[Tlc] T-politics/opinion

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Forwarded from a member.
Thanks,
justin

Dear Friends and Colleagues:
 
The current turmoil in Thailand warns us yet again that politics is the foundation for economic success. Good government leads to sound business investment, and sound business investment creates wealth and more prosperous societies. The crisis in Thailand puts at risk the country's economic development.
 
I lived in Thailand from 1961 to 1963 and have many close Thai friends, so today's political crisis there cuts close to my concerns.
 
I have written for Thai friends an analysis of the crisis from a Caux Round Table perspective and I want to share it with you - in the form attached as a 5 page essay.
 
My point is that underneath much rhetoric and posturing is a stark rivalry - the demands of money politics against a more moral framework derived from Theravada Buddhist teachings which the Thais call “baramee.” From the perspective of money politics, the point of government is to assist insiders in making more money and the role of money is to buy necessary support from voters, the police, other political factions, etc.   From the perspective of “baramee” the point of government is servant-hood and dispersal of one's karmic advantages to others.
 
The large lesson here, I suggest, is that the pressures for power based on money are very destabilizing and erode structures of responsibility and ethical restraint.
 
I hope you find my thoughts on a small country in Southeast Asia of some interest.
 
Sincerely yours,
 
Stephen B. Young
Global Executive Director
Caux Round Table
www.cauxroundtable.org
6 West Fifth St. , 3rd Floor
Saint Paul , MN 55102
Phone: (651) 223 2852 

______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu