So The Junta To Stick Around For A Year

[bust]

[sorry, but this is discussing things I don't want discussed here - KS]

[robaus]

Interesting article.

 

If the army tries to “redesign the system so that the parties they don’t like cannot run the government.â€.. it's a recipe for disaster.

 

I agree "this is no way to run a modern country."

[cavanami]

...

[bust]

I often think that. While Thailand portrays itself as a devoloping country it thinks and acts like a third world one. It is non-democratic where the money rules. The current battle between the old and the new money is evidance of that. And the level of corruption keeps it in a questionable state.

Solution.........fark nose. What I do know is that the problem of corruption in developing countries simply cannot be resolved by applying structures that work in developed countries.

[jitagawn]

I often think that. While Thailand portrays itself as a developing country it thinks and acts like a third world one. It is non-democratic where the money rules. The current battle between the old and the new money is evidaence of that. And the level of corruption keeps it in a questionable state.

Solution.........fark nose. What I do know is that the problem of corruption in developing countries simply cannot be resolved by applying structures that work in developed countries."

 

Agreed and well put . "

[robaus]

 

>> “I often think that. While Thailand portrays itself as a developing country it thinks and acts like a third world one.†Agreed.

 

>> â€What I do know is that the problem of corruption in developing countries simply cannot be resolved by applying structures that work in developed countries."

...Not sure what you have in mind, but I do not think abandoning democracy in the form of one man, one vote is a solution. That is the ultimate check and balance. No taxation without representation etc. That principle has been fought for and won down through history. Our American cousins should know that.

 

Within the framework of many western democracies corruption, wastefulness and incompetence is widespread. From Dubya, Blair and Howard wasting $$ billions and thousands of lives in Iraq looking for non existent wmd..to Bill Clinton’s personal hairdresser grounding Air Force One, UK MPs claiming for a duck house in a pond expenses and the NSW premier “forgetting†he had received a $3,000 bottle wine by a lobbyist.

 

Take your pick...some juicy stuff here...

http://en.wikipedia....e_United_States

http://en.wikipedia...._United_Kingdom

http://en.wikipedia....xpenses_scandal

http://en.wikipedia....l_controversies

 

But we don’t abandon democracy. You have a free media and TV debates, to expose their cockups and let the people decide.

 

Blatant vote buying. I am 100% for stopping that. But I don’t know how you would intercept the movement of 300 baht envelopes in the middle of the night in a remote village. If cases can be proven, then penalties for donor and recipient applied, including prison.

 

Cap reasonable election expenditure by parties with full independent audits. Government recompenses parties 50% later in proportion to number of votes. Penalties applied for exceeding caps and illicit donations.

 

Transparent list of party donors. Transparent list of personal gifts by lobbyists with capped amounts.

 

The Al Capone solution. Set the tax office on the trail of dodgy politicians of all colours with please explain or assets confiscated.

 

On the electoral system itself. Get a team of expert credible international psephologists to design a model or advise on a fair system that can accommodate polarised electorates..in other countries usually based on ethnicity such as Indians in Fiji, or tribal divisions in Africa. But in Thailand its euphemistically called old money vs new money...it ought to be easier in LOS.

 

I hope Prayuth has some of these things in mind when he talks about reforms. If it’s just fix the system to get the red shirts and favour the yellows, then we’re back to square one.

 

[bust]

>> “I often think that. While Thailand portrays itself as a developing country it thinks and acts like a third world one.†Agreed.

 

>> â€What I do know is that the problem of corruption in developing countries simply cannot be resolved by applying structures that work in developed countries."

...Not sure what you have in mind, but I do not think abandoning democracy in the form of one man, one vote is a solution. That is the ultimate check and balance. No taxation without representation etc. That principle has been fought for and won down through history. Our American cousins should know that.

 

 

 

But Thailand does not have true democracy. The vote buying is evidance of that. Good starting point to eradicate corruption is looking at privacy laws. The FOI was a good starting point. Has createda climate where civil servants can be held accountable.

[bust]

[sorry, but this is discussing things I don't want discussed here - KS]

 

Shame as I thought it was a good article. Perhaps an edited version?

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

It was an interesting article, but as I said, some of the things it touched upon made me very uncomfortable with it being on my board.

 

Sanuk!

[bust]

I hear you KS