OPINION

Coddling farmers

Re: "Rice price measures get approval", (BP, Nov 11).

Instead of repeating Yingluck's rice pledging fiasco, PM Paetongtarn should heed Lao Tzu, who noted: "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."

Yingluck's rice scheme cost taxpayers 500-620 billion baht, grossly distorted the market, deteriorated the rice in storage, cost us our status as the world's top rice exporter, and increased our public debt. Worst, it rewarded farmers for staying non-competitive.

In the longer term, we should encourage farmers to increase productivity. For example, the largest group of Thai farmers uses the same practices as their forefathers -- so our rice yield, for example, hasn't risen over the past decade and is only half that of our competitors. Teach them how to keep abreast of and prepare for market trends, for example, with heavily subsidised training and equipment loans.

This year, cover only 3/4 of the gap between world and Thai farm market prices, with a low cap so only small- and medium-scale farmers can benefit; for next year, cover only half of the gap, and none from then on. This will help Thais become competitive quickly, keeping with Lao Tzu.

Learn from the past, Thailand.

Bad propaganda

Re: "Trump versus China; round two on the way".

Angela Zhang, a professor of law at USC and writing for the Project Syndicate, methodically criticises Donald Trump and tries to warn the world of his dangerous views of China. It seems very clear that Prof Zhang is merely another propagandist when one considers her expressed views, especially those in her book, Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation. Her article laments Mr Trump "sanctioning Huawei and ZTE; banning TikTok; blocking Chinese investment in a dating app; launching the controversial "China Initiative" that disproportionately targeted Chinese scientists working in the US; imposing a semiconductor embargo on China; restricting US investment in Chinese artificial intelligence and quantum computers".

I could go on at length listing the many reasons why Donald Trump will take a tough stand against the three decades of hybrid warfare waged by the Chinese Communist Party, which has been aimed at destabilising the US, but space is limited. George Soros, who funds and writes for the Project Syndicate, has the same goals and has openly expressed his pathological hatred of the US and its constitution.

What we have seen in Mr Trump's landslide victory is the American people repudiating this kind of propaganda, which has saturated the mainstream media for many years. The ordinary American now knows better.

Elixir of youth

Re: "Age is no excuse", (PostBag, Nov 9).

Age is no bar to get ahead in life, or to convince others through letters in PostBag. Some letters are painful to society, but some are beneficial to readers.

Exhaustion can be dealt with by having a suitable diet. Diet and rest are indispensable in maintaining a long, healthy, life. Buddhism, yoga, meditation, exercise and physiotherapy could help maintain a long life.

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