View Full Version : SufficiencyEcon:Sop 4 Self-Satisfied Cityslickers?
What do you make of this 'self-sufficiency economy' buzzword that is currently doing the rounds? I'm inclined to think that it amounts to little more than an attempt to reimpose traditional 'top-down' Asian values. Check out this rather grovelling article from the 'Nation'. It seems to me to be little more than an attempt to sugar the bitter pill of a return to common sense, with the hidden agenda of making sure that the majority of the population remain silent and subservient about their own future: -
WATCHDOG
It's time to drop those preconceptions about a sufficiency economy
Many Thai and foreign businessmen may have been confused by His Majesty the King's initiatives to create a sufficiency economy, a concept that has become a key policy platform of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont.
Surayud has also announced that achieving a growth rate in terms of gross domestic product is not a priority for his interim government. He said he prefers to measure success based on a new index, Gross Domestic Happiness, or GDH. This may sound a bit philosophical, but the royal initiatives for sufficiency, a kind of Buddhist economics, are indeed practical for virtually all parts of the economy - from international trade and large companies down to small and micro enterprises and households.
Dr Sumet Tantivejkul, secretary-general of the Chai Pattana Foundation under Royal Patronage, said recently that all Thais should beware of the pitfalls of the mainstream Western development model, which has been pursued by many developing nations around the world, including Thailand, over the past several decades.
He said the country should review its national development pattern and consider adopting an alternative model such as "sufficiency economy".
The alternative model could provide more sustainable economic growth and boost the people's happiness. After all, the goal is to take the "middle path" for maximising economic benefits and utilising the country's full potential.
MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, who is expected to be a deputy premier and finance minister in the Surayud government, has said there is no contradiction between a sufficiency economy and Thailand's liberal economic system, despite what some in the business community have suggested.
Sumet rejected the idea that the sufficiency economy is just for poor or grass-roots people, or that such a development model would take the country backwards or make the poor even poorer. Sumet said that HM the King's concept of the sufficiency economy embodies three key ideas: moderation, rationality and immunity.
"Moderation" suggests that a country should base its development model on its full potential. For instance, a country's government and private sector should not over-invest or over-stretch its economic potential because doing so could lead to greater risks and even bankruptcy.
The 1997 economic crisis is still a powerful reminder of the stakes. Thailand ended up with a huge mountain of debt, worth some Bt3 trillion.
For the Surayud government, moderation would mean a more cautious stance on investment in the mega-infrastructure projects announced by the Thaksin government.
Pridiyathorn has said the new government will still support the rail mass-transit, logistics and farm-irrigation schemes launched by the previous government, though the scale will be smaller. For instance, it may pursue only one or two of the 10 rail lines sought by the previous government.
The second key notion is "rationality". Sumet said that a country is wise if its leaders choose a logical path for national development. For instance, Thai boxing is globally renowned so it would make good sense for the government and private enterprises to capitalise on this national strength.
As for "immunity", Sumet said a country has to manage its national risks systematically. Immunity management is the same as risk management in financial and banking circles. The royal initiatives could fit well with today's global economy.
One example is Siam Cement Plc, one of Thailand's largest corporations. The company was battered by the 1997 crisis due to its massive foreign exchange losses following the currency devaluation. Siam Cement's drastic restructuring over a period of several years has resulted in a leaner, more competitive and profitable enterprise. In the process, it has sold off many non-core and unprofitable units to focus on its core activities. Its business lines are now more rational, while its new investments are not as aggressive as before. The company now has much better risk management.
Sumet said most Thais would appreciate the merits of a sufficiency economy if they had a better understanding of the world and of themselves. Unfortunately, many people and businesses only came to appreciate sufficiency after facing serious financial hardship in the wake of 1997 crisis.
If the royal words of wisdom are turned into action by the Surayud government, Thailand will place a lower priority on GDP growth and focus instead on the quality of growth so that income is more equally distributed among the entire population. The government should come up with a set of "happiness indicators" so the country is managed based on both GDP and GDH. Some elements of GDH have already been used by the government of Bhutan, which could help.
"If we develop the national economy like a good balloon, which means putting in just enough air, then that balloon will last a long time. On the other hand, if we put too much air into the balloon, as we did prior to the 1997 crisis, then it will become a bubble economy and explode," said Sumet.
Nophakhun Limsamarnphun
nop1122@yahoo.com
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/08/opinion/opinion_30015651.php
Nekochan
08-10-06, 02:39 AM
I have my doubt on "sufficiency economy", too. I think CDR is trying to assert a new ideology here. One good reason is that Thaksinomics is so corrupted as much as capitalism itself. Thais need a new "enlightment" path, socially and politically.
So, they came with "sufficiency economy" (plus substantial development).
I wonder how we could measure Gross Domestic Happiness. It is loosely based on what? our feelings? It is does not make sense since at least we must have indices to measure system efficiency. I am an engineer myself, I can say BTS structure has high strength and it will last for decades.
But people may ask, how long? how much strength?
At least it has indices such as concrete psi, 70-80 years of services based on tropical weather. That is it!
There is no "happiness" index in engineering! In economics...I think not.
And they start to talk about Bhutan. Bhutan is an exception. I checked Wiki and found that....it is landlocked with approximate population of 5-600,000.
With absolute monarchy.... (coincidence?)
Bhutan is located in a region that makes it difficult to go capitalism. It has limited population and perhaps limited natural resouces. If Bhutan wants to manufacture some goods, they may have to import almost everything (at least fuel, of course) from ports in India to its highland.
Then they will deliver products by railroad from highland to ports in India.
Why don't investors go to India instead?
The problem for Thai capitalism is that it is old fashioned, laboured intensive, low tech, and it lacks development. It has got involved in dirty politics and does not help much in social development.
It is Thailand's "bad capitalism" not "capitalism is bad". Not all bad... at least we have internet!
But there are European countries that embrace capitalism like Sweden, the Netherland and Denmark. They have monarchy system. They have done great jobs for their people. People have high standard of living with freedom and democracy. They believe in human rights, free speech...etc.
Once, a prince of Denmark was fined for speeding.:eek: That's equal rights:)
I always feel that those conservatives (I sometimes call them fundamentalists) will not let Thailand grow up easily. They want to turn back the clock,if possible, to good old days before June 24, 1932.
I still remember the pilot episode of STG Voyager. It is a conversation between Janeway and "the caretaker" about the future of Okampa.
"They are my children" the caretaker mourned.
"But the children must grow" Janeway replied.
Let them grow..let them make their own judgement...let them decide their own destiny.
jpatokal
08-10-06, 09:26 AM
Here's hoping somebody out there still remembers what happened the last time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge#The_Khmer_Rouge_in_power) when they tried to create a self-sufficient economy in a Southeast Asian country.
BangkokPundit
09-10-06, 06:17 AM
I found this (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HJ05Ae01.html) amusing:
Standard & Poor’s Ping Chew says he left confused after a Monday meeting with Ministry of Finance officials that spoke about the need for more sufficiency. “No one knows what [sufficiency economy] really means,” said Ping Chew, S&P’s director of sovereign ratings in Singapore.
I also recommend this post (http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/2006/10/05/sufficiency-and-superfluity/) at New Mandala.
GWR: The Nation, grovelling to the military junta. I'm shocked!
Wisarut
09-10-06, 06:44 AM
The sufficiency economy will still need foreign funds
from George Morgan, Bangkok
Letter to Editor, The nation - October 9, 2006
Re: "Sufficiency economy is more effective than investment at ensuring happiness", Letters, October 8.
In his letter Dr John Symons criticised my proposal to rationalise Thailand's anachronistic foreign investment laws as somehow taking an American fiscal perception of the world and wishing to perpetuate the legacy of the Thaksin government in prioritising short-term material gains above all else. I think this represents a complete distortion of my message and, at any rate, Dr Symons failed to come up with any alternative suggestion as to how foreign direct investment should be handled, given the current crisis over investment structures.
Contrary to Dr Symons' view, recognising the importance of foreign direct investment and competitiveness to developing economies, as highlighted in my letter of October 7 [Re: "Thailand urgently needs reform of its laws on foreign business"], is in no way at variance with the sufficiency economy approach espoused by MR Pridyathorn Devakula. The central bank governor is clearly not advocating that Thailand turn its back on foreign investors or international trade. As an example, he is proposing that the government should expand the Bangkok subway system more cautiously, focusing for now on the line that will attract the most riders so that the economy and the people can derive maximum benefit from available resources without taking on massive external debt, as implied by the previous government's plans. Pridyathorn is not, however, proposing that the subway should be built without any foreign participation, using only Thai expertise and equipment. Without foreign participation or foreign reserves as a result of surpluses generated from the current and capital accounts (ie trade and investment) it would be impossible to build a subway or any other large development project.
Self sufficiency means "living within your means" and efficient management of resources is key to doing this successfully. As previously stated, foreign direct investment is a very important economic resource due to the innovations and efficiencies it can bring, while at the same time freeing up domestic resources by avoiding a "crowding out effect" on the local monetary system.
This is not to say that foreign investors should be allowed to do as they please without regard for social, environmental or other national priorities. However, there is no evidence to suggest that obligatory joint venture partners are an effective means of regulating foreign direct investment in the best interests of the host country. The government itself needs to regulate both domestic and foreign investment to this end.
Whether rightly or wrongly there is now a crisis over foreign ownership structures because nominee structures adopted by foreign multinationals on advice from leading Thai law firms that went unchallenged for decades have suddenly come under scrutiny due to the Shin Corp deal. The sensible thing to do is to rationalise foreign investment laws and allow 100-per-cent foreign ownership of companies in non-strategic sectors, while strictly prohibiting the use of nominee structures in strategic sectors.
Wisarut
16-10-06, 01:54 AM
The followsing are the message in Letter to Editor (The Nation: October 15, 2006) that point out the Difference between Microcredit scheme in Bangaladesh which is Definitely compatible wiht Self-Sufficient economic of His Maesty .... while pointing otu that Thaksin's Populist scheme is DEFINITELY NOT the same thign as the microcredit scheme.
