Speak up, teachers

re: "Lessons from history" (BP, Editorial, November 22, 2023) & "Teachers are undervalued" (BP, Editorial, November 21, 2023). 

Dear editor,

On successive days, the Post has two editorials on the state of Thai education. On Tuesday, Nov. 21, "Teachers are undervalued" deplored the seeming undervalued status of Thai teachers mired in debt. No one doubts that Thai teachers are in financial trouble, despite the Ministry of Education getting the single largest budget allocation, a whopping 14.6% of the total budget in 2022. And yet those same teachers under the Ministry of Education have, for many decades, plainly failed to deliver results commensurate with the largess handed out for what is politely called "education." Something is amiss. The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) in "Making education keep up with change" (September 13, 2023) puts the blame for decades of failure to educate on an outdated curriculum. They also rightly emphasize that "the crux of the problem ... is not a lack of student effort" or even "inadequate teaching."

Perhaps part of the problem is that teachers fail to value themselves highly enough to take a stand for decent education. Rather then objecting to bad policy and joining such sensible, soundly reasoning students as the Bad Student group, too many teachers passively go along with whatever dis-education policy is being pushed by a political agenda that values myth over history, faith over reason, uniformity over creativity, and rote orthodoxy over critical thinking, in short, everything the Post gently rails against in "Lessons from history" (Editorial, Wednesday, Nov. 22).

The teachers should perhaps take a stand for honesty. It's a moral value worth cultivating. It would be good for public morality to critically assess the pros and cons of religion. It would improve public morality to honestly examine not only the good that any Thai institution has done, but also to honestly reflect on the harm. Except to religiously-driven zealots, is it really credible that any institution or any person is without sin?  The brute facts on the ground are that it is exactly those institutions that Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul appears to be pushing in his call for enhanced patriotism that have, over the course of many decades, allegedly guided Thailand and its famously failing education to exactly where they are today. That reality is not much of a recommendation. 

As the TDRI concludes in the paper cited, "When the education system is mired in the past while the rest of the world forges ahead, the future appears grim, not just for our children but for the entire nation."

The last thing Thai education or Thailand the nation need is what Prime Minister Srettha's government is pushing more of. Where, it must be wondered, is the outrage from Thai teachers' associations? 

 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 November 25, 2023, under the title "Speak up, teachers" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2692064/spend-more-wisely

Uniform targets

re: "Tech college student shot dead" (BP, November 20, 2023) 

Dear editor,

Yet another college student shot dead. As before, this one was apparently identified by the uniform he was wearing. Even were no other, the fact that students are being shot when identified by their uniforms would seem a compelling reason to ban uniforms for those past high school. They serve no useful purpose, inflame toxic pride, and clearly label students for the demented with guns who judge according to the group membership marked by those uniforms. 

 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 November 22, 2023, under the title "Uniform targets" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2689633/lessons-from-history

Return to sender

re: "PM pleads for return of talented Thais" (BP, November 19, 2023) 

Dear editor,

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin should perhaps consider that the smartest, most talented Thais would be more tempted to live and work in Thailand if they were not subject to arrest and imprisonment for honestly and peacefully expressing a healthy range of opinion. Contrary to orthodox myth, many Thais do in fact support justice, democracy, and national progress. Many even favour the reform of bad old traditions too long institutionalized, a fact the May 14 vote demonstrated, again.  

Move Forward might have better success in persuading Thailand's best and brightest to return to contribute to a flourishing new era for their nation than those complicit in making Srettha their prime minister, including their eager pardon for Thaksin Shinawatra that former PM Prayut Chan-ocha himself signed off on along with others. And speaking of those who drank deeply of his intoxicating brew, how is that poisoned chalice these days? Is Thaksin still as gravely ill as ever in the comfort of the Police General Hospital? 

 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 November 20, 2023, under the title "Return to sender" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2688364/sardines-squirm

Too kind to cops

re: "Police must inspire trust" (BP, Editorial, November 15, 2023) 

Dear editor,

The Bangkok Post means well, but if the well-established image and well-known reputation of the Royal Thai Police (RTP) is to be brought into line with the unsullied repute and untarnished perception of other Thai institutions, then drastic measures are needed. The Post's editorial presents none, merely repeating anodyne wishes that have already been repeated for decades, as though mere historical veneration conferred value. That won't work. It never has worked. 

The obvious solution, one blessed by tradition, is to follow the unquestionable example that has worked so well for other respectable Thai institutions: criminalize all negative comments, however peaceful, under pain of severe penalties. That will ensure that the Royal Thai Police are spoken of as excellent, as is only proper. Their reputation will continually rise thereafter as the laudatory accolades pile up with news of their good deeds to protect society and honest citizens being properly reported daily. Could the image and reputation of this essential institution of Thai society then fail to win its deserved respect? Could the RTP deserve less admiration and respect than must then flow? 

