Team Thailand still has much to prove

The flood crisis shows that Team Thailand, led by coach Anutin Charnvirakul, is still far from being able to fly high, as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanpraphat has boasted.

Mr Ekniti presented the government in football terms to executives at the Bangkok Business Summit on Sept 3, outlining the team's line-up, tactics and plans to recruit additional players. Prime Minister Anutin is the coach, with Mr Ekniti as his right-hand man.

The core group comprises four midfielders, all deputy prime ministers: Suphajee Suthumpun, Yodchanan Wongsawat, Pakorn Nilprapunt and Mr Ekniti himself.

The four have clearly defined roles. Mr Ekniti oversees investment, Ms Suphajee takes care of SMEs, Mr Yodchanan is responsible for developing a workforce to meet the needs of the job market, and Mr Pakorn is making rules and regulations more business-friendly, both for investors in Thailand and abroad.

The team's game plan is investment-led. Mr Ekniti said he was encouraged by signs of an economic turnaround, pointing to rising investment figures. His strategy is in line with that of the Board of Investment, which has projected private investment growth of more than 3% this year.

But Team Thailand is not complete. Mr Ekniti says three key business organisations must provide the missing attacking players.

"Each of you, please send us your best players to the team," Mr Ekniti told a press conference wrapping up the Sept 3 forum.

His message was clearly aimed at the Thai Bankers Association, Federation of Thai Industries and Thai Chamber of Commerce, whose leaders were sitting beside him on the stage.

For Mr Ekniti, closer cooperation between the government and private sector under the Bhumjaithai banner will help Team Thailand succeed.

The three forwards supplied by the business organisations would lead efforts to boost trade and investment, while the four deputy prime ministers would provide the support they need, including by removing legal obstacles to business.

Mr Ekniti also said Team Thailand would show the world how far Thailand had come when the World Bank and International Monetary Fund hold their annual meetings in Bangkok next week. Thailand, he said, would be an agenda-setter rather than merely an agenda-taker, as it had been in the past.

But a successful football team needs more than midfielders and strikers. And Team Thailand still has some important gaps.

Thailand's international and economic profile has increased since the Bhumjaithai Party took the helm after winning last year's election. But the team's performance at home remains a big question mark, particularly given concerns about the quality and qualifications of players in other positions.

Some were rewarded with positions after providing strong support to help the party win the election, while others are the children of veteran politicians seeking to hand power to the next generation.

The flood crisis has underlined doubts about the credibility and quality of Team Thailand on the domestic front. The scale of the flooding, which has affected almost half the country's provinces, including Greater Bangkok, has exposed a lack of preparedness despite the government having learned an expensive lesson in Hat Yai last year.

Mr Anutin apologised for failing to protect the southern economic hub of Songkhla in November last year, when residents were caught off guard by floodwaters that submerged the city while authorities played down weather warnings and the severity of the situation.

The prime minister promised improvements in flood protection. Yet the same problem has now returned, albeit in different cities and locations.

As Mr Ekniti, in his role as the team's midfield captain, prepares to show the world how far Thailand has come under the Bhumjaithai-led Team Thailand, coach Anutin is left trying to restore public confidence while the country is once again struggling to stay above water.

Saritdet Marukatat is a Bangkok Post columnist and former Digital Media News Editor at the paper.