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Giving credit to the sufficiency economy
By Andrew Hicks from Surin
I was pleased to read about the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Mohammed Yunus for his work on micro-credit in Bangladesh. The success of his Grameen Bank in relieving poverty through lending small sums mainly to women invites comparison with Thaksin Shinawatra's "Bt1 million village fund" policy.
If a populist policy such as this is not to be accused of ulterior political motives, it should perhaps mirror some of the principles of the Grameen Bank. For example, loans should generally be very small and should be given for purposes that will demonstrably generate the income to assure repayment. Promoting efficiency and responsibility among borrowers is a crucial objective.
In contrast, the flood of excessive credit from public and private sources in Thailand can be immensely damaging in many ways. In the village in Surin province where I live, during the past few months three households on my soi that are poor by any standards have acquired brand new pickup trucks on credit. The finance deals were irresistible, requiring minimal deposits, but I doubt that the families will ever generate the income to make their pickup profitable and they will probably come to grief.
Another incident is of a young woman earning Bt4,000 a month in Bangkok who was given "gold card" consumer credit of Bt100,000 which she spent on a television, mobile phones and so on for her boyfriend and then lost her job. Lending such as this is to be deplored as it can cause untold damage to the young and impressionable.
Thailand has been awash with easy credit that makes economic statistics look healthy but does nobody any good in the long term. The principles of a sufficiency economy should be strongly opposed to the corrosive effect of excessive credit, while lessons should be learned from the very real benefits of micro-credit. The success of the Grameen Bank could be followed here with great benefit as there is still very real poverty amidst all the glitter of the consumer society.
---------------------------------
Micro-credit is nothing like ex-PM's poverty schemes
By Chavalit Van from Chiang Mai
Re: Nobel Peace Prize winner had same idea as Thaksin," Letters, October 15.
Kaew's claim that Thaksin's village fund was similar to that of Nobel Peace Prize winner's Muhammad Yunus micro-credit scheme is simply laughable. More in-depth study into the two men's projects is needed.
As far as I know, Yunus' Grameen Bank provided minuscule loans to the poor in Bangladesh exclusively for investment in their household business - not for consumption. Ninety-six per cent of his bank's clients are women because, according to Yunus, men do not spend the money to help their families. His first customer was a housewife making bamboo stools. She and some other villagers merely needed $27 [Bt972] in loan money to run their business without resorting to the local loan sharks. In the 13 years that his bank has lent money to them, very few villagers have missed a monthly payment. The villagers have become more financially independent and prosperous. Yunus says there are two reasons for his success: people invest wisely and apply peer pressure to make sure the village as a whole keeps a spotless record.
Thaksin's village fund was far from being similar, and the results are far from being as satisfactory as that of Yunus' project. Our poor villagers, pandered by Thaksin's easy loans, used most of the money for the wrong purpose: consumption. They spent the money on cell phones, new motorcycles and pickup trucks. The result, as we know it, is our poor are now even more dependent on loan sharks, and thus getting poorer and deeper into debt.
As for the Bt30 health scheme, only time will tell whether the plan is sustainable; maintaining a good quality of healthcare with more capable and dedicated doctors still working for the project. Constant moral boosts and tonnes of money are needed for an acceptable end result here. Don't be overjoyed just yet. There's more hard work to do.
-----------------------------------
Nekochan
18-10-06, 12:49 AM
I think it is still not clear how to achieve "sufficiency economy". It has become a catchphase and everyone does not hestitate to mention it. Although we do not khow what the real meaning is.
At least in order to run your business, you need some investment. You make a product and only hope people will buy them, a lot of them. Think about few months ago when people floaked to buy jerseys in yellow, blue, purple with different styles and shapes (sold like hotcake). It is capitalism, anyway.
You have a lot of empty land. You do not know much about doing business. You can make profits by having "rental fees". Is that what the Crowned Property Bureau doing? It is just capitalism. Particularly, land is fixed supply...it is capital. (I am not economist).
"Sufficiency economy" sounds like capitalism with more environmental friendly approaches. Plus more moral awareness among public, based on the teaching of Al Gore (No!, not Bhudha!)
Al Gore, the man who invented the internet!:D
Once people criticized the Megaprojects that it was against the idea. Now they agree the projects be continue (with fewer lines). You may ask yourself what these people really want. There will be a hugh investment anyway. (except you want to ride bicycle to work!)
Hmm! Not sure about this! Has Suthi gone soft? Or has he finally just met up with someone else on the same Sanyasin powder?: -
THAI TALK
'Sufficiency economy' isn't sexy, but it means business
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.
He didn't put it in so many words. But it was obvious that Thaksin's populist growth-oriented style was to be given a proper burial.
The challenge will be tough for this government to make "sufficiency" the buzzword for its economic platform. First came the obvious, if rather naive, question: Does sufficiency mean slow growth? How will foreign investors view this apparent step backward in the conventional interpretation of sufficiency?
If this question was valid, it was only because 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".
While corruption within the powers-that-be rose dramatically before, because even the leadership wallowed in all sorts of conflicts of interests, the current Cabinet is expected to be clean, honest and non-partisan - and determined to fight graft in all its forms and shapes. That, when all is said and done, is the very crux of the difference.
Can sufficiency economy and capitalism go together? This, of course, isn't the dual-track panacea of the Thaksin era. But as Deputy Premier and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras insisted when questioned about his policy blueprint to be submitted to the National Legislative Assembly: "Sufficiency economy not only doesn't clash with the principle of capitalism, it in fact is a forceful supplement. Why? Because sufficiency economy will serve as the vital foundation of an efficient capitalist system."
If "know-who" was more important than "know-how" in the previous government dominated by business-politicos - government-linked businesses were taking over major business concerns through political connections for their own benefits - the Surayud administration's pledge is to promote sufficiency economy based on transparency and good governance.
Kosit, who was responsible for drawing up the new, alternative national blueprint, 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.
"If there is monopoly, if the playing field isn't level, free competition wouldn't be possible," he said. Does that mean heads will roll and all the projects tainted with political smell would face the axe? That would go against the promise to make national reconciliation one of the top priorities.
"We aren't going to adopt the negative attitude of first looking at the label and ask: Whose project is this? We are going to treat them all equally and ask the same question of every one of the schemes: Is it fair? Is it transparent? What isn't fair or transparent will of course have to come under scrutiny, change and revision…."
Kosit's approach is a clear contrast with Thaksin's style and it's a stark lesson in paradox. Thaksin was a businessman who became a prime minister to run a big government guiding the private sector in every major way. Kosit, on the other hand, is a bureaucrat-turned-banker-turned-politician who has made it loud and clear that his will be a small government, where businessmen will take the lead to push the economy forward.
Is the new sufficiency economic package a hard sell? If good governance, transparency, moral standards, social accountability and private-sector initiatives are what constitute the digital age of this "flat-world" investment environment, then this is the next big thing that every major business enterprise is in fact demanding from all responsible governments.
The only concern is whether the Surayud-led government will be able to muster the necessary political will to pull it through. It may not sound politically sexy. But then, this doesn't mean that with some real work and consistency in getting the message across, the principle of sufficiency economy can't end up being all the rage, especially when the international community realises that it's the real stuff and the new government means business when it talks business.
Suthichai Yoon
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/19/opinion/opinion_30016554.php
nathawat
19-10-06, 12:34 PM
Does it mean "you should do only what you can really do?
Invest 50% of what you have on hand, 30% to take care your family, 20% reserve for emergency. Avoid all kind of loans. Less debt, more happiness.
In term of government, we should avoid buying know-how (especially from loan) to develop the country but try to create from whatever we can within the country. If this's the case, Surayut should go for BRT for all mass transit projects rather than LRT/subway since we can do more than 90% BRT locally. And People must shut up because this would be the best for the country, seft-sufficient. (In fact I would really shut up if he really has guts to follow this policy).
A farmer wants to buy a tractor for increase his production rather than continue using buffalos, he ought to do so as long as he does not jeopadise himself by creating any debts. Or else, you should strick to the buffalos for self-sufficient sake. Of course this is also an happiness.
If all above reflect some meaning of self sufficient economy, for me, I think I should be able to follow the idea.
But how many people in this country have luxuary to be self-sufficient economy? From my observation, people who embraced this campaign non of them is from a businessman background, but they're already in a "self-sufficient" status by either their professions or lucks. They never ever face the word "tough competition" for own servival before. How a businessman understand the word "sufficient" when their families and workers happinesses depended on his competitiveness and ambicious.
So, the question is "sufficient to whom?"
The delima is that the businessmen paid the most countries' taxes. The policy makers utilize those money to develop the country (including their salaries). To show sincereliness of this campaign, should the policy makers consider the "self-suficient taxes" as well to the businessmen? This will be fair for all.
Baton Rouge
28-10-06, 09:23 AM
Philosophy for body and soul
His Majesty the King's sufficiency philosophy is a key to good health, not just for the body but also for the mind and spirit, according to Privy Council president General Prem Tinsulanonda.
He was presiding over a conference called "Confederation for National Health 2006: Sufficiency Economy".
"Good health is a key ingredient to the well-being of society. At the same time, morality also builds a happy society. I invite you all to look at morality in the perspective of health, and you will see that the health of Thai morality, especially at leadership level, is degenerating,'' he said.
Prem said the best way to fight against degenerating morality was to apply the sufficiency philosophy, which stressed moderation, reason and morality as principles.
"The King has preached sufficiency for over 20 years, but few people have been interested. They believe the philosophy is outdated and not suitable for the country's industrialisation. What the King said 20 years ago is valid even today, and now people understand this philosophy and are applying it in life and development,'' he said.
Professor Dr Kasem Wattanachai, a privy councillor, also addressed the seminar on the sufficiency economy in an era of globalisation.
"The purpose of the sufficiency economy is not to run away from the trend towards globalisation but to be prepared for it so that you survive. This philosophy does not ban wealth: you can be rich in accordance with dharma,'' he said.
