More talk, no action
Re: "London Model to be used for road fees", (BP, Nov 13).
The report heightens hopes for solutions to traffic jams in central Bangkok. Mentally and economically, Bangkokians have been most tolerant of the problem with no solution in sight.
Hopes were kindled with all sorts of alternatives on offer, but this often resulted in failure. The trophy goes to BTS and MRT, which held out promise but now appear to have fallen short.
The idea of congestion fees in Bangkok has been around since their adoption in Singapore in 1975, and we hope the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and any government will follow suit.
But after almost 50 years, we are still at the mercy of officialdom.
We can but hope, but surveys by the Transport Department and data from London suggest such measures buy short-term goodwill at most. Just playing around with the problem, but no real action!
Fed-free future?
Re: "Thailand to name Kittiratt as central bank chair", (BP, Nov 12).
Kittiratt Na-Ranong got a pass from the court for his involvement in the disastrous rice-pledging scheme, and hey presto! He is the new head of the Bank of Thailand.
Because he may be a Thaksin insider, this does not bode well for furthering transparent, citizen-centred governance in the nation.
Many contributors have considered in this column the nebulous constitution of Thailand's central bank. I have opposed the generally accepted idea of a central bank joined with fractional reserve monetary policies extant in most countries.
Thus, the recent news that Elon Musk intends to do away with the United States Federal Reserve was heartening. Mr Musk also intends to reduce annual government spending by US$2 trillion as part of Mr Trump's efforts to restore vitality to the US economy.
Eliminating the Fed will allow the $35 trillion national debt to be paid down and reduce interest rates across the board. The US will create its own money, and central bankers will be kicked out of their position of riding on the backs of the American taxpayer. One hopes other nations will consider this bold move.
Path to progress
Re: "COP29: Justice for the Global South?" (Opinion, Nov 12).
While we wish the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) every success, it's true measure of triumph will be determined by what follows.
The real victory lies in the effective implementation of COP29's recommendations at the national level after this historic gathering of multilateral diplomacy, involving 198 participating parties.
Particular responsibility rests with the Global North, as the Global South accounts for less than one-tenth of emissions covered by carbon pricing schemes.
Genuine success will hinge on the Global North's commitment to turning words into action.
In this context, COP29 must aim to secure a robust mix of conventional public financing, contributions from reformed multilateral development banks, and market-driven private financing.
This represents a daunting challenge and an unprecedented test for the resilience and effectiveness of multilateralism.