OPINION

Encircled by muck

Another news report states the prime minister says fighting corruption is his No.1 priority.

Mr Prime Minister, you talk about corruption continuously, but you do little to nothing to prevent it. Just look at the people you surround yourself with. They are mediocre to less than mediocre politicos, substandard police, substandard prosecutors and investigators -- and probably all on the take.

A healthy person is supposed to be a reflection of his diet and lifestyle. You are a reflection of the muck you surround yourself with. You've had more than enough time to do a thorough house-cleaning. Yet you still have not lifted a finger to muck out the stable.

Re: "OAG receives criticism over Sakul-thorn case" and "PM affirms commitment to graft war", (BP, Dec 10).

I have absolutely no problems with jailing bribe-givers and recipients. But all are equal under the law: why has there been no progress in much older cases, involving much more than in the Sakul-thorn case? For example, the Bangkok Post reported: "Rolls-Royce Plc admitted to the UK's Serious Fraud Office it had bribed Thai officials and THAI executives totalling $19m (663 million baht) during 1991-97 and 2004-05."

As another example, it was reported "Businessman Suthiwat Wattanakit was sentenced to nine years in jail for supplying bogus (GT200) bomb detectors to the Royal Thai Aide-De-Camp Department and another 10 years for selling similar devices to the Royal Thai Army Ordnance Department totaling 600 million", (BP, Oct 20, 2018).

Each of the above cases involves over 30 times the amount in Khun Sakul-thorn's case. The numbers of THAI executives, Thai officials, and generals in the bomb detector TOR and product inspection committees are limited. These cases should be easy for PM Prayut to close, providing clear proof that he'll fight graft even among the high and the mighty. Go to it, sir!

Well, it seems Thai prosecutors are once again having trouble with the Yoovidya case. These prosecutors demonstrated once more their talents as bumbling, ineffective, big-winded, ineffective, amateurs, better suited to prosecuting (really persecuting) old mushroom pickers, a few drunks exposing themselves and peeing in the streets, and students brandishing placards demanding the government's resignation.

They are a personal reflection on the prime minister, demonstrating the calibre of the people Prime Minister Prayut chooses to surround himself with. Poor Thailand, still sinking into the depths of open, unchallenged corruption and ineptitude while bleating for justice and equality for all. Pipe dream boys, only a pipe dream.

One of the benefits we have received during this erstwhile pandemic and subsequent lockdowns is the disappearance of the taxi mafia. They were simply thieves; they stole from foreign tourists, Thais and from the legal taxi drivers whom they coerced. They seem to be returning with the tourists. They serve no purpose other than to deprive legal taxi drivers their legitimate fares from Thais and tourists by outright extortion and utilizing threats of physical violence. They are the purveyors of illicit drugs, sex trafficking and every other societal ill they can sell. Can we please put a stop to this?

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha once said King Vajiralongkorn instructed the Thai government not to use Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, or the lese-majeste law, to prosecute civilians.

In my estimation this would be considered an order by the King to the PM. So, by charging these protesters with lese majeste, aren't the PM, and the government, refusing to obey a direct order from His Majesty?

And if this is the case aren't they all as guilty as the protesters of defaming His Majesty by disobeying a direct order from him.

Just a thought!Fred Prager

Re: "The 1789 lowdown", (PostBag, Dec 10).

I am sorry to disappoint Paul, but there is no universally accepted explanation about why the French Revolution, indeed a momentous event or rather a series of events, happened. After all, even its actors were not of the same mind about what it should achieve, and, equally importantly, how it should achieve it.

What is more interesting is what different people thought what it was about, and especially those who were or are now saying they are inspired by the revolution.

The revolution's key ideas that one could create a new man in the name of progress by eradicating history and traditions and eliminating those who represented them, and of egalitarianism as opposed to equity, clearly led in direct line to the Communist totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. Good to know, I think.

