Consuming for the Nation

What could you do to  bridge frtiendship between the rest of the country and the south– portrayed as longan growing area. The government have launched the campaign longan: fruit of friendship (detail in Thai) to aid longan growers to have better way to channel excess longan and hopefuly will raise  lower than profitable longan price Eating longan campaign is not a new phenomenon. As the country moves to be the wrold’s kitchen, people are asked to help the growers by eating various things such as lamyai, cooked chicken, and longan. The famous longan is obviously from conflict proned province of narathiwat. During Thaksin era, when lamyai price fall, the government also organise the campaign for people to consume more llamyai. At that time, despite news of government related corruption, the corruption that also affect surplus of lamyai and decreasing price was such a sort life span topic to be investigated. Likewise, it is doubtful if the cause of the longan pice would be questioned and the try to solve. It is much easier and profitable to launch a campaign for people to eat more longan and try to ship this friut to China. Byy consuming longan, people are told, you express you care and friendship to fellow countrymen and women in the south.

People are asked to consume away serious problem underlying the price fall until the next yer, we will be eating under this campaign again.We o nly eat the fruits without addressing the root causes.

Probably a normal citizens are not entitled to know– just eat eat and eat. But don’t forget non-friendship certified longan, too.

Filed under: Development(?), Something To Remember

I know I should be posting more…

Writer of this blog in engaged in notebook making for the upcoming peace fair charity sale and juggling between meetings…

I am a smug meeting goer.

Filed under: Security

Want to gain some pounds?

I really do not like the latest campaign of flash eating-in mob. A group of 100+ something people in red t shirts, today went to MBK food center, order something to eat, chat with fellows flash mobster for an hour and go home as new waves of post referendum activities.

Gossip has it that the next meal will be a Isarn thank you party, serving somtam for resistance on 30th of August.

Sources did not tell me if participants in the eating flash mob have to bring their water and sticky rice.

Filed under: Political Sciences

think complex

By the time my mother pick me up, she had already went to cast her referendum ballot. Like most people who had been bullied by referendum mafia (coined by T. Winijakul), they think it was important to say yes and move on. I made my mom read those red and black flyers and big poster anyway.

I later found this useful  marketing spiral and reflected back how the political marketing campaign is so one track minded. Yes —> loyalty —> reconciliation —> election. I wish I could find this before. It could explain complex multi dilemma about those people who say “yes.”

Filed under: Security

Post Referendum

Re-Fall-Ren-Dum

A week before a referendum, I draw a kitty silhouette carton casting a ballot, with a description balloon “if I cast my vote I’m lost. If I don’t cast my vote I’m lost.” Depending on which way the result will be interpreted nationally, there are more than two ways.

The overall national result 56.66 per cent “yes” vs 41.43 per cent “no”. After all speculation, manipulation, information sessions and promotion by every sides, needless to say that some sides are more legitimate, effective and efficient to do those more than another, the shallow reflection is rather encouraging. If all will be according to CNS and/or government´s pre-referendum information, the country will move on. As many no-vote academicians comment, the country will move on. We do not know which direction it will head to.

The referendum reminded me much of the April 2006 vote. A winning side cannot claim complete legitimacy based on the result alone. There are a lot of package to be considered. Most packages are partially visible to people with different point of views, which vary not only by personal choices but also by how ones are informed and absorb information, propaganda and demonstration, ones’ fears and hopes, one’s reaction on the (too much) exposure of campaign for reconciliation, nationalism and patriotisms.

I personally felt a little bit overwhelmed was how the participation in the referendum is promoted as a political participation. It is but one of all other means that had been demoted and mislabeled as those uncivilized, undemocratic and unpatriotic.

The wholesome democracy ends to day. It did not start at the referendum. The meaning of legitimate democracy that has been altered, mutilated and modified to fit undemocratic interest will be the longer live aftershock long after the referendum. If this is a peace, it will be a peace that democracy(ies) has(have) to sacrifice.

