Thailand’s lessons for the west
After a slow start, Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, seems a little surer on his feet. As protesters besieged his office in a reversal of the demonstrations that toppled Abhisit’s Thaksin-proxy predecessors during the first month of his new administration, it appeared that he and Korn would quickly go the same way as those they replaced. But they have so far withstood the fury. Thailand was able to host a crucial summit of the regional Asean nations, a statement that at least they had a modicum of control over the country.
In an interview with Euromoney at Bangkok’s government house, Abhisit went so far as to say there was an opportunity for far-reaching economic and structural reforms in the downturn, despite various economists warning against such policies. "I don’t want to make that mistake," he says. "When we were in government last time we initiated a number of reforms: education, public sector reform, decentralization. And then when the economy began to recover, and there was a change of government, these issues were forgotten. When times are good, people don’t see the need to do things differently. When things are not so good is the time to motivate the public to see we need to make some changes."