By the way, it is false that the French Revolution served as the basis for all of Western society as we know it. Not for the Anglo-Saxon world, nor the Latin, nor the Scandinavian, nor the Germanic, nor the Scandinavian for a start, and neither the liberal, neoliberal, socio-democrat or environmentalist ideas.

One thing is certain. The French revolutionaries would have been appalled by the new racialism and multiculturalism that seem to have been embraced by most of the West, a fundamental negation of the revolution's universalist ideals. Another key idea of the revolution was that laws governing men should be made by men and not by God. How can you explain that France is harshly criticised for trying to combat political Islam, which wants to impose God's law on citizens if the West is so inspired by the French Revolution?

Re: "Transition to a vegan diet should be gradual", (Life, Dec 8).

As I noted a few years ago in an interview with this newspaper I became a vegetarian when I saw a truckload of terrified looking pigs on the way to the slaughterhouse and decided right then and there that I would never again contribute to such cruelty. That very night I had pizza with vegetables on it instead of meat.

It took me about a year to go from a lacto-vegetarian to a vegan and I found Peta and Physicians for Responsible Medicine (both organisations can be Googled) to be most helpful to me in making that transition.

It's my deepest conviction that the best thing you can ever do for the animals, the environment and your health is to go vegan. And if that's the only thing people ever learn from my letters I'll be a very happy man.

Re: "PM savages 'republic' rhetoric", (BP, Dec 9).

The student movement needs to be very careful about the type of rhetoric they use. Although there may be many Thais who would support a reformed monarchy, pushing for an end to the monarch as the constitutional head of state is another matter.

Also their idea that a republic "is a state in which the masses are the boss" shows some naivete. There are many forms of republic and often they are not as fair as the students imagine.

For example Donald Trump did not win the popular vote in 2016, yet he won the presidency. The same applies to George W Bush in 2000. How does that line up with the students' "ideal" democracy?

Many would say that the fairest system is one that is based on proportional representation. So the person or party with the most votes wins. But this can be a rose with bloody thorns and not many countries do this successfully, as it often leads to coalition governments in which small parties have disproportionate power as king makers.

So, I think the students must stop talking about a republic and stick to their original goals. Reform is the way to go. Radical change will not be accepted. And they need to study the political systems of other countries before opinionating.

I agree with everything Howard Stark says about extending the 120kph speed limit to more roads. What kind of insane response is this to the analysis that most of the last long weekend's fatalities were speed-related?

Many more factors play into this misguided policy than even Howard mentions.

These include lack of basic driver training, let alone practice of emergency braking, skid control, or evasive steering at speed. Over and beyond those fundamentals, however, is the general instability and poor braking of many of even the flashiest-looking utility vehicles so popular in Thailand. Travelling at 120kph is high for an experienced driver in a sophisticated sedan with good suspension, disc brakes front and back, ABS, and airbags all round. For a younger driver in a very basically equipped vehicle, every trip at that speed is Russian roulette.

The other aspect of the new regulations Howard didn't mention is the minimum limit of 100kph set for vehicles in the right hand lane of these roads. This is not only unenforceable but dangerous. What about low-powered vehicles trying to pull out and get up to speed to pass a line of trucks, for example? Or driving at night or in torrential rain? The 120kph boys will still come screaming up behind them even if there're is no gap to get over into the left lane.

By all means, erect "Keep left unless overtaking" signs, but certainly don't give those driving at the maximum speed the assumed right to maintain 120kph at all times in "their" right-hand lane.

Former Democrat Party MP Warong Dechkitvigrom, according to a Dec 11 report, claims that the US also enacted laws designed to protect the head of state -- that is, the president. I fully agree we should have the same level of protection. Let's have also daily "late night shows" mocking the head of state -- ha ha.

Some people should think before they open their mouth.

Re: "Prosecutors pass buck in 'Boss' case". Ha ha ha! I'm dying of laughter! Another ha for good measure.