Autocracy feeds graft

re: "Corruption rises in Thailand, global watchdog says" (BP, January 29)

Dear editor,

It cannot surprise to see countries "growing more corrupt as they become more autocratic" as Transparency International's report "Corruption Perceptions Index for 2018" notes of several, including the US under Trump, under whom democratic norms are eroding.

That rising autocracy correlates with rising corruption is not only the logical correlation, it is the long established historical rule. It is a major reason dictators become dictators. The same rule also does much to explain why Thailand has remained mired in corruption for decades: all of those coups happened for reasons. And contrary to the loudly touted promises, the reality of Thai history shows that those reasons have never included ending corruption, the eradication of which requires respect for the transparency enabled by the free speech that goes hand in hand with democracy.

For their own good reasons, dictators criminalize free speech.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 31, 2019, under the title "Autocracy feeds graft" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1620906/autocracy-feeds-graft
  

Civil MPs preferred

re: "Bravo Prayut" (PostBag, January 26)

Dear editor,

It is nice that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha still has his avid supporters, but Mr/Ms 449900 is not quite right in their letter of January 26 ("Bravo Prayut"), in which they insist that "the majority of those polled would prefer Prayut to be the next prime minister." The writer would have been correct to have said that the largest single percentage might still prefer Prayut, but that number is far below a majority. And the poll statistics show a consistent downward trend, perhaps because Prayut has an increasingly known track record of breaking his promises, starting with the whopper before May 22, 2014 when he solemnly promised that he was not planning to overthrow its constitution, the supreme rule of law of the Thai nation.

With each poll, Prayut's support dwindles. In March of last year, 38.64% reported preferring Prayut for PM (NIDA, March 18, 2018). In May, he was down to 32.24% (NIDA, May 13, 2018). In November he had dropped to 27% (Rangsit University, November 29, 2018). In the most recent NIDA poll, on January 20, he was down to 26.2%. None of these statistics show anything near majority support. They do, however, show consistently dwindling support over time, which is all I ever asserted. Although not settled on one person, the overwhelming majority of the Thai electorate very clearly prefer a prime minister who supports the good morals of democracy. With each delay of the ever promised election, the civil politicians rise in popularity as the politicians who overthrew democracy decline. This wholesome trend can continue for at least two more months before the unelected politicians allow the ever promised election to be held.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 27, 2019, under the title "Civil MPs preferred" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1618470/civil-mps-preferred
  

Promises, promises

re: "Pro-election protesters dodge anti-unrest group" (BP, January 20)

Dear editor,

Like the promising Thai intellects on the student council of Ramkhamhaeng University, the Facebook group Unity Before Election shows proper Thainess in opposing those actively calling for elections.

 Can't these activists be content with promises of an election? Can't they and their ilk be content with promises of unity? Can't they be satisfied with promises to end corruption? Why can't they be happy with promises to respect human rights? Why isn't a promise to return happiness already happiness returned? Why, why, why must they keep asking for more than promises?

 The counter groups from Ramkhamhaeng Uni. and Unity Before Election on Facebook understand the prime minister's wisdom pronounced last week advising teachers to lead childish students to think out of the box in a sufficiently structured way. They appreciate that good Thai citizens will structurally close their mouths, ears, eyes, and minds to anything not condoned by their superiors. They respectfully recognize their place before those selfless betters working so hard to make a sufficiency of glorious promises that would sufficiently fill the stomach of any proper Thai who knew her place as ordained by the venerable traditions of Thailand 4.0.

 What, after all, is so good about good morals that good people should care for them more than promises of them?

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 22, 2019, under the title "Promises, promises" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1615422/promises-promises
  

Show, no substance

re: "Why Thailand will stay in Third World" (Opinion, January 16)

Dear editor,

Well said Surasak Glahan. As clear as an election lie by dictator politicians is the pre-eminent reason why Thailand has remained socially and politically third world for too many decades. The common element that threads through Thailand's decades of corruptly wasted resources to weave the ugly tapestry of retarded social and political evolution is not the civil politicians, but the regularly repeated interference by self-serving dictator politicians.

It is the dictator politicians who have, decade after decade, set the example of violence as a solution to problems as they obsess with vainglorious show over substance, which is reflected in the failure of Thai education, where mindless uniformity trumps academic ability, with critical thinking, especially about Thai history, society and political issues, being actively demonized.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 17, 2019, under the title "Show, no substance" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1612538/time-for-a-debate
  

So what?

re: "Prayut rejects call for detente with Thaksin" (BP, January 9)

Dear editor,

Unfortunately for the ruling politicians who overthrew the supreme legal pillar of the Thai nation on May 22, 2014, the international community knows as well as domestic Thai voters that being a fugitive criminal from Thai rule of law does not mean that any wrong has been committed. In this regard, it should be remembered that it was his own acquittal by Thai rule of law in 2001 of any wrong doing for his "honest mistake" that allowed Thaksin to become PM in the first place. That example, along with the recent well-watched decision by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and numerous other examples, can but confirm that the world is right not to confuse Thai rule of law with actual justice founded on respect for truth or other good morals.

As Thai election results consistently show the Thai nation to know every bit as well as the international community, the proper response to the fact tediously repeated by dictators that Thaksin is a fugitive criminal is: "So what?"

Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 12, 2019, under the title "So what?" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1609886/curb-cars-to-cure-air
  

An ugly phrase

re: "Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport 'fears death' if repatriated" (BP, January 7)

Dear editor,

The ugly phrase, "Her male guardian," says it all. It proclaims loud and clear that, along with those brainwashed by their self-serving ideology, the men who created and brutally enforce the long-traditional social norms of Saudi Arabia see women, perhaps among others, not as free, equal human persons, but as property to control, as chattels to be managed, doubtless under a pious sham of "protecting their natural inferiors."

