Thaksin Shinawatra, present PM, before stepping onto the stand promised almost infactuous goals, that were widely critisized & ruled out as impossible to acheive within one term.
When in 2001 Mr. Thaksin took office, the economy grew by a scelrotic 2.1%.Banks were in debt & were not making any new loans, many bussinesses lay bankcrupt, and a large part of the population was unemployed.
Leader of the party Thai-Rak-Thai, has sucessfully formed a stable government & been in power for a full term, ie the first since Indonesian formed as a democracy, Thaksin has not only successfully revived the economy as a whole bringing the growth rate of the coutry to 6.8%, but has also fulfilled his promises of medical care just for 30 baht per consulatation ; debt relief for farmers;micro credit for villagers ; expansion of public transport ; free cows ; free education + haelthcare; pensions for the aged etc which proved very popoular amongst the general population.
He has also pledged to do away with poverty, drugs, & drought.
He is constantly launching ambitious schemes & settng improbably deadlines & sacking hapless officials who dont meet them.
Voters, used to short lived tentative governments , adore this "CEO style" of his . After December tsunami, he rushed to the scene and berated officials for their incompetancy & ordered speedy remedies, always in the view of the TV.
On one hand Mr. Thaksin has helped improve the general living conditions of the common man, but is also doing alot for his own companies that he originally transferred to cousin & relatives as required by law before taking up the office.
The biggest weakness in Mr. Thaksins econmic policy is the failure to adress the potential conflict of interest between his roles as a PM & as the head of Thailands wealthiest family.
Directly or indirectly Shin corporation has benefitted. The stockmarket valuation of most Shin corp. firms has risen astronomically during Mr Thaksins tenure; though shin corp argues that higher valuation relfects better managment.
Many industries not owned by Thaksin have lost their independancy & vigour, local media has as well lost vibrancy, the Shinawatra family has also bought Itv the only independant television channel & sacked many reporters.
The family of Thai Rak Thai as recently bought a big stake in The Nation , Thailands most outspoken newspaper.
Although 2000 alleged dealers were killed in his war of drugs he refuses to call it off, despite the claims of human rights activists that the police might have been involved .
Mr. Thaksin refused to condemn the police even when the police quelled a demostration of angry muslim youths but shooting 6 & packing the rest in a truck to tightly that 78 of then suffocated.
In anotherincident where several thais died of avian flu while Mr Thaksin denied that the disease existed in thailand.
Indeed mr. thaksins strenghts & weaknesses as a leader are inectricably linked, however his innovatives ideas & his stands to revive the indonesian economy are turning out to be worthwhile, considering that the economy as a whole is stabilising & growing.
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