Little room for Thai divisions
Published: 9/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News
The United States is faced with a financial meltdown and credit crunch. The immediate problem for the new administration to tackle is to assist the ailing financial institutions and big industries, notably the automotive industry, from falling. Other nations have been doing likewise. One commonality is to breathe life into the sluggish economy due to the breaking down of the market system that resulted from the absence of what is known as corporate governance.
Being, or rather having been, the most powerful nation on Earth in terms of economic wealth and military prowess, the US, whether one likes it or not, is the world giant. But as China of old used to be characterised as "the sick man of Asia", due to its under-development, the US today, due to its economic woes, along the same vein, could be looked at as "the sick man of the world".
But the crux of the problem is the disease from which the world giant is suffering is contagious, and for good or ill, the well-being of others depends on the well-being of the patient whose ill health has sent shock waves throughout whole areas where its influence has been pervasive.
Ironically, the giant cannot be allowed to die for it will pull down all the others with it.
One consolation is that the whole world realises this critical problem and seemingly has been trying to lend a helping hand. Every nation is praying for "the sick man of the world" to recover, and do it fast. President Barack Obama thus not only has the support of the American people but the world nations at large for him to succeed in his economic revival plans.
The economic problems of the US acted like the first piece of an economic domino sending Europe, Asia and other areas plunging into a dangerous pitch-dark hole. The problem which Mr Obama has to tackle is to bring the economy back to life and to extricate the US from the entanglement in Iraq and Afghanistan. But for other nations, they have to tackle the economic woes in their own countries, in addition to praying for the recovery of the US economy.
The revival plan of each nation hopefully will bear fruit pari passu with that of the plans of the US. The situation is such that the measures taken by the smaller nations may not bear fruit fully unless the giant nation succeeds in its crusade. The success of the smaller nations is thus contingent upon the success of the US. The exception will be those nations with a vast area and a big population. China, India and Russia, for example, all have big enough domestic markets where consumption can be boosted.
But in the case of Thailand, the task faced by the government is two or three times harder than for other nations. Thailand is not only faced with an economic crisis, but factually and grammatically, the nation is faced with crises and hence the problem is multi-dimensional or multi-faceted.
First, the recovery of the economy and business will depend on the policies launched by the government and hinges upon the recovery of the US, as well as such crucial trade partners as Japan, China or the European Union.
Second, Thailand is still caught in political conflicts with bickering manifested in demonstrations and exchanges of contentious polemic verbal abuse. Certain ministers cannot even venture into certain areas of the country. The scene is both worrisome and pathetic. A "business as usual" approach in which the government can attend to affairs of state is still far off.
Third, social cleavage is undeniably tearing the nation apart. The situation has developed into conflicts between or among regions. While the South will welcome the Democrat ministers, the North and the Northeast may protest if they make a trip to the two regions. The divisive sentiment, localism and regional bias are not healthy for nationhood. This problem is more serious than sheer power struggles.
Fourth, there exists a serious ideological difference between or among groups of different political ideological leanings. In certain aspects, the difference is related to the first three articles of the constitution regarding unitary statehood, a democratic form of government with the King as Head of State and sovereign power which comes from the people with the King exercising power through the parliament, the council of ministers and the judiciary in accordance with the constitution and good governance.
The conflict is thus not just a conflict generated from power struggles in the narrow sense of gaining state power but going beyond with ramifications of political and social implications imaginable. Many would view this problem with grave concern.
Tackling the economic problem will not be easy. Success in problem resolution will also be predicated upon the political parameters. The simple argument is that the possibility of a good outcome of efforts taken will be greater if the government can operate under a stable political situation and a cooperative social milieu. But those elements are a luxury which the government does not have at this moment.
Moreover, the recovery of the ailing economy resulting from the policies of the government will take time, but the public mood is for a quick "getting back on track".
The gap between what can be done and what the people want to have done is worrisome.
The goal of economic recovery and the measures taken by the government may be noble but the multi-dimensional nature of the situation will not likely enable those who are entrusted with the job to feel sanguine about the outcome. The multi-faceted problem has also turned the mission into a Herculean task.
The government will need public understanding, empathy and moral support. In addition, the government will need time for policies to be formulated, measures to be implemented and some duration of time for the results of the action programmes to bear fruit.
Indeed, at this particular juncture, cooperation of all the sectors in society is a sine qua non for the success of the government's efforts.
Prof Dr Likhit Dhiravegin is Fellow of The Royal Institute.
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