OPINION

Prawit's esteem woes

It seems to me that whether borrowed or not, anyone who feels the need to decorate himself with multi-million-baht watches has a serious self-esteem problem.

I would think that being deputy prime minister and one of the highest-ranking generals in the army would make him feel pretty good about himself, but apparently that is not enough.

He is never going to be a physical beauty, but I would suggest that an exercise programme to help him get into better physical shape would do a lot more to build up his self esteem than decorating himself with all the most expensive rings and watches in the world.

Just what is driving current Thai leaders' obsession with everything trains -- double-track, high-speed, maglev, monorail, subway, elevated, light rail, standard gauge, rolling stock…? It seems no rail project is too big or too costly for Thailand to take on, whether needed by the country or not.

Re: "Pathetic passports", (PostBag, Jan 18).

Monson Marukatat wants reciprocity for Thais who want to go overseas. I totally agree, but not in the way he would like. Thais should be treated the same way that foreigners here are treated. They should be required to report to the local immigration office every 90 days or be subject to fines and/or deportation.

If they choose to stay longer, then they should be required to establish -- prior to entry -- a bona fide bank account in the country they wish to stay at not less than the local equivalent of 800,000 baht which cannot be touched. They should be required to go to the local immigration office where they sit around for a few wasted hours waiting to get their visa renewed.

They should be required to carry their passport with them at all times. They should not be able to purchase any real estate whether married to a local or not. And they should be able to be overcharged by locals at food outlets or tourist attractions because they do not look like a local.

I hope all foreign embassies/consulates take note of this. After all, as the old saying goes: "What is good for the goose, is good for the gander", and Monson wants the same treatment.

It was quite interesting to read about the Immigration Department introducing a four-year "Smart Visa" for professionals. This visa will let the bearer of it forgo the 90-day reporting that seems so cumbersome and redundant for most of us expats.

The visa will have four categories, one of which is for investors. I feel that I should qualify, having lived in Thailand for 12 years and having bought my Thai wife and her children a 6-million-baht home. I am also investing in the education of her two daughters (currently in high school). I have also paid off the substantial debt of my mother in law. I can go on and on.

But the point is: Why does immigration turn a blind eye to us under-the-radar investors? It seems to be a grave injustice to us responsible expats who have lived here for a number of years and who support Thai families. We also should be considered for four- or five-year visas with no 90-day reporting obligation. After all, we invest in the Thai economy daily.

Re: "Cops arrest parlour firm shareholder", (BP, Jan 17).

I was truly surprised that one of the key shareholders in the company operating the massage parlour currently under investigation was reported as not being allowed by the police to seek bail "because the charge carries severe penalties".

Time and time again we read of those who have been convicted of serious crimes, including murder, being allowed bail and, in many cases, absconding. If those who are only charged with criminal offences cannot seek bail, then why are those who are actually convicted allowed to be freed on bail pending an appeal? It seems there are two sets of rules here.

A prediction I heard recently on the BBC was that by the year 2030 no internal combustion road vehicles will be produced in the UK and that all new vehicles will be electric powered.

Electric vehicles depend on varieties of lithium batteries to store their energy and, as a user of small ones, I feel a number of questions are raised by this.

Firstly, as you cruise effortlessly up Sukhumvit in your electric car, you can smugly smile that you (the car that is) are emitting no carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide or sulphur gases. Great, but how did you get the power. You connected to the mains electricity supplied by the national grid and unless that is getting its power from wind, solar or atomic power it is coming from those coal-burning power stations in Lampang. Older readers will remember the stink about that.

Owners of mobile phones will be aware that the batteries of some have been known to catch fire. Lithium is not as toxic as cadmium or lead in batteries, but if such a battery is punctured, an intense flame results that cannot be put out.

I have found, and Wikipedia confirms that lithium batteries do not last for ever. How long before your car trickles back to the garage for a complete new set of lithium batteries? At what cost?

How is the expected vast pile of discarded batteries to be disposed of?

Throw them in the sea, burn them or dig a hole, bury them and wait until the chemicals leak into the groundwater?

Before the electric revolution becomes universal, I would hope to see an authoritative answer to these questions.

The government sets a good example for everyone to follow. There is a higher price for non-Thais to enter national parks, visit national monuments, etc, so it follows reason that food vendors should want to charge tourists and non-Thais more for food as well. After all, it is the old saying of, "Monkey see, monkey do".

