Poisonous billionaires

Re: "Regime's knives are out for Thanathorn", (Opinion, May 4). In my opinion, businessmen- turned-politicians are a poisonous mixture for any democratic country. Why?

First, the more successful in business the person has been before he enters politics, the more erroneous he will be performing, as a politician, when he tries to make decisions that will benefit the country as a whole, not just him alone. A highly successful businessman can never make even a fairly good politician.

On the contrary, many billionaires in the recent past have proved to be a hindrance, and sometimes a disrupting force, for the democratic system in their own countries.

Secondly, to be a good politician one needs to be trained for a long period of time in that specific field -- not just by saying "I am very rich now and ready for the big job!"

Meanwhile, in the outside world, we have seen how billionaires in advanced countries wreak havoc and bring about huge economic losses as well as democratic breakdowns to their countries.

At home in Thailand, we the people have seen the division, corruption and distorted democracy Thaksin Shinawatra has introduced to our country. That's just one billionaire alone.

Hence, only unwise and greedy billionaires enter politics.

Vint Chavala

Immoral intrusion

Ploenpote Atthakor in her May 4 commentary lucidly sets out why the state has no business in people's sex lives, although it is worth adding, as I am sure she would agree, that this is true except to prevent non-consenting harm to others, which is what justifies laws against rape and the abuse of minors.

Exactly the same arguments and similar facts entail that the state has no business interfering in any citizen's personal affairs except to protect others from direct harm. This is John Stuart Mill's famous harm principle in the opening chapter of On Liberty (1859), a moral principle that the rule of law too often fails to respect. This moral principle is why it is wrong to criminalise sex toys, wrong to ban the sale or use of drugs such as alcohol, ya ba and marijuana, wrong to punish heterodox religious beliefs, wrong to suppress the free expression of deeply offensive and unpopular opinions that are not incitements to harm others, and wrong to stop adults enjoying pornography, and so on.

Of course, state interference in the private lives of citizens is a great boon to corruption, as the US experiment with alcohol prohibition in the 1920s proved every bit as well as did the earlier Chinese experiment with banning opium, and the more recent Thai experience with banning prostitution. With such profits to be made by criminalising personal decisions that do not harm others, it is understandable why the corrupt favour such intrusive laws that treat most citizens as the property of others or of the state.

We might not like some people's personal decisions, we might even think them, with good reason, to be both extremely foolish and deeply immoral, but that cannot justify the state intruding into those decisions with the force of law to force the prejudices of some, even a large majority, on all. The state's role is to enable free citizens to live their lives as they see fit, not to turn some into the tools or playthings for the prejudices of others.

Felix Qui

Programming 'delays'

Re: "Time to set the press free", (Editorial, May 3).

The article doesn't quite go far enough as any True Visions subscriber who watches BBC World News or CNN can testify.

A long time ago, True used a one- minute delay on these news channels so they could blank out items they thought showed Thailand in a bad light.

Recently, that delay increased to five minutes and the persons who do the censoring are either falling asleep on the button or need a better understanding of English. In the last few days, the dreaded "Programming will resume shortly" placard has been seen frequently.

True also swaps BBC World News with Thai language adverts for CP group companies on an English language channel. Please give BBC World News watchers a break.

Victor Batchelor

Get your jet ready

Re: "Jetting to ER", (PostBag, May 4).

Somsak Pola certainly may call me Dave. If I may, I'll call him Sommie. He makes light of medical problems and transport to the closest facility, whether luxurious or not. I'm sure that if in reality, a patient needed immediate medical attention, even a witch doctor would be acceptable (as is the case in many areas). The expression "A drowning man catches at a straw", is applicable to everyone, whether rich or poor. I hope he has his jet ready. Mine, a Boeing Max, has been grounded.

David James Wong

A new Singapore

Dao Glahan, in his May 4 letter, "Roll on, Riviera", suggests wiping out old structures along the Chao Phraya River and clearing out half of Pattaya's Walking Street and Hua Hin restaurants.

Wouldn't it be simpler to just ban tourists from his new "Singapore"?

Phil Cox

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