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Thailand needs to break free from its political doom loop
The Feb 8 election will produce a government, but a political system that repeatedly produces fragile governments is ill-equipped to deliver the sustained reform the country needs.
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A gallery of party posters ahead of Thailand's Feb 8 election offers voters a choice of candidates but the likely result is yet another fragile government.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Karishma Vaswani
Thailand is falling behind its peers in Asia – and Feb 8 ’s election
Repeated coups, court interventions and short-lived governments have left a country that was once a regional powerhouse trailing competitors such as Vietnam. This isn’t due to a lack of talent or capital. It’s because the current system protects entrenched interests at the expense of long-term reforms. Politicians have repeatedly failed to deliver the remedies needed to lift growth and create jobs.
