Stuck in the past

I have been giving a lot of thought to the prime minister’s Sept 13 claim that Thailand could become a “first world developed country”. Although the PM gave no strict timetable for the metamorphosis, there are a few things that I feel will need strict attention. As he will have noticed during his travels, first world countries prohibit the burning of plastics and have an efficient refuse collection and disposal system to minimise pollution of the air and waterways. To be fair, whoever is responsible for — or at least in charge of — the cleaning of Klong Saen Seab has certainly made progress, but there is still a long way to go.

Other aspects of life in a developed country that the PM might wish to consider are, principally, a supply of clean, drinkable running water to all households, which, in itself, would drastically cut the use and abuse of plastic. Then, the banning of plastic bags; even India has banned single-use plastic bags. On the other hand, it is difficult to see how that could be fully implemented here since the habit of buying food on the way to work or on the way home is the norm. I think we could accept that paper bags would be quite unsuitable so an alternative should be sought.

I much doubt whether any police force in the world is completely free of corruption, but it could be more officially discouraged with a better pay structure. Pay peanuts and you get monkeys. Then, there is corruption in other parts of the administration but maybe we should watch this space on that one.

Politicians you can believe in? Maybe that’s going a bit too far. But a developed country is more than submarines and riverside promenades and until we can escape from the deification of money and rank, I fear that this wonderful country, with so much evident potential, will be stuck in the feudal system of the Middle Ages in Europe.

WARNER