THE NATION
27/10/06
Oh Dear! Another interminable sermon to listen to. For every Prem and Kasem there are several other VIPs who are nodding their heads in agreement as they gradually tune out and doze off for the rest of monologue.
What use is all this talk about morality unless it sets practical standards that can be enforced? We need to stop talking about impractical moral standards that impact on people's leisure time, and confine ourselves to enforcing those moral standards that are already written into law. For example, it is a crime in almost anyone's book to murder another person. Why then is it that so many people died during the last government? Don't get me wrong! I actually share the heavy distain many here have for the criminal underworld, but it is worth noting that when the lives of criminals are considered cheap, then people with a real zeal for 'moral' change also end up dead on the streets. Somchai the lawyer being ONLY one case in point.
What is needed is not another philosophical pronouncement from on high, but root and branch reform of the police. But I don't see anyone talking along those lines in this interim government so far. It doesn't take much of a stretch of imagination to see the coup as essentially a military vs police conflict. The military are certainly no angels, but it has become increasingly obvious that the police force has become a complete farce.
You can talk up any moral standard you like, but until you back it up with real actions it's totally worthless. This top-down sermonizing has been going on since WW2, but it hasn't changed a thing for ordinary citizens. So I have to say it is a worthless philosophy!
I'm not wildly impressed by these articles. For every fine sentiment, I keep getting messages like "common sense". So perhaps that common sense is such an alien concept that we have dress it up with all sorts of irelevant 'moral' baggage: -
What does Sufficiency Economy mean?
The Surayud government says it will follow the "Sufficiency Economy". That commitment is written into the preamble of the Interim Constitution.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/30/opinion/opinion_30017429.php
What does Sufficiency Economy mean? ( II)
The Sufficiency Economy offers a set or principles for planning and decision-making.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/31/opinion/opinion_30017586.php
BangkokPundit
31-10-06, 02:50 AM
I'm not wildly impressed by these articles. For every fine sentiment, I keep getting messages like "common sense".
I don't expect too much change with sufficiency economy from the status quo. Any policy which the new government doesn't like can be abandoned because it doesn't fit within the definition of sufficiency economy. Here is quote from a new article (http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=237&Itemid=31) in Asia Sentinel on this point:
The junta has taken some steps to demonize Thaksin's economic policies by calling for the use of the "sufficiency economy," a philosophy created by the king that calls for moderation and stability. Although this initially worried foreign investors, many now see it simply as an effort to re-brand many of Thaksin's initiatives.
I am just waiting to see how large the budget deficit will be and how they will be able to explain how that fit within sufficiency economy.
Baton Rouge
24-11-06, 10:43 AM
I find the following reader reply far more interesting that the Nation guest column that inspired it: -
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/11/24/opinion/opinion_30019791.php
Tosakan 24/11/2006 09:07
This article was a piece of horrible scholarship that has a bunch of fancy words but makes absolutely no sense at all. Thais should never be allowed to submit academic pieces unless they have a capable copywriter. As an economics/business professor, Ajarn Suvit should feel ashamed for submitting this. The fact is this: Thailand is a politics driven economy rather than a market driven economy. The economy is driven by irrational actors, such as politicians, bureaucrats, and monopolists protecting their interests, rather than efficient producers, capital, and consumers. All this self-sufficient nonsense is all about protecting political actors and it has nothing to do with helping the Thai people work and compete in a highly competitive international marketplace. Indeed, self-sufficiency only hurts the Thai people, because it says Thai people are too stupid and too weak to compete in a global marketplace. I agree with this, Thai people are too stupid and too lazy to compete, but instead of coddling them and making them even more less competitive through self-sufficiency theory they need a shock treatment by being forced to compete with the big boys. The reason Tesco and Carrefour are successful is because the small players are worthless competitors who care nothing about the consumer. At a small grocery store, the service is bad, the selection is terrible, and the place is usually filthy dirty. Instead of protecting the small guy, the government should be encouraging these small shop owners into transforming into a 2007 economy or get crushed by other forces. Instead, Ajarn Suvit, who probably shops at Siam Paragon and drives a Mercedes, wants to coddle inefficient players in the Thai economy. This is stupid. And no amount of fancy words is going to change this fact. The reason why Japan, China, Singapore and Korea have successful economies compared to Thailand is because those governments prepare their companies and people for international capitalism and push to win while Thailand, which has no international brand to speak of, the government and domestic producers do things in a lazy half assed way and expect to be treated with respect. Somebody should tell Ajarn Suvit that smiling and fancy words don't get cut it anymore, those things are not good enough to compete, and anybody who believes otherwise is subjecting Thailand to economic decline over the long haul. Lastly, the worst thing the Thai government could do is get involved with the economy some more by promoting hair brained schemes. The Thai government has done enough over the last 200 years to hurt the economy. Its time for politicians and monopolists to get out of the way and let capitalism take its course.
Yes, the guest column is pretty much a piece of flim-flam. However, as much as I agree with some of Tosakan's points, I think he loses it at the end. He fails to realize that the politicians and monopolists that he talks about at the end are still a significant force to be reckoned with in Thailand. They are indeed pretty much the same capitalists who he sets so much store by. He fails to realize that the 'sufficiency' argument and other traditional Thai capitalist ruses are just the current establishment's way of maintaining a heavily-inclined playing field, with the upstarts always playing up hill.
Unlike Tosakan, I don't buy into all this 'natural market forces' shit, which seems to me almost as nutty as a bunch of right-on amateur ecologists trying to explain how the environment works. There will always be someone who tries to manipulate the market in a supposedly 'unnatural' way. We need balanced market regulation rather than no regulation at all.
Tosakan, those 'irrational actors' are capable of both manipulating the country with this 'sufficiency' nonsense and playing the capitalist field. Indeed, it is precisely that duplicity that makes them such an unattractive bunch in my book. You don't really believe that the snakeoil of modern capitalist thinking is really good enough to purge the system of all known parasites, do you? You talk about politics-driven vs market-driven. Do you really believe these two forces are ever mutually exclusive?
Is this really the sort of sentiment that will help the country to get over Thaksin's vacation: -
'Registering poor no good'
The registering of the country's poor is contrary to His Majesty the King's sufficiency-economy theory, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras.
"I feel uncomfortable with the previous administration's registration of poor people because it drags them away from self reliance," Kosit said in his opening address at a workshop promoting well being at the provincial level.
He said the poor needed to be self-reliant if they were to become better off financially.
Giving farmers fertiliser and cash will not help them in the long term because they still incur debt, he said.
"I believe sufficiency-economy principles can be used to tackle poverty," Kosit said.
He said he had yet to discuss with Interior Ministry officials the previous administration's plans for solving poverty - including the registration of those living below the bread line.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/01/16/national/national_30024220.php
Baton Rouge
16-02-07, 09:28 PM
To be more than a trifle coarse, "Gordan Bennett! Cop a load 'uv the set 'uv top bollocks on this!"
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/webblog/blog/349/1905/images/0000001605.jpg
[Picture: The Nation]
But now in a more pensive mood, take a look at this. It was all rather predictable, wasn't it!?
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/02/16/headlines/images/30027006-01.jpg
A clearly distressed Amy at the press conference
[Picture: The Nation]
Chotiros pledges to shed sexy dress
Actress and university student Chotiros Suriyawong will shed her sexy evening dress to accomplish her latest mission of reading books for the blind.
She will also perform other types of community service as part of punishment meted out by Thammasat University.
"We have resolved to issue her a written warning. We've also required her to read books for the blind for 15 days and do some other community service," Thammasat vice rector Parinya Thewanarumitkul told a press conference yesterday.
"This case is closed."
Thammasat was under pressure to act after Chotiros, a senior at the university, appeared in a revealing dress at the Subhana-hongsa Awards ceremony this month. Chotiros won media attention for her ultra-sexy attire and a hint that she sashayed down without underwear.
Following public condemnation, Sahamongkol Film chief Somsak Techaratanaprasert has ordered all footage of Chotiros to be deleted from one of his movies.
Chotiros was in tears during yesterday's press conference at her university. "I am so sorry for what has happened. I would like to apologise," she said.
Chotiros was summoned to explain the incident to Thammasat executives and lecturers yesterday. She showed them the controversial dress, which has special sewn-in underwear.
Asked whether she wore the dress to attract attention, Chotiros replied, "I don't want to make my name known in this way."
A Dusit Poll showed 67.61 per cent of respondents supported Somsak's move against Chotiros. Conducted on February 14-15, the survey questioned 749 students and 264 teachers and lecturers.
Almost 82 per cent of respondents believed Chotiros chose to wear an inappropriate dress. Nearly 72 per cent said Thammasat should punish her.
But I rather like this comment from Patiwat on the Bangkok Pundit blog (http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/)
https://www2.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=10355625&postID=2179325998103952949
..... Somebody should ask Amy Chotiros what she thinks about Thaksin and the junta. ..... What I'm hearing from a lot of friends is that there is a lot of cynicism going around, as the younger generation gets a first hand look at the hypocritical conservatism of the King's government. This is eroding the Sarit-era perspective that all young starlets have no higher goal than to be trophy wives for the powerful.
Bullcrap like the workings of the junta and what TU is doing to Amy is going to be shaping the political views of this generation for the next 20 years. The times are a changin!
February 15, 2007 4:52 PM
Baton Rouge
16-02-07, 10:06 PM
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/02/14/opinion/opinion_30026811.php
This article also has an add your comment function. Some of the comments are intelligent and some are rather more revealing of the hypocrisy headlined below
STOPPAGE TIME
Sexy dress exposed ugly truths about society's hypocrisy
First of all, I thought it was a ridiculous dress.
What emerging actress and student Chotiros Suriyawong wore to Friday's Subhanahongsa Awards, triggering a storm of social controversy, made my jaw drop for the wrong reason. I am clueless when it comes to female fashion - here's a straight guy talking - however, when the likes of me have the audacity to criticise a woman's evening wear like this, it's time to listen, girls.
