• 
• 

Published on March 4, 2008

 Actually, it should be the first priority for any government to build up its own team of workhorses in order to start moving the gigantic machinery.

Better still, they should make it a law that all C-10 and C-11 officials must leave their posts when a new government come into power, pronto, because, as history shows, if you let them stay in power longer than three-to-four years, they tend to run their department as a kind of private fiefdom and cannot be touched by anyone.

And it is the duty of all of us to hand them the verdict when election time comes.

Vic Phanumphai

Bangkok

--------------------------------

Tarisa's performance doesn't warrant demotion

Re: "Samak administration giving coup-faithful their due reward with transfers", Letters, March 3.

In my book, a freshly elected government has the right to move a top civil servant to an inactive post for the following reasons:

• First, if the individual has shown a lack of neutrality as a civil servant in the past in openly supporting an opposing group of individuals;

• Second, if the individual is likely to frustrate the government's declared policies as made known and majority-voted for by the country's electorate;

• Third, if he is obviously viewed by most as incompetent and unlikely to succeed in implementing government policies.

I certainly do not agree with tit-for-tat tactics - the Thais call it "tee-krai-tee-mun", "your shot and my shot" - which is only gratifying as an act of vengeance just like in most Chinese kung-fu films. The four civil servants may or may not fall into those justifiable grounds, however, I am certain that Bangkok Governor Tarisa Watanagase does not deserve removal. Her 30-per cent reserve imposition may or may not please many, but one can see that her fight had the national interest at heart.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok

--------------------------------

Coup proven futile as PPP is set to ravage country

Re: "PPP's initial moves paint a grisly picture for country", Letters, February 24.

Somsak's letter splendidly sums up the scandalous actions by this government after only few weeks in power. And this is only the beginning. In fact, this is not surprising as what is bred in the bone will not come out of the flesh.

What was surprising were all the people asking for Samak to be given a chance to prove his mettle. He did! Satisfied now? There might be one bright spot: the longer this bunch of incompetents bent on revenge and concentrating on their own interests is in power, the greater the chance Thailand will go broke causing a weaker Thai baht and throwing the country back into the Stone Age.

This could cause a return to the marvellous attitudes of the Thai in the past instead of their egotistical consumerism and materialism which has led to a loss of their morality. General Surayud Chulanont is much to blame as his incompetence while in office caused this situation and resulted in the coup being completely useless.

Egon

Bangkok

--------------------------------

Working-class people deserve a voice in politics

Re: "Western democratic ideas too narrow for Thailand", Letters, March 3.

I don't know what part of my letter makes Jonathon W think that I am male, have grown up in a European class system and live in a plush Lumpini apartment with a cleaning lady but I'm not exactly flattered that that's who I sound like.

In terms of being a mouthpiece for cleaning ladies, well, it's just that when I read the words "to them the economy comes before human rights and democracy" referring to noodle vendors, the mailman, the cleaning lady and the tuk tuk driver, I went crazy.

I grew up in a country where the salaries of taxi drivers and cleaning ladies are not as disproportionate to the salaries of the people they are driving around or cleaning for as they are here.

I was raised in a highly taxed system where taxi drivers and cleaning ladies sometimes hold university degrees.

Part of the reason is because the guaranteed minimum wage enables them to earn a living doing something else while waiting to get a job in their field of study but it's also because it's a society that doesn't look down on labourers or have the same class system that I've experienced when living in the UK, India and other Asian countries.

When I read the words "their priorities are different" referring to the poor or hard workers, I felt like I was reading in black and white, that very fundamental belief I am faced with on a daily basis here that people who work menial jobs are different. As someone who feels understood by this group, I felt the jab and I wanted to stand in the way of it, take the hit for them and answer Pim Kemasingki's question for them. But I realise I'm now talking to people who don't understand me as they do, so I'll just throw in the towel.

 And while I agree with a lot of what John Arnone says, what he says about the US actually proves my point ("Worst always rises to the top in electoral politics", Letters, March 3). Americans hate paying taxes. Many of their presidents got elected by promising not to raise taxes. As a result, they have abysmal social programmes and virtually non-existent health and social welfare programmes.

"What would happen to any politician who stood on a platform of fiscal responsibility?" asks John Arnone.

Well, my native country, Canada, had one such politician by the name of Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

 Basically what happens is a lot of good is done for all the citizens of that country. Unfortunately, politicians with vision and the courage seem to be going the way of the dodo bird. I'll do the same and just shut up now but not before saying one last thing. When I eventually head back to my motherland, I will never again take for granted the fact that my political opinions can be respected whether I sell noodles or sell sapphires and whether I clean houses or clean the books.

Northern Cleaning Lady

Bangkok

--------------------------------

Gambari's light touch in Burma crisis unwelcome

UN envoy Ibraham Gambari is not really welcome in Burma because he was part of a failed plan to resume UN aid without restoring freedom and democracy in Burma. I found out about this plan when Than Shwe ordered foreign minister Nyan Win to bring former UN ambassador Win Mra out of retirement.

Foreign minister Nyan Win and deputy foreign minister Maung Myint did not like Win Mra and let him retire when he reached the official retirement age. But Win Mra had developed close ties to an influential Burmese family with UN connections, and they needed him to facilitate Gambari's mission to resume UN aid to Burma without securing the unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

This plan was disclosed to senior US officials who made it clear to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and also to UN envoy Gambari that UN aid to Burma cannot be discussed until Suu Kyi is released and a political settlement is secured in Burma.

Than Shwe is now worried since the national referendum on the sham constitution will spin out of control and become a national referendum on him and his illegitimate military government. If the "No" vote wins by a big margin, it will force Than Shwe to resign.

Myint Thein

Senior Adviser to the Burmese Resistance

Dallas, Texas

Send us your views in an instant

E-mail your opinion, with 'Letters to

the Editor' in the subject box, to:

letters@nationgroup.com

The Nation