Can the Civil Servants Prevent the Populism Train Wreck?
The cabinet recently approved an extension for six months of a program of free goods and services, including free tap water and electricity for low-volume users and free rides on some public buses and trains. This program started when Mr. Samak Sundaravej was prime minister. The extension is justified on the ground of cushioning people from the full impact of the economic crisis. It also shows, however, that once a populist program is launched, it is hard to rescind. It may actually intensify, to be followed by other programs, as political parties try to outbid each other for voters’ favor. Without proper restraints, therefore, such programs could side-track development of the country. Argentina is often cited as an example although it is not the only country whose development was side-tracked by populist programs. When this issue is raised with Thais, many would say that Thailand is not Argentina. True enough, but more often than not, they apparently don’t realize that populist progra
