OPINION

Nida neutrality

Re: "Govt dismisses poll discontent", (BP, March 4).

Government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub questioned the Nida survey with unfavourable results about the government's performance and faulted Nida's biased enquiries. His government survey favourably tilted towards the government and disproved of Nida's. In terms of independence and being unbiased, one would rely more on Nida's long-established and well-respected poll than that of the government.

He cited the government's recent actions in uprooting the call centres mushrooming along the border towns of Myanmar and Cambodia as being viewed favourably by all, but that does not override other unfavourable performances of this government. His pin-picking on the last quarter of 2024 about 3.2% GDP growth as an example in disproving Nida's poll is somewhat feeble. Following the opinions of respected financial institutions locally and internationally, none has predicted Thailand's economic growth of more than 3% annually for 2024 and 2025.

Desperate times

Re: "First as tragedy, then as farce: that's Trump", (BP, March 3), "The empire wobbles", (PostBag, Feb 4), and "Hope dies in Thailand's broken system", (Opinion, Feb 28).

This opinion piece by Canadian columnist Gwynne Dyer is beginning to epitomise the tone and tenor that seems to increasingly dominate the Bangkok Post. That he refers to the 19th century German idealist Hegel together with the author of The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx to legitimise his analysis is consistent with the left's desperation to find a footing in the midst of the West's overwhelming rejection of socialism. It is easy to see this trend now reaches across all strata of society and is gaining significant momentum, even in countries that were once considered the strongholds of socialist/communist doctrine, the UK and Germany.

In his letter, David Brown posits that US President Donald Trump "will accelerate the decline and fall of the American Empire", something Mr Brown considers "great news". One does not mind the conclusion if the road to reaching it is well considered and intelligently presented. I call readers' attention to Sanitsuda Ekachai's superb article, "Hope dies in Thailand's broken system". While it requires a microscope to detect balance and quality in the content published in the Post, Khun Sanitsuda proves you can still do better -- much better.

Expert vacuum

Re: "Feb 28 was the day diplomacy died", (Opinion, March 3).

I routinely read articles (...I call them "propaganda") which gin up ridiculous conspiracy theories by writers like Phillip Cunningham all the time; this time presenting the Oval Office meltdown between President Trump and President Zelynsky as all but some sort of "grand plan", or an intentional attempt at manipulation which will act in more apocalyptic terms which never actually happen.

What these writers do not understand is that disasters like this are happening for a reason right in front of his eyes: A lack of foreign experts.

I grew up when Russia was the USSR, and America used to have departments of "Russian experts". Now we get sent Americans who cannot even say hello in Thai, know nothing about us here, but think they know everything.