No single Thai administration is capable of solving the country's most chronic and deeply embedded problems. Any administration that says it can is talking absolute tosh and insulting the nation's cumulative intelligence.
For the past 50 years we have swept so many problems under the rug, kicked so many cans down the road, and made so many hospital passes to each generation, that the chickens are now coming home to roost.
Basically, the problems we now face are structural and no cosmetic rearrangement of any kind will suffice. As a society we have two choices: bury our heads deeper in the sand and pretend our society is not in the late stages of decay, or stop deluding ourselves and face up to the truth and meet these tough challenges head on. So what will it be?
Thailand will inevitably have to create more of what the Singaporean government refers to as PMETs: professionals, managers, executives and technicians. There is a broad consensus among economists that Thailand's future will depend on improving productivity, creating new jobs and businesses through the process of innovation, and relying more on the most important muscle in the human body: the brain.
But the Thai state for the last 50 years has willfully, complicitly, negligently and treacherously attempted to numb the brains of countless children. Recent reports by the Ministry of Public Health have indicated that a Thai education actually reduces the IQ of Grade 1 students! Now if this is true, it is criminal, because as a society we are guilty of the most heinous crime of all, and that is crimes against children. Therefore, in my opinion, like it or not, we are all complicit in the crime of child abuse.
But why should I care? My children are educated in international schools, I do not need to look for work, I am self-employed and I live in Bangkok where life is pretty good. But I happen to care about these things not because I am some sort of Good Samaritan. I care because I am selfish.
The structural problems in the economy will lead to long-term economic stagnation that will affect us all. The structural problems in our democracy will create political disenfranchisement that will us all. The structural problems in our system of "injustice" will sow the seeds of discontent that will affect us all. And the structural problems created by educating our children on how NOT to think, is already a problem that is affecting us all.
Let us start facing up to things instead of false bravado. Great, we are a country that has never been colonised. We should be proud of that, but that is not enough. Many of the great superpowers on earth have been colonised once in their long history.
The British were colonised by the Romans, the Chinese by the Japanese, the Vietnamese by the French and the most powerful nation in modern history, the United States of America, was itself a colonial outpost. This never stopped them from achieving their potential. Yes, we should be proud of our history, but we must not dwell in it.
The junta responds to criticism in the most ridiculous way. We tell foreign critics to go away by bluntly reminding them that it is "our culture". But there is a hypocrisy in all this. Doing things "Thai style" is not working for us. If it is so wonderful, this government should try "Thai style" airport security checks, "Thai style" accreditation for our hospitals and "Thai style" financial services regulations.
If we seek international approval and international accreditation for things like airport safety and medical standards, why do we not also apply the same standards when it comes to human rights, access to justice, freedom of expression and our democracy?
The sad irony of Thailand's situation is that the only way to solve our deep-rooted problems is a strong government that is willing to tackle these issues with courage and conviction. But what do we get? An economic team that places all the blame on past administrations. A Constitution Drafting Committee that has denied public participation in the drafting process. And a prime minister who cannot take criticism from the press without throwing an epileptic fit and threatening to silence the voices of dissent.
Songkran Grachangnetara is an entrepreneur. He graduated from The London School of Economics and Columbia University. He can be reached at Twitter: @SongkranTalk