Toxic smog fury grows as fear paralyses govt

Whether the Future Forward Party is dissolved or not, the enemy of the ruling establishment remains clear. It is fear: its own fear of change and of losing control of power. It’s this fright that has rendered it powerless to cope with mounting challenges — including the ongoing PM2.5 pollution, worsening drought, overall economic downturn and political divisiveness.

The government has been relatively silent as districts across Bangkok and surrounding areas are covered by thick smog. No plans, whether for short-term relief or to prevent the haze from worsening or returning next year, have been discussed with the public.

When asked about the problem, government figures have only shown their frustration and shot back at reporters with, “What more can we do?”.

Truth is there is a lot more that the government can do. The problem is that such action requires a critical mind, analytical skills, a data-based approach and courage to bypass the reductionistic bureaucracy. An even bigger problem is that this government, conservative in nature and bent on centralised control through traditional bureaucratic channels, is not equipped with the tools to fight the multifaceted haze problem.

As the smog intensifies, the government remains stuck in damage-control mode, telling people not to panic. Its spokeswoman even assured the public that the situation is improving, despite statistics showing the contrary. It has not put people on alert. It has not thought about handing out free masks for vulnerable groups.

Indeed, with the information the government has in its hands, it should be able to send daily warnings to people living in highpollution areas to avoid outdoor activities or wear masks. Such communiques would at least show that it is in touch with people’s well-being and that it cares, even if it can’t do much about the smog yet.

With its experts working in different agencies, it should be able to identify sources of the haze and start tackling the problem at the root. Apparently, however, it can’t. It can’t even get everyone on the same page about what the major source is of the air pollution.

While scientists and data experts have used machine learning together with weather models, traffic indexes and fire maps to pinpoint agricultural burning as a major source, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday traffic contributed to 72% of the pollution, followed by only 15% from open burning and 5% from industry.

If we can’t even agree on basic data to begin with, it is no surprise that a solution remains up in the air. The PM has not indicated he will take any serious measures. He simply said that the air pollution originates from people’s activities, and he does not want to punish anyone by banning those activities.

It’s interesting also that the government’s spokeswoman urged the public to rely on the Air4Thai application developed by the Department of Pollution Control to show data from 24 hours earlier, instead of the popular AQI Index which shows real-time air quality.

Again, the government’s penchant for keeping everything centralised and fully controlled does not work well in combating the pollution problem, which is haphazard and involves multiple factors and groups of people. It seems oblivious to the fact that, nowadays, hand-held PM2.5 detectors are everywhere and people have their own data that might not conform to the government’s.

Meanwhile the government’s attempt to make the haze problem appear business-asusual only reinforces its elitist image. Government figures who have the means to work in air-con offices or afford air purifiers at home won’t understand the suffering of people who have to commute or sell stuff outdoors while breathing in the foul air all day long.

The biggest problem is the government does not realise that it’s response is grossly inadequate. Fear of change has blinded it to how the world is changing and reinforced its belief in what worked in the past.

But problems like PM2.5 pollution are not like any that occurred previously. The result is the government has now reached its wit’s end.

The fine dust pollution is just one example of how the current regime’s centralised, topdown model of operation will fail to function in the face of complex problems, or increasingly diverse demands from people.

By clinging to its monopolistic ideas of what is good for the country while striking down everything that seems to deviate from tradition, the establishment will soon reach the limit of its capacity.

It can slap people with anti-monarchy allegations. It can seek to disband more political parties. But the aspirations of people, millions of them, who do not want the status quo won’t go away.

And they aren’t dust.