Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...

Panel Discussion
Actually, it’s not surprising at all to hear that these policies come
from politicians who just came into the offices. The guy just learned that
he would be installed as a minister of a certain ministry no more than a
week before assuming the position. So, what policy will he put out?
When he considers the platforms of various parties, there are no concrete
goals that he could play with. That’s why policies during early days in
office are so pathetic like that. Most policies will be discarded as time
passes, except some politicians who behave absurdly forever like none
other than Mr. Banharn Silapa-archa (perhaps Mr. Samak Sundaravej
too).
However, politicians are just an ordinary Thai person who belongs
to the middle class just like us all. So, they simply adopt some common
senses from the society and they struck gold, exclaiming eureka…this is
the policy. Then, this sort of policies would be announced upon
assuming ministerial positions. For example, construct a dam (without
having to conduct any study), irrigate water (without having to conduct
any study), pump cash into the system to stimulate spending (without
having to study cash-pumping schemes to ensure that the money flows
right to the real spenders), fight narcotics (without studying other
implications from narcotic suppression, rather than staging a “drug
war”), grow eucalyptus trees, use GMO plants, use nuclear energy and so
forth.
Many of these policies accord with the interests of some groups.
These people have publicized these policies for a long time, so such
policies would be well received by government officials, technocrats,
media and, of course, by businesses that would be benefited directly from
the projects.
Moreover, these policies may be rather long-lived because some
social bases support them, sparking debates in the society (not freely and
impartially). Eventually, some policies got through and implemented.
Some policies were put in a drawer, waiting for politicians who will
assume positions in the next administration.
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