Why I'm bothered, though, is not due to the fact that Chotiros in "that thing" reminded me of a lobster. The outcry she stirred up is more amazing than the dress itself, and when people suggested she be denied a university degree, and an entertainment bigwig exploited the uproar by acting like a cardinal, social hypocrisy or narrow-mindedness has paled her weird fashion sense completely.
Don't get me wrong. If I had a teenaged daughter and she prepared to leave home like that, I would have stopped her for a serious discussion. But that's the whole point. It's an issue for the family. If Amy's folks didn't mind it, why should we? Granted, she was probably a few "inches" away from breaking the legal barrier but police didn't arrest her, did they?
You can decry her taste, but demanding social punishment violates her basic human rights. The way we dress is the way we choose to express ourselves, and this is even more fundamental than the right to express our opinions. If we can't recognise that Chotiros was simply expressing herself in the most elementary way, we shouldn't give a damn on what our new constitution will look like because we don't really care.
The attempt to drag Thammasat University into it beggars belief. She was representing "herself", not the institution, on that night. News reports said she might be reprimanded, which is very interesting.
What would administrators of a university that has been a guardian of rights and liberty as well as one that has cherished and encouraged a tradition of ideological provocation tell Chotiros?
What will they tell a student who wore a revealing dress to a gala dinner party?
Thammasat and its people are supposed to protect Chotiros, who is said to be a good student. They are supposed to stand by her rights and inform an overreacting society that she didn't harm anyone, and there are more "real" moral issues that require attention. And they are supposed to go after the likes of Somsak Techaratanaprasert, the big boss of Sahamongkol Film, who has ordered all footage of her deleted from one of his movies.
Whether it's a knee-jerk reaction or opportunism, what Somsak has done may be nastier than Chotiros' dress. "We are not a porn company," said the man, who isn't even her direct employer. Being a big man in an industry that relies heavily on artistic provocation, creativity and open-mindedness, he has either succumbed meekly to a dubious social outburst or, worse, stepped on a defenceless girl in order to be seen as having taken the moral high ground.
Chotiros may have unveiled too much of her skin, but we may be seeing a man's real colours.
Not many women have come out to defend Amy, and this may be sadder than Somsak's questionable response to the controversy. Again, we are hearing arguments focused on "decency". Again, "culture" and "Thai-ness" are coming into play. Debate can go on forever, but the uproar and media frenzy indicate that Chotiros has committed a bigger crime than wife beating or sexual harassment in the workplace. Apparently, what she has done is not regarded to be part of female liberation, but something self-serving or an attempt to seek publicity. Which might be true. But the problem with our society is that self-serving or attention-seeking men are perfectly fine, including those acting on primitive impulses. Singer Tata Young once had to apologise to the Thai public for having announced that she had fallen in love with tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan. Actress Kataleeya McIntosh had to do the same after her personal romantic secrets broke out into the open. Chotiros is joining the Female Victims of Social Hypocrisy Club.
We have near heard of universities firing male students for visiting prostitutes, or companies demoting male executives for fathering illegitimate children.
If there has been any social condemnation of those men at all, it's surely not been half as strong as what Chotiros is facing, for wearing that lobster dress. She has exposed more than her cleavage and her thighs.
Through the controversy of what she wore, we are seeing an odd "culture", one where exercising her fundamental rights can cost a woman her job and where "decency" goes hand in hand with hypocrisy and opportunism.
Tulsathit Taptim
Nekochan
17-02-07, 12:06 AM
I am not accustomed to make any comment about fashion.
One thing is right, we cannot blame a young girl for exposing herself (that much).
But when it comes to Thai style of hipocrisy, we are second to none.
I am not a fan of tabloid newspaper, either. But that's the way they earn their living by making sensational headlines....anything from alien gel from outer space to Benlo actress.
This is nasty. Strange enough that Thais feel almost indifferent about the way they do business. In US there is National Enquirer, but I do not think it is mainstream media.
Now we have lecturers coming out to blame the girl...perhaps, they are the same people who supported the coup and CDR. Robbing the rights of 64 M people was just fine, but a young lady showing her "assets" is outrageous. You ask them what democracy and personal rights mean, they have no clue. Those clueless people then teach the public and their students to be even more clueless.
You may not wonder why Thai universities always rank below top 50 among Asian nations. Simple causes and effects (really karma thing) And YES!, whenever I post this sort of comment in Thai website, they go berkserk! (Harsh reality!)
If she had dressed like that in USA (Emmy Award something), US media would have hailed her as goddess or earth angel! I know those western guys very well, I khow what they will think about oriental girl. :rolleyes:
(Zhang Zi Yi has been more admired than Joe Yun Fat, even she speaks little English)
My recommendation for Miss Chotiros is to "go inter" after her graduation, following footsteps of Gong li, Vanessa Mae, Tata Young, and lots of talented Asians. And she will understand the true meaning of freedom. Luckily, she might meet her Brad Pitt! (most Thai actors are lousy...not worth it).
I should have written more. Then I realize this website is not mangosauce!:cool:
BangkokPundit
17-02-07, 07:37 AM
From The Nation's article:
Thammasat and its people are supposed to protect Chotiros, who is said to be a good student. They are supposed to stand by her rights and inform an overreacting society that she didn't harm anyone, and there are more "real" moral issues that require attention.
See I disagree here too. I don't think the university should do anything. They shouldn't protect or punish her. She wasn't on campus when it happened. There is no connection with her dress and her university life. But if the university wants to go down this route, it should check to see what some of its lecturers do afterhours at certain entertainment venues.
Sia Jiang (Somsak) is just worried the press will start prying into his private life.
Scuba22
17-02-07, 05:45 PM
"Chotiros pledges to shed sexy dress...Actress and university student Chotiros Suriyawong will shed her sexy evening dress to accomplish her latest mission of reading books for the blind."
OK, so a couple of nuns are renovating the convent. They take off all their clothes so they won't get dirty while they prep and paint. The doorbell rings and voice yells "Blind man here!". Figuring it doesn't really matter since he can't see anyway, they open the door and let him in. "Wow, you chicks look great," the main says, "where do you want the blinds?"
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Please can we have more about this fascinating story that's so relevant to the ongoing drama of Thai politics? I hope it never ends.
Scuba
Baton Rouge
17-02-07, 06:39 PM
There is something almost absurdly surreal about involving the visually-impaired in Amy's punishment; something which also insults them into the bargain I think. The university's thinking almost seems to be that they are punishing her by forcing her to work with people who have no visual perception of her beauty. Elsewise, why did they even have to be specific about the type of community work involved? They could just as easily have been ordained her punishment without going into details. Not all 'blind' have 100% visual impairment anyway. I sincerely hope that both parties enjoy the experience in spite of the university's clumsy attempts to moralize. We already know that universities here do not deal well with those with disabilities.
There was also another very revealing picture in either yesterday's Thai Rath or Daily News. Amy is showing the press the sort of g-string thingy that is built into the gown. Two university men are looking on with extremely sourpuss faces. I'd love to link it here. It's an absolute classic. But I have not been able to refind it. Keep an eye out for it and post it here if you happen upon it.
Baton Rouge
18-02-07, 09:46 PM
In sufficient clothing
February 18th, 2007 Andrew Walker
A New Mandala exclusive. Actress and Thammasat university student Chotiros Suriyawong is rumoured to have denied rumours that she was rumoured to be appointed cultural spokeswoman for the Surayud-CNS government. Rumours had been sparked by the appointment of Thaksinomic guru Somkid Jatusripitak as regime spokesman on sufficiency economy. A regime insider allegedly told New Mandala: “if populist-capitalist Somkid can preach about sufficiency then surely Chotiros can teach people about culturally appropriate behaviour.”
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/2007/02/18/in-sufficient-clothing/
Nekochan
18-02-07, 10:06 PM
At least she gains her international fame! Her next stop is ... where?
Hollywood?
Please not "Butterflyman 2"!
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255004300012
30 April 2007 Phetchabun launches “One Tambon One Sufficiency Economy Unit” project
Phetchabun Province calls for all provincial units to support its project called “One Tambon One Sufficiency Economy Unit”
Phetchabun Deputy Governor Somphong Arunrojpanya (สมพงศ์ อรุณโรจน์ปัญญา) reveals that the province has implemented the Sufficiency Economy philosophy in line with the government policy by setting up a unit at each Tambon. The units are responsible for promoting the philosophy and encouraging residents to participate in its projects.
The unit also has a task to set up a learning center and give advices to the residents in order to help them lead their life in line with the Sufficiency Economy concept.
15 May 2007
Hua Hin Jazz Festival 2007 to draw in 65,000 visitors
The Hua Hin Jazz Festival 2007 will be held on June 8th and 9th, 2007.
The festival is being organized by the CM Organizer Public Company Limited. The jazz festival seems to be a smaller affair this year with only two days instead of the three on previous festivals, to follow principle of the Sufficiency Economy. However, this year's concept, Party by the Sea, is expected to attract about 65,000 visitors. Last year, 81 percent of the visitors expressed their satisfaction with the jazz event in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The main concerts will be played in front of Sofitel Central Hotel. Some of the world's famous jazz artists such as Quintet-X, Young Blood Band, Bossa Blossom, and Caroline Henderson are scheduled to entertain the crowd this year.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255005150025
Meanwhile, Mr. Suthas Buripakdee, the Deputy Dean of Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, says students in his university are organizing the student orientation activities under the concept of living sufficiently. The orientation will last for three days, starting from June 7th, to prevent problems from arising.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255005250018
Chart Thai is looking out for reputable people to run alongside such mavens of morality as its very own leader Barnharn Silapa-Archa AKA the Walking ATM and Khun Chuwit AKA the Bathtub King:
03 June 2007
Chart Thai Party approaches reputable people to run in general election
Deputy Leader of the Chart Thai Party, Sonsak Prissana-nantakul (สมศักดิ์ ปริศนานันทกุล), discloses that the party is approaching reputable people to be members and run in the general election at the end of this year.
