Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Time running out for govt before next poll
Oped, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 08/02/2022
» The government may be alive, but it might as well be considered dead if we take into consideration all the buzz about its prospects in the next election.
No time for meddling
Oped, Editorial, Published on 03/09/2020
» The abrupt resignation of Finance Minister Predee Daochai is unfortunate to say the least, as it came at a time when the country -- already bruised by the Covid-19 pandemic -- is in a dire need of a professional to help tackle its economic woes.
Resignations a reality check for Prayut
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 18/07/2020
» The resignation of Uttama Savanayana from the finance portfolio and the team under Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak from the party and the cabinet is a sign of cracks appearing in the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP).
Vicious cycle strikes again
Oped, Editorial, Published on 17/07/2020
» With the formal resignation from the cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and three ministers working for him, Thai politics looks set to experience yet another bout of turbulence as factions in the core coalition Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), scramble for the most attractive cabinet portfolios.
Undue politicisation at finance and BoT
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 03/07/2020
» Thailand's economic growth projections continue to head south as the coronavirus crisis unfolds in the second half of the year. In its most recent forecast, the Bank of Thailand anticipates a sharp contraction of 8.1% this year, worse than the 5.3% it predicted in March. Downside macroeconomic risks are substantial as the Covid-19 pandemic could still degenerate and cause further global health and economic havoc. In this dire environment, Thailand will need steady and seasoned hands to oversee macroeconomic levers. Yet both the finance ministry portfolio and the BoT governorship now face uncertainty and potential politicisation that bode ill for effective and autonomous fiscal and monetary policies.
A reshuffle must be in the public interest
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 20/06/2020
» Even if Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha makes it loud and clear he does not want to reshuffle the cabinet, the ongoing political turbulence will likely force him to rejig the portfolios, and that will likely occur very soon. Observers believe it could happen within a month.
Top brass, technocrats, politicos all same
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 12/06/2020
» When ostensible technocrats become ambitious politicians, supervised by army generals and beholden to patronage-driven elected politicians, the result is a power struggle, internal party turmoil, and a country being governed to nowhere. This is the current state of Thailand's ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), the head of a motley and fractious 19-member coalition of minor and micro parties, some represented by one single MP, propping up the government of former coup leader and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Yet in the face of the opposition bloc that is weak because it has been weakened, after the third-largest winner the Future Forward Party from the last election was dissolved earlier this year, the PPRP is on course to be in office for the foreseeable future, as a new poll is not due for another three years. These dire dynamics suggest Thailand will continue to be rudderless, stuck in a quagmire of its own making, with headwinds that may lead to a reckoning tempest.
Prawit push in PPRP war could backfire
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 06/06/2020
» The power struggle within the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) is an attestation to how politicians are stuck in "old politics", with factions fighting one another, amassing personal gain, as well as gaining access to cabinet positions.
A mistake of judgement?
Oped, Editorial, Published on 03/06/2020
» Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon taking the helm of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) may be a convenient way to put the party's factionalism at bay but it does not augur well for the development of political parties and democracy.
No time for party discord
Oped, Editorial, Published on 29/04/2020
» Should Finance Minister and head of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party Uttama Savanayana be held to account? Definitely. His performance managing state finances, especially the 5,000-baht cash assistance scheme for people affected by the coronavirus outbreak, has been dismal.