The banality of Third World-dom

Forget “love the monarchy” or “monarchy reform” for a moment.

Forget Sa-lim versus Saam-geeb for a moment.

Take a moment to ask ourselves: Are five more years of General Prayut Chan-o-cha the solution to Thailand’s problems? Because this is what we are looking at given the rigged constitution and 250 senators.

Thailand is falling apart.

According to Nikkei’s COVID-19 recovery index, Thailand ranks 120th in the world.

According to Kasikorn Research Center, in the first quarter of 2021, Thailand’s household debt increased to 14.13 trillion baht. That’s 90.5% of the GDP and the highest in 18 years. Business debt increased by 40 billion baht and debt by consumption 33.5 billion baht.

Forget the stats for a moment.

Instead, let’s just look at the reality we live in.

Whether we come out of our hi-so mansions, middle-class condos, or poor slums, we face the same reality: the banality of Third World-dom.

Streets are full of holes, even in swanky shopping, entertainment, or business districts. Broken-down footpaths that are barely wide enough to walk on. Breathe in the air and cough out the pollution. Trash everywhere. And here we talk about the capital, not the 76 provinces that are still far behind in development.

Visit the provinces and stay at a fancy resort; it’s paradise on earth. But step out of the resort, and it’s the banality of Third World-dom. Social and economic inequality widens with every step we take.

The problems were here before General Prayut, but after five years of dictatorship and two years of 250-senator sham-o-cracy, here we still live in the banality of Third World-dom.

The question then is, will five more years of General Prayut loosen or tighten the tangled web of this banality?

Getting rid of the Prayut Regime is not an automatic untangle of the web. But it’s a crucial step forward, or else it’s five more years of tightening, not just the web but also the noose around the neck of Thailand’s future.

Make your voice heard, on the streets or social media, and with every opportunity.

When the next general election comes, put at least 376 asses in parliament willing to vote against the Prayut Regime.

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