Mr Somsak adds that there are also politicians from other parties requesting to be members of the Chart Thai. However, the party will recruit new members after the new constitution has been enforced so that it can prepare itself in terms of qualifications and number of members of parliament as well as the election system addressed by the new charter.
Chart Thai Deputy Leader says the party’s policy for the election focuses on the Sufficiency Economy philosophy ..... and the development of standards of life of Thai people.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255006030001
Sounds like class-exclusive Communism to me. I can think of a few countries where ordinary citizens might feel vaguely flattered by such an analogy, but alas for our owlish Privy Councilor Thailand is far from being on that list:
http://www.lingolex.com/ant.gif
04 June 2007
Privy Councilor advises nation to emulate ants
The Privy Councilor advised the nation to apply the ant's way of life in their daily lifestyle, especially the virtues of perseverance, endurance, cooperation, and self dependence.
Privy Councilor Ampol Senanarong (อำพล เสนาณรงค์ ) hosted the opening of a museum building at Kasetsart University, which aims to function as a center of research. Mr. Ampol conducted a speech on Living like Ants under a Self Sufficient Economy. He said that despite the ant's small stature, the animal is hard-working, possesses great fortitude, cooperation, and self dependence.
The Privy Councilor said that members of society are currently lacking in virtue, with lack of kindness, selflessness, or morality. Mr. Ampol revealed that if humans acted like ants, then the nation will develop further.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter06
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255006040035
Baton Rouge
04-06-07, 06:06 PM
There's a blog entry today over at New Mandala that looks at this issue in a rather more academic way. I won't paste it in wholesale here because it contains a graph. The readers comments are rather more interesting than the original blog post.
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/2007/06/04/sufficiency-and-the-rich/#comments
Republican
..........
Did anyone at the seminar ask what would happen if one openly criticized sufficiency economy and its chief theorist in Thailand? Did anyone ask whether the Crown Property Bureau was practising sufficiency theory? Did anyone point out that, besides the fact that this theory can only survive by virtue of lese majeste, it has been put into practice by a royalist dictatorship?
...........
The comments get even more controversial than that, with ANU's Thai Studies unit coming in for quite a panning itself.
Baton Rouge
04-06-07, 09:02 PM
From this article, one might just conclude that to some government officials the term 'Sufficiency Economy' is nothing more than a piece of sloganizing to supplant such 'old power' staples as the 'One Million Baht Village Fund' and OTOP.
I'm blowed if I can see the sufficiency bit in the following at all. I can certainly see an attempt to outdo the arch-popularist.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/06/04/national/national_30035921.php
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Villages to receive a Bt20-billion boost
Govt says it will double spending for programmes to raise living standards of villagers in next fiscal year
The government plans to allocate Bt20 billion for two major projects to improve the living standards of villagers nationwide in the next fiscal year, a senior official said yesterday.
The budget will come from the government's central fund and will go to provincial-level programmes to improve living standards and develop communities under the sufficiency economy theory, said Pongthep Tithapan, director of the Office for Development of Villages and Communities under Sufficiency Economy Philosophy.
The amount of funds to be allocated to the two projects is double the Bt10 billion allocated in the current fiscal year, said Pongthep, adding that his office has yet to determine the specific amount each project will be given from the 2008 budget.
The fiscal year begins in October.
Of the budget for sufficiency-economy projects, Bt145 million will be allocated to improve living standards of residents of 637 villages in the southern border provinces. About 20,000 villages in other parts of the country will also benefit from the 2008 budget, Pongthep said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham said yesterday the government planned to hold a brainstorming forum later this month to find ways to make the spending of the village funds initiated by the previous government more efficient.
The seminar is scheduled to be held from June 21 to June 23. Representatives of villages that have utilised their funds successfully will present their operating models for other communities to adopt, he said.
"We will discuss how to make village funds benefit everyone in these communities and thus lead to successful local development. The funds must not serve as a tool for politicians," Paiboon said.
A source said yesterday that the villager fund committee had received a report on problems in the management of the funds at its recent meeting. The report said many people had delayed repayment of loans they took from the village fund programme since they felt uncertain about the interim government's policy on continuing the village fund scheme, the source said. Poor understanding about the purpose of the village funds among the officials overseeing them had resulted in slow development of the programme, while database and support systems for the management of the funds are reportedly still lacking, the source said.
However, the village fund committee has acknowledged the problems and is trying to find quick and effective solutions, the source said.
Sounds like class-exclusive Communism to me. I can think of a few countries where ordinary citizens might feel vaguely flattered by such an analogy, but alas for our owlish Privy Councilor Thailand is far from being on that list:
http://www.lingolex.com/ant.gif
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255006040035
http://www.bangkokpost.com/050607_front.jpg
[Picture: Bangkok Post - Preserved specimens of various ant species from the Halabala wildlife sanctuary in Yala and Narathiwat provinces are on display at the Ant Museum, run by Kasetsart University's forestry faculty.— PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD]
New ant museum offers a lesson in ethics and order in modern life
APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
Thailand's first ant museum is now open to visitors who are curious about how the ''super-organism'' can teach humans lessons about life.
''An ant's nature is simple but full of order and ethics, which human beings can learn from,'' said Ant Museum curator Decha Wiwatwittaya.
The museum occupies an 80-square-metre exhibition room on the second floor of Vinijvanandorn Building at Kasetsart University's faculty of forestry.
Examples of more than 100 ant species, 90% of them indigenous to Thailand, are preserved in the display boxes with posters describing the species' life cycle, role in the ecological system, economic benefits and other interesting details about what has enabled ants to survive for more than 100 million years.
''If you expect to see something magnificent here, you will be disappointed,'' said the curator. ''The beauty of this place does not come from lavish presentation, but from a deep knowledge about the life of ants.''
Mr Decha, a lecturer in the forest biology department, explained that the ant community was full of sacrifice and responsibility. Ants also strictly followed their colony's rules.
These unique characteristics make the ant community healthy and strong, he said.
The Ant Museum was established in 2001 and has mainly served as a research unit for the faculty's students and researchers.
However, to better serve an educational purpose for the public, the faculty decided to renovate the museum and formally opened it yesterday to mark the faculty's 72nd anniversary.
Privy councillor Amphon Senanarong, who presided over the opening, said unity was a very important trait in the tiny creature from which Thai people can learn a lot.
''An ant colony is a super-organism, which has inherited this amazing behaviour from generation to generation for a hundred million years,'' the privy councillor said in a speech entitled Ant Management and Sufficiency Economy.
''If Thais perform our duty and hold on to morality as firmly as do the ants, our country will be filled with happiness and development,'' he said.
Ants not only served as role models for humans, he said, but were a factor in helping farmers achieve success through the sufficiency economy principle.
The faculty's researchers were studying the use of red ants to control insects in fruit orchards in the eastern provinces to cut the use of expensive and toxic insecticides.
Red ants were active, fierce and have large populations, Mr Amphon said, adding Vietnamese and Chinese farmers have been using them to control insects in their orchards for a long time.
Mr Decha said Thailand has about 1,000 types of ants.
None were facing extinction, he said, thanks to the animals' ability to adapt to a changing environment.
However, the mod mai yak (Camponotus gigas), which is endemic to southern forests, was under threat due to severe deforestation in the region, said the ant biologist.
The Ant Museum is open to the public on weekdays, from 9am to 4.30pm. Admission is free.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/05Jun2007_news02.php
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255006050012
Has some of the current derision at the Sufficiency Economy bandwagon gained the attention of the captive media over at the PRD one wonders? Over the last two days, they have started sprinkling references to SE with phrases like "in accordance with ** *** ****'* philosophy". Makes for lengthy headlines, and is probably intended to deter criticism. Judge for yourself!
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255006060002
jpatokal
06-06-07, 12:25 PM
A simple question that I haven't really seen discussed much: what is the purpose of the "sufficiency economy" drive?
When most farangs hear the words, it sounds like something along the lines of North Korean "Juche" or Gandhi's "Swadeshi" -- barricade the borders and build everything by yourself. But, aside from the occasional hamfisted attempt at financial regulation, I haven't seen the junta actually do anything along these lines, hopefully because they're smart enough to realize that Thailand's economy is largely built on importing tourists and exporting products and that this is entirely incompatible with actually becoming self-sufficient.
To me, the campaign thus appears to be entirely PR-driven NATO (No Action, Talk Only, as they say in Singapore), and largely defined by opposition to Thaksin: Thaksin is evil, so he sold out our telcos to foreigners, but the righteous junta is good and will keep them for the Thai people. Thaksin is evil, so he consumed conspicuously, but the righteous junta is good and will beat their breasts loudly and wail about corruption. And they get bonus points for parroting the King's line. But are people buying this? :confused:
BangkokPundit
06-06-07, 05:31 PM
A simple question that I haven't really seen discussed much: what is the purpose of the "sufficiency economy" drive?
I really don't know the answer to that question. I have my thoughts, but well I don't want to see this forum banned.
Talk of self-sufficiency and sustainability in general terms for individuals certainly makes sense, but my problem is when it is applied at a macroeconomic level. How is it actually applied?
When most farangs hear the words, it sounds like something along the lines of North Korean "Juche" or Gandhi's "Swadeshi" -- barricade the borders and build everything by yourself.
Actually, when I first heard of self-sufficiency or sufficiency economy, I actually thought of Juche and didn't pay much attention to it. Until recently, mostly politicians seemed to give it only lip service until Surayud said those famous (infamous?) words when he became PM.
But, aside from the occasional hamfisted attempt at financial regulation, I haven't seen the junta actually do anything along these lines, hopefully because they're smart enough to realize that Thailand's economy is largely built on importing tourists and exporting products and that this is entirely incompatible with actually becoming self-sufficient.
To me, the campaign thus appears to be entirely PR-driven NATO (No Action, Talk Only, as they say in Singapore), and largely defined by opposition to Thaksin: Thaksin is evil, so he sold out our telcos to foreigners, but the righteous junta is good and will keep them for the Thai people. Thaksin is evil, so he consumed conspicuously, but the righteous junta is good and will beat their breasts loudly and wail about corruption. And they get bonus points for parroting the King's line. But are people buying this? :confused:
Like the 20 billion baht injection of funds to local villages the other day, under Thaksin it was a populist policy which was pandering to the needs of the attention-deficit masses. Now, suddenly it is transformed simply by the government packaging it as in in adherence to the sufficiency economy philosophy. It is suddenly now a good policy.
