Thailand faces up to lasting question

A perennial question asked by Thais of visitors to their country has been: "How long do you think all this will last?"

"All this" has encompassed corruption, an unstable government and a spiraling economic crisis.

The symptoms of the Thai malaise also include large current- account deficits, a banking sector that has lent too much money to property developers, a currency linked more or less tightly to the U.S. dollar and, partly as a consequence, a tailing off of export growth last year when the dollar was strong.

Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's alleged financial mismanagement was the subject last week of a no-confidence motion. He was accused of bankrupting the country and leaking information to political allies about the devaluation of the national currency, the baht.

The prime minister survived the vote. But his critics are still calling for a national nonpartisan government led by someone other than Chavalit. It is generally agreed that a major cabinet reshuffle is on the cards. And it is hoped this will inject more nonpartisan professionals into the cabinet.

Observers have pointed out that delaying this move might lead to a further plunge in public confidence in the administration at a time when it is presiding over the country's worst economic crisis in recent memory. It is also hoped that the new Thai constitution, which sailed through parliament on Saturday, will succeed in rooting out the influence of money in politics and create a more capable and stable government. Through deft political maneuvering, Chavalit succeeded in making passage of the constitution dependent on his being able to remain in office for another nine months.

Optimists still hope that the new charter will put the country on the right path to good governance. Thailand deserves to have some good news at last.

-- The Hong Kong Standard