Front-page funnies
Re: "More heavy rain predicted, Thaksin to visit flood zone", (BP, Aug 27).
It appears that the funny page has moved to the front page. How? Why? Simple. It seems that a certain person can't keep from seeing his name in the paper.
This time, a "concerned citizen" took it upon himself to travel north to see his distressed followers and dole out relief supplies. Isn't that nice of him? And I bet that he is paying for all of this out of his pocket (wink wink) and not from somewhere else and claiming credit for it. And while there, there is no doubt in my mind that he will attempt to give spiritual advice to his cult party leaders on how to drum up support. It has also been reported in this newspaper, that many, in his own party of course, state that he is free to give out advice to whomever he wants, whenever he wants. Wow! Talk about covert meddling, and I doubt that it will cease anytime soon.
Anyway, it is nice to see that there are now two sections of the paper where we can get our chuckles from.
Playing the victim
Re: "How Paetongtarn overcame hatred in her 20s", (BP/TikTok, Aug 21).
Congratulations to the Post for producing this crisp, subtitled video. It is an excellent public service.
In the Post video clip, the daughter of a billionaire, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, disingenuously paints herself as a victim trying to elicit viewers' sympathy. This approach has apparently supplanted all policy considerations in modern politics, a kind of touchy-feely optimism ala Kamala Harris. Paetongtarn clearly states that she overcame criticism from others by not listening to them. She then claims that her father's time in office was unparalleled in Thai history. The latter is perhaps true -- unequalled in corruption, cronyism and exploitation of government resources for personal gain at the expense of the Thai people. She claims that the court proved that the criticisms about her father were proven false when he was exonerated by the court. Did the court prove the Thai people wrong?
If one person criticises you, then it is possible to disregard that person's comments if they seem nonsensical, but when the whole country criticises you, and you disregard them, what does that mean? Aren't you an elitist, power-hungry billionaire's daughter who always presumes your father and his family are right no matter what the country says?
Compare yourself to Pita, whom the people love, and ask yourself what the truth is. Do you and your family have a daily heated debate about policy issues, social development, and cultural matters, or do you sit and listen to the patriarch tell you what to do? If you say the former, why does everyone think you are dissembling? If you are receiving criticism, why don't you try to relate directly to the people criticizing you and give them your respectful attention? It is called being in a relationship, and it is the only thing that ameliorates hatred.
Reckless riders
Re: "Pattaya cops tackle tourist racers", (BP, Aug 8).
Virtually every day, I read about motorbike crashes, usually fatal and now, in Pattaya, some reckless drivers from Arab nations ride about dangerously, putting people at risk.
The police should stamp down hard on these idiots and take action against those who rent the bikes to people who probably have no licence or insurance.