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Home > Asian Insider > S2E13: Thailand’s political stalemate needs revival to spark economy


	Podcast:		Asian Insider
	Episode:		S2E13: Thailand’s political stalemate needs revival to spark economy
	Category:		News & Politics
	Duration:		00:23:51
	Publish Date:		2024-12-26 16:00:00
	Description:		Political stagnation and lost opportunities have diminished Thailand’s stature internationally Synopsis: The Straits Times' global contributor Nirmal Ghosh shines a light on Asian perspectives of global and Asian issues with expert guests. Thailand, once seen as a rising middle power, is now stuck in political and economic stagnation that are affecting its international standing. The country, now under a relatively new Prime Minister, 38-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra - daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra - went through years of political turmoil, and saw a poor 1.9 per cent GDP growth in 2023. Economists expect around 2.7 per cent in 2024 and 2.9 per cent in 2025 - not enough to satisfy demands and expectations. Thailand’s “old guard” institutions have not allowed the country to progress politically, controlling political outcomes through agencies like the constitutional court, the election commission, the anti corruption commission and the Senate. Meanwhile, Thailand's international standing has diminished - though the country’s size and geographic location mean it remains a key player in the region. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is also internally divided, restricting progress on contentious issues such as the ongoing civil war in Myanmar. While former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin has been appointed an informal advisor to next year’s ASEAN chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, expectations are low. The former premier, as well as Prime Minister Anwar himself, are from an older generation - but ASEAN needs a younger generation to lead it forward, says Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a senior fellow of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science, and currently a visiting professor as well at the London School of Economics, who shares his views and prognosis on Thailand with host Nirmal Ghosh in this episode of Asian Insider. Highlights (click/tap above): 6:02 How the military coup in May 2014 'sank' Thailand 10:29 How Thailand lost out on tech revolutions like AI 13:15 Thailand's saving grace still is that you cannot ignore this country 13:43 ASEAN has been weakened by internal divisions 17:41 Professor Thitinan sees the five original members of ASEAN as more aligned 20:31 The worst thing Thailand can do is sell out to the SAC (State Administratiion Council - the Myanmar military regime) 22:08 Asean chair needs a new guard, new generation Host: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg) Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Follow Nirmal Ghosh on X: https://str.sg/JD7r Read Nirmal Ghosh's articles: https://str.sg/JbxG Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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