People suffer as politicians engage in senseless fight
My apology to our readers that the website of the Isra news agency was idle in the past few days last week. That was because I was on an assignment in Prachuab Khiri Khan province which was known as the gate to the southern region.
While I was in Prachuab Khiri Khan for just a couple of days, I had my ears filled with complaints from the people of their sufferings from acute shortage of water especially in the municipal area. Unknown to people outside the province, a water ration has been imposed in the municipal area for more than two years now.
Every day before the waterwork authority opens the valve of the water mains to being the water rationing, most people in the town will wait at their water taps with containers of different sizes to store the water. This has become a boring routine fore over two years and there is no sign yet when it will be over or when anyone in the government will step in to put an end to their sufferings.
Most affected by the tap water shortage are those in the laundry and hair dressing businesses because without water there is no business. Also, many schools in the municipal area have run out of water to the extent that they do not have drinking water for the students.
As for the hotels in the province, they can afford to buy the water from several private suppliers but that also means additional costs which are passed on to their guests. This may be another reason about why there are not many visitors to Prachuab Khiri Khan despite the fact that there are several interesting tourist attractions such as Ao Manao, Ao Prachuab and Singkhorn border pass near the Burmese border.
Prachuab Khiri Khan is probably cursed. Although storm clouds were seen hanging over the province occasionally, the rains often fell in neighbouring provinces such as Chumphon and Ranong which are flooded almost every year.
Because there are no rains for a long period of time, the reservoirs in the province have dried up to the point that the provincial waterworks has decided to impose water rationing to ensure the water tap is still running although during certain hours of the day.
The acute water shortage problem in this province appears to be beyond the capability of the local governments to deal with. Yet, it is amazing that this problem has never been raised in the parliament or in the cabinet as far as I knew.
In the past two weeks however our parliamentarians spent their energy and time quarrelling with one another on issues which have nothing to do with the livelihood of the people in general, namely the reconciliation bills and the constitutional amendment bill.
The urgent pressing problems affecting the people have been completely ignored as if the people in general are mere visitors to this country and that their only duty is to cast the ballots and leave everything to their elected representatives who are hopeless.
People in the government from the prime minister down to her cabinet ministers have never said anything or shown any gesture about when this mess will end. They have distanced themselves from the conflicts and acted as if they just figure heads those duties are to officiate functions or deliver speeches.
Pointless to talk about the seemingly endless violence in the deep South where men are killed or maimed, including government officials, almost on daily basis and government buildings are torched every now and then.
The new strategy for the South which put emphasis on unity is just mere words which are yet to be implemented with deeds. Even the three deputy prime ministers in charge of security in the far South still speak different languages when asked about the unrest problem. It is doubtful any of the three is actually responsible for the unrest problem?
This is the real situation which is happening now. The pressing problems affecting the people have been abandoned as the politicians are busying playing political game. And they are playing hard ball in complete regardless of what will ever happen to the country.
This is political crisis, crisis for the country and crisis of confidence all bundled together amidst the senseless fight of all political camps in order to emerge the winner even if it means a victory amidst the ruins and sufferings of the people.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Captions :
1 The melee in parliament on May 30 and 31
2 Ao Prachuab
3 Singkhorn border pass near the Burmese border
Note : This article was translated from the editorial of Isra news agency.