I think it is rhetoric based. Political spin will always exist, but when it is on a topic so sensitive and where debate on its merits is restricted, I have concerns.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IF14Ae01.html
Martin J Young is an Asia Times Online correspondent based in Thailand. For more information and images from the Hua Hin Jazz Festival, see www.jazzfestivalhuahin.com , and for more on Hua Hin, visit www.tourismhuahin.com.
I have placed an outtake from Martin's article below my original quote. It seems that there is far more to the down-sizing of the Hua Hin Jazz Festival than a desire by the organizers to promote the Sufficiency Economy principle.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=25500515002515 May 2007
Hua Hin Jazz Festival 2007 to draw in 65,000 visitors
The Hua Hin Jazz Festival 2007 will be held on June 8th and 9th, 2007.
The festival is being organized by the CM Organizer Public Company Limited. The jazz festival seems to be a smaller affair this year with only two days instead of the three on previous festivals, to follow principle of the Sufficiency Economy. However, this year's concept, Party by the Sea, is expected to attract about 65,000 visitors. Last year, 81 percent of the visitors expressed their satisfaction with the jazz event in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The main concerts will be played in front of Sofitel Central Hotel. Some of the world's famous jazz artists such as Quintet-X, Young Blood Band, Bossa Blossom, and Caroline Henderson are scheduled to entertain the crowd this year.
..........
Over the past two years the organizers have scaled back the event despite the growing number of people traveling to Hua Hin to see it. From four stages spread over a kilometer or so in 2005 to two stages on the beach in 2006, it was reduced to just a single stage this year. It was also cut back from three nights to two, so it may now be more fitting to call it a jazz concert rather than a festival.
The problem now is that it is on the verge of becoming an internationally recognized event at a time when Thailand may be losing its taste for such things. A number of representatives from the event organizers' company, CM Organizer of Bangkok, simply replied with the reason of "sufficiency economy" when questioned about the diminution of the event. They also acknowledged problems with stage positioning last year on a narrow strip of beach with an incoming tide.
"Sufficiency economy" seems to be the political buzzword of 2007 in Thailand. In essence, it is a system promoted by the royal family for the kingdom to become less dependent on foreign investment, technology and industry and more dependent on the Thai people themselves. It is a notion based on the Buddhist concept of doing everything in moderation. Evidence of it is starting to filter through with what we witnessed over the jazz-festival weekend; as well, in recent weeks and months there has been a series of further clampdowns on visas for foreigners wishing to visit, work and live in Thailand.
It seems that this great event may suffer as a consequence. With an estimated 15,000 people squeezed into a strip of beach 25 meters or so wide with an incoming tide, it didn't make for a family-friendly venue unless you were happy to sit 500 meters away from the stage and watch it on the big screen. Access to the beach was limited to a single alleyway no more than 3 meters wide, and the provision of a single block of toilets also did not appear adequate.
It appears that the jazz festival this year has been scaled back to what is in essence a beach party for Bangkok high society. With fewer international acts than previous years and only one venue, it was evident that efforts have been put in place to scale it back to its roots as a local level event. Promotion was also very limited, with a press release and the official days being announced just a few weeks before it was due to take place. This does no favors for international visitors who need to make travel plans if they want to attend.
It is possible that the small town of Hua Hin could not cope with such an influx of people, which may go some way toward an explanation of some of the cutbacks. There is also a vast web of political and financial reasons for the scaling down and, as usual, the Thai response to questioning such things is a simple smile.
...........
doseiai
01-07-07, 11:30 AM
In light of the 97 financial crash, the sufficiency economy means, don't overdo it, as many painful lessons were learned. However, there is more too it than that.
Juche or self-sufficiency isnt implied, otherwise it'd be the called "self"-sufficiency economy. In fact, exports and imports are still rising and being promoted, making the economy MORE dependent.
It also implies, for now, don't expect us to do much, or that the economy isn't the priority right now. Right now, politics is the most important thing, not the economy.
06 July 2007
New Road to OTOP highlights products from southern border provinces
The Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister, Mr. Kosity Panpiemras, says the New Road to OTOP fair will underline the principle of Sufficiency Economy and will see many different products from the five southern border provinces of Thailand. The fair will be held at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani from July 7th to 15th, 2007.
Mr. Kosit says the local communities across Thailand are organizing their booths to display and sell their products to members of the public at the New Road to OTOP fair. He says the fair will attract many people, and many local products are expected to gain higher recognition.
He says the fair will also promote communities that have truly followed the Sufficiency Economy philosophy.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter01
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255007060044
14 July 2007
Democrat Party discussed strategies to end southern unrest
The Democrat Party organized a seminar to discuss strategies for solving problems in the southern border provinces of Thailand. The objective of this seminar is to determine ways to end the southern unrest in accordance with the public policy.
..........
Meanwhile, Southern Border Provinces Administrative Command (SBPAC) Director-General Pranai Suwannarat says problems in different areas of the deep South have their own uniqueness, and it takes time to solve them. However, Mr. Pranai is positive that the violence will not escalate after this November because the government has put the principle of Sufficiency Economy into practice and has followed His Majesty the King’s royal address.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255007140015
Baton Rouge
10-08-07, 11:04 PM
http://www.focusweb.org/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-sufficiency-economy.html?mid=36
Sufficiency Economics is often promoted by the same people who have spent a lifetime taking away the ability of the peasant farmers to eke out a reasonable existence (on land that was coveted by developers). We frequently hear the take of urban bureaucrats or businessman on how wonderful SE is for rural communities, but how many imposed development projects have displaced people off their own land and dumped them down in Bangkok to become rootless & disgruntled tenement-dwelling taxi drivers.
This article points out the expediency for the Junta of taking up a philosophy that Thaksin had largely buried under his more grandiose schemes, but I just wish the authors had also gone after some of the absurdities of a philosophy that is being imposed top-down on those who have received little more than distain for decades. Most attempts by NE peasant farmers to begin shaping their own future have been violently suppressed.
It has now become as crucial to enthuse over SE, as it was formerly to talk of rooting out the red scourge.
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SUFFICIENCY ECONOMY
Friday, 27 July 2007
Chanida Chanyapate and Alec Bamford
Mention the sufficiency economy to your average foreign businessperson in Bangkok and you will likely be met with a snigger, perhaps with the added comment that such concepts go very well with the "sufficiency democracy" promised by the draft constitution and Internal Security Act.
And, despite the Royal imprimatur, it is easy to see why homilies about "not too little, not too much" don't play well with the Big Boys' cut-throat capitalism.
"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."
That quotation sounds like the sufficiency economy. It is in fact Mr Micawber in Chapter 12 of Dicken's David Copperfield. (1) And Wilkins Micawber is one of the great buffoon characters of English literature.
So is the sufficiency economy just a well-intentioned piece of piety with no relevance to the real world?
To say yes, would be to ignore two important facts.
First, although most people know of the sufficiency economy as some kind of oracular ex cathedra pronouncement by HM the King in the aftermath of Thailand's 1997 economic collapse, it is not a piece of conjectural theorizing. Certainly a Birthday Speech from the Throne, consisting of an unscripted monologue by an eminence so respected that his word can barely be questioned, may well be understood by different audiences in different ways and the debates on the topic have led to various, and contradictory, conclusions.
But HM the King arrived at the sufficiency economy from years of observation of grassroot development projects. The sufficiency economy is a fact on the ground. There are individuals, and communities, and networks, who have for some years now thrived from the practice of the sufficiency economy.(2) And importantly, they thrived through the 1997 economic crisis when many Bangkok businesses went to the wall.
Secondly, the sufficiency economy has a philosophical, theoretical and moral foundation in the principles of Buddhism. An exposition of Buddhist economics is beyond this paper, but let us merely state that many analysts are coming to the conclusion that unlimited growth, unbridled consumerism, and the acceptance of greed as a driving force in the economy are a threat not just to the economic system itself, but to the survival of the planet. And the Buddhist teachings are very clear, and persuasive, on things like greed.
The response of Thai business, academia and the bureaucracy to HM the King's exhortation to espouse the sufficiency economy has often been about as useful as the foreign businessman's snigger.
With much huffing and puffing, the sufficiency economy was incorporated into the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) plans (beginning with the ninth plan 2002-2006). The traditional macro-economic managers of Thailand felt that it reinforced their prudent, if paternalistic, concerns to maintain fiscal balances, exchange rate stability, etc. And once in a while they would issue calls for the private sector to conduct their business in a reasonable, moderate manner, based upon an appropriate foundation of knowledge and virtue. (3) If everyone acted like good boys and girls, then with hard work and perseverance, every thing would turn out nicely.
But a philosophy of ‘not too little, not too much' can be comforting for those who have the choice. But the marginalized underclass with no choice but ‘too little' can make nothing of this. Enter Thaksin. Whatever lip service he may have paid to the sufficiency economy, his policies drove a coach and horse through it. He raided every government piggy-bank to offer new opportunities to get rich quick through various credit schemes, from all purpose village-level revolving funds to loans for small and medium enterprises. And if that didn't work, the poor could gamble for a windfall on an expanded government lottery. These stimuli worked to accelerate GDP growth during Thaksin's reign, while the sufficiency economy was buried in the NESDB plans that no one bothered to read.
The ability to do almost anything and still call it the sufficiency economy was reflected in studies by organisations from the Thai Farmers Bank to the Stockbrokers Association of Thailand. They patriotically scanned their operations through the prism of the sufficiency economy and, surprise, surprise, found that there was no incompatibility at all. Clearly the square peg of the sufficiency economy could be hammered into holes of all shapes. Any coherent meaning to the sufficiency economy was disappearing into an all-purpose mush.
