are not necessarily being pro-poor is well worth making. But the criticisms of education policy vis-a-vis poverty alleviation and development are slapdash with unclear and superficial comparisons.
“Unfortunately, however, the fact that an educated individual enjoys an advantage in a competitive job market does not mean that educating a whole nation will necessarily make it more prosperous – at least, not when the starting point is a very low level of economic development.”
What does that even mean? How about ‘if everyone is more educated, they can all do their jobs better and more creatively, and overall productivity rises’? You don’t need a degree in development theory to get to that point.
The subsequent comparisons with Africa are just strange, and seem to be along the lines of ‘African countries prioritise education, and they fail to develop, so don’t even try’. Then there’s a leap to discussing how neighbouring countries have lower poverty rates, with no explicit connection to the discussion of education of which it’s supposedly a part. (Who knows, maybe those countries have more successful education systems and hence less poverty? Or are they just ‘randomly richer’ with no apparent cause?)
Kudos for the observations and detail in the first part of the article, but the second part falls well below the standard of an academic site.
Jokowi’s coming presidency: a cautionary note
It is true that there are more than one Indonesia today. There is middle class Indonesia and there is poor Indonesia, and the two naturally do not share the same hopes and objectives. However it is unreasonable to dismiss Jokowi’s policies as being pro-middle class and ignorant of the needs of the poor. Cleaning up kaki lima from the markets helps traffic flows, which improves economic activity, which should help all classes – after all, some of those motorists are trying to get to the market to shop. Jokowi during the presidential debates also said he would strengthen village organisations through programs including livestock-raising to improve nutrition in the villages, a point that Prabowo applauded. Jokowi has also talked about improved fertilizer – Indonesia currently only uses one-size-fits-all fertilizer rather than crop-specific fertilizer that would boost yields. There is no doubt that the euphoria about Jokowi will end with disappointments but it’s also important to look beneath the media hype to look at what he has in mind. Categorizing him as bourgeois is too simplistic.