I believe this solution also works well in China, where rude comments on people's betters, including revered public institutions, are strictly controlled. Could the communists, no less, be wrong about anything so important? 

 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 November 18, 2023, under the title "Too kind to cops" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2687523/poor-playgrounds

What say Buddha?

re: "Buddhist wisdom " (BP, PostBag, November 10, 2023) & "Isoc's role in society", (BP, PostBag, Nov 6)

Dear editor,

Following the observations of Karl Reichstetter and J. C. Wilcox on authentic Buddhism's happy freedom from the traditional curse of religious dogma held as eternally infallible as it upholds witch trials, Hamas, sexism, holy war, homophobia and like evils, it must be wondered what the Buddha would say of those highly amusing photos going round, allegedly created by an AI, of Buddhist monks enjoying a few modern high jinks: motorcycle racing, rock singing, and such. 

Would he get his robes all in a twist and start legal action to promptly suppress the sort of creativity that threatens to lead to actual soft power success? Or would he appreciate and welcome an update to his wisdom otherwise in grave danger of terminal fossilization by arch conservatives who find their officially approved incarnation of Buddhism as a religion a most useful political tool? In their zeal to maintain the old ways so richly generous to themselves, they even elevate religion to the status of a pillar of the nation for ISOC to protect with their full force of the state lest the old ways succumb to the threat of creative innovation leading to flourishing for all. 

What would the Buddha say? 

 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 November 11, 2023, under the title "What say Buddha?" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2682944/peacetime-frigate-

Political myths

re: "One old adage" (BP, PostBag, November 2, 2023) 

Dear editor,

Although I've been reading Plato for the past half century, I'm not familiar with the quotation Stuart Ayres attributes to him. Perhaps Mr Ayres could narrow it down to at least the dialogue, if not the Stephanus number, in which Plato says, "Wise men speak because they have something to say; a fool, because he has to say something." 

I highly recommend Plato, whose Socrates was the first to say a lot that is, being actually wise, well worth the studying. He likely also thought that the wise would care for the accuracy of what they say. 

Of course, Plato's wise Socrates was infamously put to death in strict accord with the law because his resolutely peaceful speech showed up the hollowness of those deeming themselves the good and wise people of ancient Athens, whose official charge was that he was corrupting the young with heterodox teachings about the gods (Euthyphro, 2c - 3b). Even in Athens 2,400 years ago, fantastic myths were a powerful weapon of dirty politics.  

 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 November 10, 2023, under the title "Political myths" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2682259/political-myths

Gracious talk

re: "Paetongtarn must avoid past trends" (BP, Opinion, October 30, 2023)

Dear editor,

Veera Prateepchaikul describes him as acting "graciously" when Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin kissed the extended hand of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, duly "groomed by her handlers" as he can't help but put it. PM Srettha has clearly been equally well groomed. 

What role should such cute displays of choreographed submission have in a modern Thailand? Shows of dictated submission are part of the legacy of the previous PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, who would stop at nothing to entrench  his vision of Thailand in the 21st century, Thailand 4.0 as he boasted. But should they be? 

Back the late 19th century, a truly wise Thai said of another traditional show of forced submission that "Since [its] abolition, those countries have become more prosperous. In Siam, the practice of prostration reaffirms the existence of oppression which is unjust." That wise man is rightly famous for his efforts to move his nation forward to take its place as both a respectable and respected modern Thailand in his own day and beyond. 

Unlike Veera speaking of a "graciously bowed" prime minister, who is supposed to represent a proud people, this eminently wise Thai leader of old spoke of traditional customs that reinforced notions of intrinsic inequality between citizens as being "severely oppressive". He sought to abolish once and for all such "harsh" practices that could only demean Thailand in the eyes of developed nations.

That wise Thai was the great King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, to whom Thailand owes much. The quoted words are from the Royal Siamese Government Gazette, 1873, as translated by the well-known Thai academic that Veera also cites in his opinion piece. Perhaps it is time the Thai people listened to those wise words from a king who had a vision of his nation getting stuck not back in Prayut's Thailand 4.0, but of genuinely moving forward to a future worth having for all Thais. To conclude in the words of the great King: "Powerful countries which have been successful in refraining from oppressing their own peoples are now enjoying prosperity." 

Is Thailand enjoying the prosperity its people have deserved these many decades past? 

 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 November 2, 2023, under the title "Gracious talk" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2676533/gracious-talk