It was the leaders of the military coup d'état which toppled Thaksin in September 2006 who brought sufficiency economy back to life by enshrining it in the interim constitution. This time the intent was to counter the supposedly excessive spending and risk-taking by the Thaksin government.
The sufficiency economy stopped being a nebular concept that meant everything and nothing and, like the coup itself, became a controversial concept. Prime Minister Surayut Chulanont, in his speech to high-ranking government officials in November 2006, explained that in the past Thailand's headlong leap into the globalization process of intense competition had brought suffering to many people, so it was necessary to establish an appropriate balance at the national level between the capacity for self-reliance and the ability to compete in the global arena. He also emphasized that practising the principles of sufficiency economy did not mean turning one's back to the world.
Not surprisingly, there was as much resistance to the promotion of the sufficiency economy as there were supporters of Thaksin's expansion of credit for production and consumption, and that was a great deal. Government officials mocked it, saying that it was a justification for not allocating any budget for development work. Thaksin's urban blue collar workers supporters saw it as a policy to keep them poor and backward.
Some scholars and activists even shun engagement in the debate for fear of being seen as supporting the coup; they are also troubled by the underlying supposition that if everyone is supposed to find contentment in what they already have, then social struggles are just not on.
Surayut may have been sincere but his lack of any clear understanding of the implications showed through when he appointed Somkid Jatusripitak, a key minister from the Thaksin government, to be his ambassador to carry the message to the world. Somkid's brief, before he withdrew in days amid howls of derision, was to explain to the world how the sufficiency economy is compatible with globalization. One analyst at the time likened it to hiring Attila the Hun to proselytize on human rights.
It is difficult to reconcile Thailand's current macro-economy with the sufficiency economy. Mainstream economists such as MR Pridiyathorn Devakula (4) may recognize the need to reduce dependence on exports, currently running at about 70% of GDP. This resembles the pre-1997 situation, with the added wrinkle that more of the export trade is now under the management of TNCs. Given that exports pulled the economy out of recession and have been propping it up ever since, it is understandably a difficult task to convince people, not least the TNCs themselves, to think in a different paradigm.
However much policymakers may be blinded by the short-term benefits of as-you-were economic management, the long-term risks of this, and the success of the sufficiency economy at a micro level, point to the need for policy changes.
If nothing else, the space for the sufficiency economy at the micro level needs to be protected. Free trade agreements and proposals for Special Economic Zones are examples of the kind of policy that needs to be measured against the principles of the sufficiency economy, and almost certainly found wanting. Land access and tenure must be made available as a priority to those who want to till it. Equally important are the natural resources that constitute the eco-system - water, forest, biodiversity, and the commons that support agriculture must be protected.
If more attention were paid to what is happening on the ground, if the ideas and principles of those who are already practicing the sufficiency economy were better known, then perhaps the serene smile of the sufficiency economy will replace the smirk of capitalism.
* Chanida Chanyapate is coordinator of Focus on the Global South. Alec Bamford is a teacher and writer who has lived in Thailand for more than 30 years.
nganadeeleg
11-08-07, 06:51 AM
There is no doubt that many who have jumped on the sufficiency economy bandwagon have no real interest in it's principles, but that does not mean the King's advice of reasonableness, moderation & immunity is not sensible, and a necessary counterweight to the capitalistic greed that is now so prevalent.
http://www.eoearth.org/upload/thumb/a/a2/Great_transition_3-2.gif/300px-Great_transition_3-2.gif
Fulfillment curve (Dominguez & Robin)
I'm more than a bit skeptical about this. If an individual not connected to the Culture Ministry were to set out to do something similar with more of a satirical streak, would his or her work be condemned and denied airtime on the grounds it was socially-divisive I wonder? Indeed, why not the Pink Man (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=16934&postcount=11) rather than yet another set of imposed values from above? Short extract from article only:
Where enough is enough: HM the King's sufficiency economy philosophy brought to life
Story by Pichaya Svasti, photos by Yingyong Un-anongrak
Chatting with her neighbours in their living room, a chubby, well-dressed lady proudly shows off a Jatukam Ramathep amulet, claimed to be the most sacred model. Her neighbours are attentively listening to her when one of their three children asks the lady how the amulet works. The lady replies that it saved the life of a man in a car accident. The child nods, and with all seriousness and gravity says, "I see. I can give you this superhero toy of mine to wear as an amulet, too. I saw him rescue children from a monster on TV the other day!" Children do sincerely believe in such things.
This is a scene from the new 105-episode cartoon series, Piang Kub Por (Sufficiency), a simple yet fun way for people of all ages to review their lives within the scope of His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy philosophy.
"Our aim is to present the philosophy in a simple way, without offending anyone, and presenting it in the form of a cartoon is the most powerful way. Viewers will not feel pressured, but can slowly absorb the concept while being entertained by the interaction between the characters," MR Supinda Chakraband, the series' producer said.
........... http://www.bangkokpost.com/Outlook/15Sep2007_out01.php (Link may expire) :)
http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=323
Is sufficiency economy sufficient?
Thulee
19 October 2007
Article
Poverty and economic disparity are enduring problems. In 2004, there were 8.8 million poor people or 14.4% of the whole population. Average household debt was 104,571 baht per family.1 The 20% of the population with the lowest income made 982 baht per person per month, and their total income was 4.54% of all income. the 20% of the population with the highest income made 11,874 baht per person per month, and their total income was 54.86% of all income.2
These problems need urgent solutions; otherwise they will undermine economic development and threaten national security.3
Let's take a look at how the junta-installed government, which has always cited the security issue, has handled the issue of poverty.
Gen Surayud Chulanont's government declared in Parliament that it would adhere to the principles of the sufficiency economic, resulting in projects like the Happy Living Project and Community Development Project under the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. The Centre of Poverty Eradication set up during the Thaksin administration was transformed into the Centre of Poverty Eradication under the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy.
The Happy Living Project rushed to deplete its budget before the charter referendum, and showed signs of corruption among local bureaucrats who conspired with companies, for example, that sell water pumps or livestock.
The Centre of Poverty Eradication under the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy mostly makes use of the bureaucratic mechanisms of various ministries and the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) with no real intent to eradicate the poverty. "Through the past year, the centre has been just facilitating negotiations to delay the outbreak of problems, or to contain grassroots movements."4
The implementation that the people can see for certain is training programmes, seminars, large billboards, posters, banners, print media, radio and TV ads, all attempting to convince them to follow the sufficiency economy.
In the meantime, problems of the people suffering from government policies have not been truly taken care of, such as cases of workers who were laid off.
Or in the case of the Pak Mun dam, "the Cabinet has the authority but passes the problem to the Centre of Poverty Eradication under the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. Although the centre eventually yielded and opened the sluice gates, who knows, to drain the water or to solve the problem, it was too late. By then the stream was very strong and the fishers could barely catch the fish. The problem was not solved at all."5
Furthermore, only 3.6% of the 2008 budget is allocated for poverty eradication compared to 13.2% for the national security.6
And the government and the National Legislative Assembly have pushed for a number of laws that just go against the sufficiency economy like the National Park Bill, Community Forest Bill, Water Bill, Fertilizer Bill, Fresh Water Fishery Bill, and Privatization Bill, all set to deprive people and communities of their natural resources for the sake of unthinking conservation or to serve industry. How can the people live sufficiently without resources?
All this shows that:
1. The government just blames the people for their poverty; hence the heavy advertising telling them to live their lives with sufficiency.
The struggles of the poor, from the farmer rebellions in the North and Northeast during the Absolute Monarchy, the Communist Party of Thailand, to the Assembly of the Poor, all result from resources being snatched from the people through numerous development projects. The poor have been made poor.
In other words, the government deliberately plays down the struggles of the poor as a problem of not adhering to the principles of sufficiency.
2. The government and the junta see the poor as mere masses who must be converted from their support from Thaksin and Thai Rak Thai; therefore, their sufficiency economic policies are just populist policies that are ostensibly presented as different from those of Thaksin, but with the same goal; that is, to garner popularity among the poor and protect their own elitist interests.
3. The government and the junta pay no attention to solving the poverty problem resulting from unjust and unequal structures such as the law, the tax system, or the system of land tenure, which benefit the rich.
The junta just wants to maintain the power and the interests of the elite minus Thaksin.
Free education and health care and housing are guaranteed in the 2007 constitution and it is claimed that these show concern for the poor and offer much more than Thaksin did with his populist policies. But these were selling points to win the referendum, while the budgets for these welfare programmes seem set to come from increased taxes on liquor, cigarettes and consumption or VAT, taxing the poor to help the poor.
So the welfare provided in the 2007 constitution has nothing to do with eradicating poverty or reducing economic disparities.
The poor and the public should be aware that on the one hand they have to be wary of consumerism, and on the other hand they must not be stuck in the sufficiency trap as economic disparity and poverty will remain as long as the rich are allowed to seize resources from the poor, no matter what economic policy the government declares, liberalism or sufficiency.
The grassroots movements have to join forces to push for key issues such as constitutional amendments, community rights to resource management, a more thoroughgoing welfare system, decentralization of power, land reform, a fair tax system, etc.
Notes:
1 Thida Thavoraset, Analysis of Thai Society: Thai Poor, Udommakarn (Bangkok, 2005), 3-10
2 TDRI report No 40, Economic Disparity and Social Conflicts: Theory, Experience and Reconciliation (Bangkok, 2006)
3 Nikom Jantarawithoon, Thailand: From Economic Boom to Social Crisis (Bangkok: Friedrich Ebert Foundation, 1998), 97
4 Interview with Nivas Kotejanteuk, sub-committee member on land issues of Centre of Poverty Eradication under the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy
5 Interview with Nantachote Chairat, Advisor to the Assembly of the Poor
6 Sept 19 Anti-coup Network, No to Charter, No to Coup
Translated by Ponglert Pongwanan
Source: Is sufficiency economy sufficient? (http://www.prachatai.com/05web/th/home/page2.php?mod=mod_ptcms&ContentID=9942&SystemModuleKey=HilightNews&System_Session_Language=Thai)
One could almost imagine that the following might happen in future. "Now Students! We have studied a insufficient amount of the subject this morning. If you want the rest of my lesson on Sufficiency Economy and wish to pass in SE, you MUST attend my tutor class this evening. (Otherwise, I won't have sufficient cash to pay back my Easycash loans on those numerous luxury purchases that I really can't afford!)"::rolleyes:
01 November 2007
PM calls on academic institutions to arrange curricular in line with Sufficiency Economy concept
The prime minister requests academic institutions to arrange curricular in line with the Sufficiency Economy concept and the principle of “Understanding, Mutual Respect, and Development”.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont presides over the opening ceremony of a fair on basic education reform at Impact Muang Thong Thani (เมืองทองธานี). He states that Thai children have a potential to be good adults in the future and benefit the Thai society. He also suggests academic institutions nationwide to implement the government’s policy on morality development.
