For those of you who listened to western media and wonder what is wrong with Thailand…It is democracy that creates the problem and I really mean that.
First, Taksin loyalists. Don’t get me wrong. This former prime minister did a lot of good things for those poor rural folks who had been ignored by politicians in the past. Taksin knows he can rely on them for votes but, instead of promoting productivity, he poured money from either his pockets or the country budget, directly into the villages. Money is always money and it does not matter to the folks on the intention and whether they will benefit in the long run. The folks are forever grateful for the short-term money they received. Thais are not freeloaders and they will always return favors. In this case, they don’t really mind that the government is corrupt as the money is coming from taxes they hardly pay. So it is an easy decision to vote for the guy who pays them and does not take away money from them. A win-win for Taksin’s supporters and Taksin. Is there anything wrong with that? Nothing as long as we maintain our blind faith in democracy