Mixed views on first year

The Abhisit administration can boast all it wants of its supposed achievements on Wednesday, but in the eyes of business leaders and academics, it nearly failed in its first year in office.

A Nation survey conducted ahead of the government's report on its first-year performance found that, on a scale of 1-10, its highest score was 9 while the lowest was zero. On average, it received a mark of 4.5.

The zero grade came from Pitch Pongsawat, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University. He said the government was a disappointment in turning words into action and controlling its parties.

In governing the country, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva simply delegated the domestic mission to Bhum Jai Thai Party's Newin Chidchob and international mission to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, he claimed. And the government simply copied some old policies.

A banker, who asked not to be named, also felt the government struggled to act on its promises. But he gave a score of "6".

"The economic stimulus measures lack momentum. Without unity among coalition parties, any policy cannot be implemented in a smooth manner," the banker said.

Associate professor Sukhum Nuansakul said the Abhisit administration barely passed the test on dealing with political turmoil. But as the PM often confronts dissent from his own party, coalition parties and civil groups, the future looked bleak.

"The government does not have its own strategies and it relies too much on state officials," said Teerana Bhongmakapat, dean of Chulalong-korn's Economics Faculty. He gave "6-7" points for easing economic woes, notably with the first stimulus package worth Bt100 billion, but had no confidence in the second Bt1.43 trillion Thai Khemkhaeng package.

Instead of focusing more on railroad development, many projects were initiated and proposed by state officials and some could not secure central budget financing, he said. He expects politicians to pick only projects that serve their self-interest or benefit their constituencies.

The transparency issue is also in focus. Despite www.tkk2555.com, academics could not find sufficient information like the bid winners of particular projects and their backgrounds, which could indicate political connections.

Vorapol Socatiyanurak, vice chair of the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, gave a 5.5, but voiced concern over the ability to finance its state investment debts.

"(Finance Minister) Korn (Chatikavanij) could have done much better, as he is in charge of funding," he said.

Sompop Manarungsan, an economist lecturer at Chulalongkorn, who gave "5.3-5.5" points, said investment projects were implemented too slowly. With stimulus packages, other countries recovered more quickly, while Thailand's economy contracted for four straight quarters. He attributed the leisurely pace to lack of unity among coalition parties. Korn was advised to go more on the offensive next year.

While Vorapol worried about weak investor confidence after the pollution fiasco in Map Ta Phut, Sompop lamented poor handling of environmental issues, which hurt both investors and villagers.

Vallop Vitanakorn, chairman of Hi-Tech Group, was happy to give a "5", saying the private sector had to stand on its own last year without much government help.

But among the attackers were admirers. Most business leaders gave scores above "6", but complained about slow action.

Bangkok Bank executive chair Kosit Panpiemras did not give a rating, but noted that the government came to power in a tough situation. In economic terms, it just got a passing grade.

Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, was the biggest admirer, giving a "9" due to government determination to tackle political and economic woes.

"The government launched many programmes to improve the overall economic situation and reduce political conflicts," he said. But he gave an "8" when it came to action, saying the government could go faster. And it could have drawn up a policy to mitigate the damage over Map Ta Phut.

Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, deputy head of the Board of Trade, gave a "9" for Abhisit dealing with problems calmly, and a "7" for bids to bolster the economy amid tough times. But the government needed to speed up implementation of the Thai Khemkhaeng scheme, he said.

Sombat Chalermwutinan, president of Asia Golden Rice, assigned a "7-8", just for the government's decision to replace the farm product pledging programme with the price insurance scheme.

Suraporn Simakulthorn, president of Kulthorn Kirby group, gave a "7" for doing well in the first year despite the turbulence.

Several developers gave a "7", because of the Bt300,000 tax allowance for homebuyers. Prasert Taedullayasatit, director and chief operating officer of Preuksa Real Estate, said that without the incentive, the industry could have shown a contraction this year.

Atip Bichanond, president of the Thai Condominium Association, said that without the political conflicts and unclear success of other policies, he could have given a "10" instead of "7".

Dayana Bunnag, president of Ocean Life Insurance, assigned a "8" and said the government deserved more time to prove itself.

"The first year's performance was not bad and it should be given more time to do more. What we want next is transparency," she said.