This might superficially be "a family matter." It is certainly the despotism of the state writ personal. Although some might argue that such brutish social conventions might once have served a purpose, any such claim requires strong support from a discussion that has never been allowed under censorship laws that, naturally, serve to loyally protect the traditional status quo from exposure of grave moral corruption. Blatantly sexist. brutish, patriarchal, and despotic, "Her male guardian" owners now seek collusion from foreign powers.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 8, 2019, under the title "An ugly phrase" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1607218/abetting-persecution
  

Politicians' bad example

re: "Man guns down children, 4 in-laws at New Year party" (BP, January 2)

Dear editor,

It is a depressing symptom to see the new year start with yet another Thai male with access to guns, albeit drunk on alcohol rather than power, follow the example set by the ruling politicians of resorting to violence to solve a problem with the perceived attitudes of other people, specifically, that they did not give his ego the respect he demanded irrespective of what had been earned.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 6, 2019, under the title "Politicians' bad example" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1606150/damned-if-you-do-but-they-dont
  

Set in stone

re: "Government admits election delay" (BP, January 4)

Dear editor,

How terribly unfortunate for Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam and his government that the latest permanent constitution that they had made up "is set in stone," thereby constraining them absolutely.

It would be fascinating to run a poll on which the Thai nation finds more credible: 1) that the politicians who smashed the previous permanent Thai constitution (clearly set in a more fragile type of stone) to get their own way to do whatever they wanted for themselves and allies truly did not realize that there would a coronation in due course and plan accordingly; or 2) that they had written this latest excuse for breaking a promise into their original roadmap as planned well in advance of May 2014?

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 5, 2019, under the title "Set in stone" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1605790/set-in-stone
  

Scathing response

re: "Netflix pulls comedy show that irked Saudi crown prince" (BP, January 3)

Dear editor,

It is understandable why Saudi authorities so strongly believe the adage "ignorance is bliss" that they have made up cybercrime laws to achieve that desired state of unknowing for their kingdom. Unhappily, international information sources, NetFlix among them, are legally obliged to serve the self-serving Saudi rulers in keeping Saudi captive domestic citizens more ignorant of Saudi affairs than foreigners and expatriate Saudis not subject to the same ignorance enforcing censorship, which is the only kind of censorship there ever is.

Whenever and wherever there is censorship, the telling question is always: Who wants whom to be kept in ignorance of what facts, possibilities, ideas, or other information?

But working to counter censorship in the Internet age, the international response it energized has been as honestly scathing as the Saudi kingdom's rule of law so richly deserves.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 4, 2019, under the title "Scathing response" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1605094/enforce-laws-daily
  

Rights pretenders

re: "NHRC should strive for balance" (Editorial, December 30)

Dear editor,

Thailand has a ready litmus test of commitment to protecting the human rights of Thai citizens. It is the response to how Thai law should treat those who click "like" on international news articles whose truthfulness has never been rebutted. Aspiring human rights protectors who would side with South Korea's prestigious Gwangju Award for Human Rights of 2017 to the patriotic Thai citizen Jatupat Boonpatararaksa, the morally exemplary Pai Dao Din, likely put a just respect for human rights in Thailand above blind loyalty to the rule of unjust law.

In contrast, human rights pretenders who support the state locking up true Thai patriots merely because they have been labelled criminals by a morally corrupt law prove themselves fakes. A basic purpose of a human rights commission is not to blindly follow corrupt law merely because it is the law, but to protect citizens from unjust law whilst advocating for reform bad law and bad custom. This basic protection of all citizens' basic rights is also a duty of any decent constitution, which should rule out criminal and other law that allows human rights to be violated.

 Felix Qui

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 2, 2019, under the title "Rights pretenders" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1603942/prem-paves-the-way
  

Alcohol the worst drug

re: "Drink-drivers wreak havoc" (BP, December 31)

Dear editor,

Were it not so fatally sad, it would be merely boring to have to repeat well-known facts that Thailand's traditional New Year road carnage reminds us of. One obvious fact is that alcohol maintains its traditional position as the most harmful recreational drug of addiction in popular use, being involved in 40.90% of the accidents over the current festive season as it continues to kill and main the innocent, to tear families apart, and to incite rape, fights and other violence, all those traditional elements of an alcohol fuelled New Year. The Singha and other drug barons profiting so mightily from this carnage their drugs cause are doubtless crying all the way to the bank.

Meanwhile, resources that could otherwise be usefully spent reducing alcohol's massive harms to society are wasted on losing costly wars on less harmful recreational drugs, decades long failures that serve only to worsen the harms they cause society by handing official monopolies to mafia scum eagerly supported by corrupt officials. This is not a happy New Year or any other sort of happy, except of course to the corrupt and mafia, whose bank accounts are flourishing as happily as those of the legally blessed alcohol traffickers. Perhaps they will make the requisite showy donations from their profits to bribe the karmic officials keeping track of merit to ensure that the traditional status quo continues in their happy New Year. 

 Felix Qui

Correction 

Submitted as a comment on the PostBag page, January 1, 2019.
I should have written not "carnage their drugs cause," but "their carnage causing drug." It is, after all, their drug that brings in the money for the beer barons and other alcohol producers. It is society, families and individuals who pay the costs of the carnage caused. 

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on January 1, 2019, under the title "Alcohol the worst drug" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/1603602/alcohol-the-worst-drug