By the way the “we are at war,” or “we are not secure and we need to compromise and reconcile for security,” will always work.

Filed under: Political Sciences, Something To Remember

When They Don’t Bribe With Money

Last week I was working with a TV on and lost count with how many pro-vote advertisement and news were broadcasted for a hour. That would be a lot.

Media and government officers are said to be supportive of the pro-vote and even pro-yes campaign. People who say no or plan to do so for the sake of saying no are risked being labeled as being bribed or engaging in illegal activities under the referendum act.

I understand that and am confident, more than CNS that the draft Constitution will pass, even less than 50% go to vote and half of the vote will have some graffiti like CNS get out. We will be back to April 2, 2006. The referendum is so insignificant. They will not let people vote if they could not win. Massive rubber stamping.

On Taxi, I heard an ad saying why we should warmly welcome the draft constitution.

A voice of an old woman said, “I will be taken care of.”
A young voice said, “I can attend 12 years in school for free.”
Voices of a group of people ensured that the poor will have proper housing and livelihood welfare.
A man said, “it will be easier for people to impeach and intervene politicians with 20,000 petition.”

For the records, 12 years free education is a campaign that had been dragged around for a long time until I don’t know who should take credit for not doing it, its new shinny advertised status in the constitution could not ensure that there would be enough political wills and budgets. Besides, they could revise or amend the National Education Act.

All the benefit packages seemed to be redundant but they must be in so that the drafters could boast some selling points.

For public scrutiny of political figures, I see nothing wrong with the 1997 constitution when all the mechanism will be put in use. At least people have gathered more than 50,000 signature in a petition but when the Constitution Court could not act or no one in power dare to take the issue forwards, there was no action in 2006.

The rest of the additional sections to ensure that we will have morally upright government and politicians do not depend on the people alone. Sure it said (had been written) that a single citizen can bring a case to the Constitution Court. Will the court consider or not involve public lobbying (making news in the papers and TV and getting collateral actions to pressure the court). It seems that the institutions under the Constitution will have more power and less people can do about it.

Have to go to national archive so will write the other part later.

Filed under: Nostalgia, Political Sciences, Something To Remember

iSayNo

Right click and save as to download

Filed under: Security

Polar Bears Fight at Sub Zero Colder War

http://www.chutbloc.weblog.in.th/node.php?no=22
Further development: Teddy Bears among Polar Bears in the Sub Zero Cold War.

I was monitoring a north pole gold dig last year in my Thai blogs with news from Guardians. Three days ago, tension among big countries surge when polar bear i, which is not as cute as young knut, planted flag on sea bed, in BBC.
A nice post-colonial snap were made by Canada, the North pole’s famous fuzzy teddy bear, also can be compare to young knut when it was still famous, white and fluffy.

“This isn’t the 15th Century,” Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay told the CTV channel.
“You can’t go around the world and just plant flags and say ‘We’re claiming this territory’,” he said.

Enough said, the other countries might be gearing up for dispute, Teddy bear’s alliance (aka “Polar ‘W’ bear”) would not be happy about that, too.
War would be unlikely, I used to ponder, as they would all suffer massive lost due to even the teddy bears among these nation are well equipped with sophisticate weapons systems, some left from the cold war and some are recently developed.
As knut grows up and lost his innocent white fur while developing paws, we will see how other teddy bear players develop, apart from the permanent heavy weight players in polar bear fight. Surely the Pax Canada-Americana or alliance of the former “free” world will prevail, with US’s might and Canada’s post-colonial diplomacy and their better position in international politic (err, referring to the one with a maple leaf on the flag. And, ah, despite I know the canucks still have soldiers.) Yet, the business alliance was forging in another direction, also. (See BBC report in 2005
It would not be easy like one sided bombing civilians in Iraq or Afghanistan.
I am thinking what peace activist and conflict transformation would have to do about this. I’m thinking renewable energy, not oil. We should not use more oil. The more we use oil, the more ice will melt and the more access to the north pole and later, who know, there might be a dispute like this on the south pole.

Filed under: Security