In addition, the premier calls on school executives and communities to adjust curricular for students, especially the less-fortunate ones, in compliance with social, economic, and cultural diversity to bridge gaps in the society.
Regarding the general election scheduled on December 23rd, the premier requests the eligible voters to exercise their voting rights.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter05
Also one new political party's take on SE:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=2845
doseiai
26-11-07, 12:51 AM
Ironically, this sufficiency economy principle may be good timing... With the dollar falling like mad, subprime crisis in the US, carry trade reversing, and oil hitting records, Thailand may be averting a crisis by keeping cool, or slow. Vietnam on the other hand, looks increasingly like Thailand in 1996. It's trade deficit this year has already exceeded 10 billion dollars, approaching 15% of GDP, far more than 5% for that of the USA, mind you, this despite the fact that the dong has depreciated against the dollar.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071124/bs_afp/vietnameconomytrade_071124205435
With low foreign exchange reserves, unlike China and Thailand now, Vietnam has little to defend itself from speculative attack. A sharp rise in the yen could be just enough to soak up excess liquidity in world markets, and cause Vietnam to pop...
Corporations Just Want To Make Money: Academic
Businesses are obsessed with doing everything they can to make a profit, said Bhichit Wanaisukul, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.
Speaking to the annual Thai Studies Conference at Thammasat University, the renowned academic said that businesses would do everything they can to earn more money than they spent.
“These corporations basically exist to make a profit,” he said. “They do not care about anything else.”
Moreover, he said, capitalists wanted to use free markets as a driving force for economic growth. This has made many people miserable, as they need to work every day.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/12/national/national_30062015.php (http://www.notthenation.com/pages/news/getnews.php?id=345)
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/2008/01/28/royal-misrepresentation-of-rural-livelihoods/#more-1993
January 28th, 2008 by Andrew Walker
Since the International Conference on Thai Studies, I have received a number of requests for the paper I presented on sufficiency economy. The paper was not included on the conference CD because I did not have time to submit it. So, here is the full text of my presentation. This is an edited version of a longer and much more detailed paper (which I am still writing).
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/slide4.jpg
[Presentation Slide: New Mandala]
..........
Since the 2006 coup Thailand has embarked on an unprecedented spate of enthusiasm for the royal theory commonly referred to as sufficiency economy. In order to draw a clear contrast with the so-called populist policies of the overthrown Thaksin government, the coup makers have devoted considerable attention to presenting their policies within a yellow package of royalist sufficiency. Of course, much of this is rhetorical. It is hard to see how a 60 percent increase in the military budget could be consistent with the sufficiency economy prescription of reasonableness, moderation and efficiency.
Nevertheless, sufficiency economy has become an ideological tool that seeks to moderate rising rural expectations for economic and political inclusion. Whatever sufficiency economy thinkers may have to say about urban consumers or businessmen, it is towards rising rural expectations for economic and political inclusion that the sufficiency economy urgings of moderation are most clearly directed. This is ideologically linked to the active delegitimisation of rural voter’s electoral wishes in the post coup environment. Not only are rural people to be shielded (or excluded) from full and active participation in the national economy but their full and active participation in electoral democracy is delegitimised and the power of their elected representatives constrained.
...........
School for humans and buffaloes open in Sa Kaeo province
Kasornkasiwit school, located in Sa Kaeo province, some 250 kilometres east of Bangkok, has just welcomed the first group of its students, both human and buffalo.
These buffaloes will be taught, in a one-week-workshop, how to plough, as they are not born with the skill. When these buffaloes are well-trained, the farmers will learn how to plough with them.
“Teaching farmers how to use buffaloes to plough is very easy if the buffalo teachers are already trained to a certain degree. But for the newly enrolled buffaloes, the training might take longer.”, said Komchak Pichaironnarong-Songkram, advisor on Livestock, the Chaipattana Foundation.
In the past, buffaloes were the best companion of Thai farmers, but today, with advanced technology and capitalism, buffaloes have been replaced by tractors. Most buffaloes today therefore are brought up and sent to an abattoir.
Initiated by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the school is now under the supervision of HM the King’s Chaipattana Foundation. It’s aimed at reviving the traditional Thai farming style.
Covering a plot of 44-acres, the school composes a ‘Farmer Museum’, buffalo pens, demonstrative farms for training buffaloes and farmers and the integrated farming areas.
Komchak Pichaironnarong-Songkram added the school also encouraged Thai farmers to learn about global warming. Tractors consumed oil, costing around 50 percent an the entire farming budget. If farmers used buffaloes, this would reduce production costs.
At the school, farmers are also taught how to turn buffalo droppings into organic fertilizer, as well as biogas for generating power.
The school aims to encourage local Thai farmers to maintain traditional Thai farming practices and to provide them with low-budget but efficient farming techniques.
Will the buffaloes manage to regain their position on the farm? The farmers will have the answer.
Last Update : 2008-01-30, 2008-01-30 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/clip.php?nid=5289
Andrew Walker: Sufficiency Economy, Sufficiency Democracy, and rural constitution
09 August 2008
News
Interview by Fah Diew Kan magazine
Published in Fah Diew Kan Volume 6 Issue 2 April-June 2008 ‘Thai Rightists’
During the 10th International Conference on Thai Studies at Thammasat University in January 2008, Fah Diew Kan interviewed Andrew Walker, an anthropologist from the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australia National University, after his presentation on ‘Royal Sufficiency and Elite Misrepresentation of Rural Livelihoods’ in one of the panels.
Walker started his PhD research in South East Asia in 1993, and has published several papers on rural development, resource management, and modernization in northern Thailand.
Currently, he and his colleague run the New Mandala blog that provides analyses and perspectives on peninsular South East Asia.
He has just completed a 4-year field research project in a village in Chiang Mai. The research has resulted in the analysis of the Sufficiency Economy which he presented at the Thai Studies Conference, and the article ‘The Rural Constitution and Everyday Politics of Elections in Northern Thailand’ published in the Journal of Contemporary Asia in early 2008.
You have tried to use the findings from your field work to say that the real economy of rural Thailand does not match the rural economy envisaged in Sufficiency Economy, and to show how distorted the elite representation of rural Thailand is. The problem is that the Thai people in general don’t really see the SE as a representation of the real rural Thailand, rather as a public awareness campaign to return to a decent lifestyle.
Andrew – I think the key point is that the sufficiency economy is a regulatory vision. It’s about regulating people’s behavior. It’s not about describing what rural life is really like. It’s a system of moral regulation about how people should behave, and in the same way it’s making a negative comment on the way people are apparently behaving. It’s suggesting people are too greedy, or take too many risks. So it’s a system of moral regulation. But I think at the same time even though we can say they are not trying to paint a true picture of rural society, it’s based on a view, and especially when we talk about the King’s New Agricultural Theory, it’s based on a view that agriculture has the potential to provide a basis for local sufficiency. In the work I’m doing, that’s the key point that I want to challenge. I disagree that agriculture does have the potential to provide a basis for local sufficiency. To put the issue very simply, there are simply not enough agricultural resources to support the livelihoods that people in the rural area want. And there might be enough agricultural resources to support people at the very basic, very subsistence-oriented lifestyle, but that’s not the lifestyle that people in the rural area are interested in. People want education for their children. People want to improve their housing. People want to watch television. People want to have the internet at home. All those sorts of things. So in terms of meeting people’s livelihood expectations, we need a diverse economy in rural areas, we cannot rely on agriculture as the base.
What’re the key problems with sufficiency economy? It’s that it doesn’t accept those people’s aspirations. It’s saying to people you should not aspire to have a television. You shouldn’t aspire to send your children off to universities. You should be relatively content with a simple rural life and I think that’s what’s fundamentally undemocratic about the sufficiency economy that it doesn’t accept people’s aspirations. The thing that made me a little bit angry is that this philosophy is promoted by people who are incredibly wealthy. People who have extraordinary wealth are saying to the people who aspire to have television, “it isn’t appropriate.” That’s what makes me a little bit angry about the sufficiency economy. I think it’s hypocrisy of the people who promote it.
I think there’s an intellectual trend in some aspects of Thai thinking about the moral legitimacy of a simple rural based lifestyle. And I think you can see it in the sufficiency economy. You can see it in a lot of the community culture thinking - that there is sort of authentic legitimate morality based in the rural lifestyle. I think it’s an intellectual trend in Thai society and culture. I can’t see Thailand ever going to the point where we are going to say to the people that you gotta leave the cities and go back start farming the land. I can’t see that ever happening. But I can see the possibility that, for example funds for rural development being reduced or cut back based on a view that people should be making provision for themselves. I suppose this is part of the current political use of the sufficiency economy. The sufficiency economy has been used to attack the Thaksin government schemes for local economic development. These are portrayed as the opposite to the sufficiency economy: the village fund, SML, the rural enterprise scheme. These are what the current [Gen Surayud] government is attacking. They are continually talking SE. But in terms of the impact on the public policies, in terms of taking pressure off the government to improve access to government services in rural areas, to improve access to education, to provide and expand infrastructure…in terms of reducing that pressure, I think it already has a significance.
..........
More of that interview at this link:
http://www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=746
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