People have started to lose their patience, as the interim government seems to crawl along at a snail's pace, failing to react promptly to critical issues impeding robust economic expansion.

   For instance, Finance Minister Chalongphob Sussangkarn has kept talking for months about his plan to cut taxes to stimulate the economy. The plan finally materialised this week when the Finance Ministry announced an increase in the tax deduction for interest paid on mortgage loans. That's it, so far.

   While the interim government is facing strong criticism from the business sector, along comes a rare defender of the "turtle" government's record.

   Professor Kesree Narongdej, president of the Federation of Accounting Professions under royal patronage, told the press yesterday that she thought Surayud could deal promptly to some sensible requests, in spite of the prevailing perception of an inactive government.

   She said her association - set up to govern accountants, promote corporate governance and ensure transparent accounting standards - had been around for years but never had a permanent office for its operation.

   Kesree submitted a request to the previous Thaksin Shinawatra administration for government support to find a location. She tried to cite several reasons why the federation needed a proper office, but the request went unheeded. The coup came in September, and Kesree then thought that the request was back to square one again.

   Now comes the new government. Kesree decided to raise the issue again, but this time, she didn't seem to be as hopeful as she used to be. She made a direct approach to Surayud.

   However, she was surprised to see Surayud's interest in her request, especially when she told him that the federation was tasked to ensure corporate governance and transparency.

   Surayud promised to take up the matter. As things stand now, the federation is set to move into its office on Asoke Road, pending final approval from the Budget Bureau.

   If you want to learn the moral of this story, you may refer to Aesop's tale of "The Hare and the Tortoise".

   But we would also like to reserve some advice for Surayud.

   Aesop's tortoise can become a winner at the end of the story because it does not have a ticking deadline like this government, which is under pressure to accomplish something during its one-year stint.

Piyarat@nationgroup.com