October 19th, 2006, 11:52
No, it wasn't a slip of the tongue. Premier Surayud Chulanont meant it when he declared in his first press conference that he was going after a "happiness index" for the Thai people as the pillar of this economic policy.
Thaksin's reign had been marked by marketing gimmicks, puffery and the numbers game. Populism was eroding the social fabric while politicians were hoisting the growth-at-whatever-cost flag. Quality of life came under threat as the populace was hooked on consumption-led debts and false hopes of the shaky promise of wealth, mostly reliant on politicians' largesse.
Premier Surayud's call to go back to basics is a politically bold move because it will pin economic growth on more solid ground. It is a move based on good governance, transparency, morality and national reconciliation. It's the opposite of the materialistic, amoral and politically motivated approach that was the hallmark of "Thaksinomics".
Kosit, who was responsible for drawing up the new, alternative national blueprint for the economy, says: "If there is transparency, if everyone has equal access to information, the market mechanism would work freely and fairly." Recent hard-learned lessons have underscored the serious danger of the scandalous merger of business with political interests that gave electoral democracy a bad name. The Nation
Thats admirable, do you think he is also alluding to the American system of democracy, in the last statement? Perhaps they can learn a thing or too from the Thais about how to change a system for the better once and for all.
Thaksin's reign had been marked by marketing gimmicks, puffery and the numbers game. Populism was eroding the social fabric while politicians were hoisting the growth-at-whatever-cost flag. Quality of life came under threat as the populace was hooked on consumption-led debts and false hopes of the shaky promise of wealth, mostly reliant on politicians' largesse.
Premier Surayud's call to go back to basics is a politically bold move because it will pin economic growth on more solid ground. It is a move based on good governance, transparency, morality and national reconciliation. It's the opposite of the materialistic, amoral and politically motivated approach that was the hallmark of "Thaksinomics".
Kosit, who was responsible for drawing up the new, alternative national blueprint for the economy, says: "If there is transparency, if everyone has equal access to information, the market mechanism would work freely and fairly." Recent hard-learned lessons have underscored the serious danger of the scandalous merger of business with political interests that gave electoral democracy a bad name. The Nation
Thats admirable, do you think he is also alluding to the American system of democracy, in the last statement? Perhaps they can learn a thing or too from the Thais about how to change a system for the better once and for all.