Populism fails
Re: "Populism takes priority", (BP, Oct 18).
Sadly, by choosing populism, the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) missed a major opportunity to show that it can deliver solid benefits both during its fleeting tenure and the longer term. It should have pivoted its signature Khon La Khrueng Plus cost-sharing programme to focus on productivity-increasing goods and services rather than consumption for consumption's sake.
For instance, farmers are 30% of our labour force, yet their incomes account for only 8%-9% of our GDP. Worse, 90% of farm households have debt loads so heavy that, on average, 48% of their already meagre H/H income goes to repay debt principal and interest.
So what does BJT do but tell them, "Go on a vacation, and we'll pay half of your hotel bills!" Worse, there'll be zero financial multiplier effect, for nobody will hire more staff or expand production capacity for a one-shot government cash injection.
BJT should have shown its vision and creativity by learning from Lao Tze, who taught, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
For farmers, Mr Anutin should have co-paid costs of walk-behind tillers, harvest machines, or high-yielding seeds, which could show concrete gains even in one season. For those in our vital tourism industry, halving the costs of intensive language training would have empowered Thai guides to demand more for their skills and save tour firms from having to import foreign guides.
Show vision, Mr Anutin.
