Water, water everywhere

So, if you have been in Thailand the past month or so, even for a day, you’d feel the frenzy we have over this current flood situation.  What is so unique about it?  After all, Thailand and floods do exist side by side for generations.

 

First of all, it’s HUGE.  People on the street can quote you the exact volume of water, because we all have been watching news like reality shows- for months now.  But I think the thing that hit us most, the flood hits Bangkok.

Cars parked on bridges to avoid flood
Photo: Pichet Suksai

We folks in Bangkok prefer watching disaster on TV.  When the South had it, we sent donation and goods to help them.  We talked about it, read it in the papers and we felt for them.  When the Northeast had it, we did the same.  Now, when it’s our turn, we react differently; we lost our cool.  After all this is Bangkok.  We are used to flash floods that stop traffic for a few hours, those we can deal with.  But 1-3 meters of water, are you crazy?  Who would have imagined?  Surely the government will never let this happen right here in downtown Bangkok.

By the way, the government, just two months ago elected into the office by votes outside Bangkok, are now stuck with tasks way above their heads.  The big-talk MP’s are nowhere to be seen.  Our first female PM, clone of you-know-who, is in command, and she probably just learned how to read weather/ flood maps a few weeks ago.

To make the story more complicated, the fact that the government and the BMA are from opposite political parties can’t be any worse.  This is not to include that the Government does not entirely trust the military either.  And we can’t blame them either, because it was the army who last time conducted a coup, toppled you-know-who.  In that case, calling an emergency decree is out of the question.  That will put too much power in the hand of the military.

Roadways submerge
Photo: Pichet Suksai

You can say that this is a political as well as natural disaster.  The parties suffer the most are not the political parties, mind you, but Thai folks like you and me, business owners, workers and just about everyone.  Financial figures for the damage have been quoted, but I suspect that it will take years even a decade to recoup this.

Will we Thais ever learn?  I’m afraid not.  We get what we pay for.  If we are paid for our votes, what do we expect of the quality of our administrators, our vote buyers that is?  We are paying for the price now and will continue to do so in years to come.

Happy democracy, everyone….

More on Part II