My best advice is, caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware. Hungry? Ask, before you order. Or, eat in the canteen at Government House, alongside those who supposedly represent you.

Whilst the argument for the benefits of democracy continue we would do well to study the extraordinary development of Singapore, and compare it to the shambles of government and corruption resulting from Thailand's attempts at full democracy during the same period. Singapore is a so-called "representative democracy". However, the ruling party, in power since 1959, hold 90% of seats in parliament. Opposition to this government is strictly controlled by various means including restrictions on gatherings of more than four people, manipulation of the legal system to curtail freedom of expression, control of all local media, etc, etc. The result is an autocratic state, a benevolent dictatorship.

Churchill's statement that "democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others" was made before the modern evolution of Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew's view was that "the ultimate test of the value of a political system is whether it helps that society establish conditions that improve the standard of living for the majority of its people".

In the US democracy is typically accepted as the best form of government. However, with the mounting evidence daily of Washington's gridlock, corruption and theatrical distractions, the system seem incapable of addressing the country's real challenges.

In terms of international rankings of typically measured indicators for GDP growth, health, infant mortality, global competitiveness, Singapore performs the best. In terms of the effectiveness of governance, including control of corruption, Singapore is in the top 10, the US is 20 levels below. To quote a 2014 Gallup Poll, 85% of Americans see widespread corruption in their government, whereas Singaporeans see only 8% in their government. In terms of freedom the US rates among the freest countries in the world, with Singapore in the bottom half. However, this rating emphasises political rights, whereas the freedom in Singapore is demonstrated by rising incomes for the broad middle class, health, security and economic opportunity. Singapore has produced more wealth per capita, more health, and more security for ordinary citizens than any of his competitors.

Blind idealism to return Thailand to "democracy" via democratic elections as soon as possible, and to cite it as a major achievement in itself should not obscure the fact that in Thailand, and in Thai culture, this is not necessarily a good thing.

Re: "President digging holes", (BP, Jan 16).

Yes, indeed. This US president is living in his own hole of ignorance and bigotry. To the delight of many countries who aspire to democracy, he is providing ample proof that a costly election-based system of governance is flawed and may lead to putting the wrong people in power. The man who use to say that the US election system is "rigged" is now the master of rigging and enraging the world with his daily rantings on Twitter. Mr Trump's election is clear proof that the wrong person in public office can easily create more strife, confrontation and divisions in society.

Recent foreign affairs events indicate a clear separation of Donald Trump/US values and those of Europe. Mr Trump is not a dictator -- he could only be elected by a people that shared his values and who were drawn to his personality. President Trump is therefore no longer leader of the free world for this reason: the American people became tired of leading it and so chose a president not interested in doing it.

Already we can see the UK, Germany and France working hard together to fill the leadership vacuum. We can no longer talk simply about Western values any more. We are now living in a multi-polar world, the poles now being the US, Europe, Russia and China. Other poles may develop over time.

The so-called American Century, which could be said to have started with the US's involvement in World War I in 1918, is unarguably now coming to an end. Mark Twain famously said that history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Empires usually fall because of a collapse in the moral foundations on which they are built -- this happened to Rome, to Great Britain, and to the Soviet Union. There is no reason why it should not happen to the US's Empire of Influence, whatever the US's present economic or military power, which happens anyway to be diminishing, just as Britain's did.

The question is, where does the rest of the world go from here? If the history of empires is to be any judge or guideline, they should seek to align themselves with the pole in the moral ascendancy, which is clearly Europe.

Thailand is now on "the top" (or should rather say bottom) of the list of road accidents and deadly injured, measured by population and number of vehicles.

I have one question: How are drivers educated?

I have been in Thailand a number of times, but so far I have not seen one car with a clear sign that it is from a driving school or a car used for private driving lessons. I have, however, noticed quite a few drivers who should never have been on the road.

In Scandinavian countries there are a number of driving schools even in small cities, where skilled teachers are teaching "how to drive safely". I do not know whether this is the case in Thailand.

CONTACT: BANGKOK POST BUILDING 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 Fax: +02 6164000 email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th

All letter writers must provide full name and address.

All published correspondence is subject to editing at our discretion.