Choked by best intentions

For months now floodwater have wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of so many Thais in 25 provinces. The force of the water has clearly shown its wrath and power, inundating not just industrial estates and businesses but the homes of millions of people.

Yingluck Shinawatra waves to flood victims in flooded Laksi district of Bangkok on Monday, after distributing relief supplies.

And it is not yet over _ as the floods continue to advance towards the inner parts of the capital. The damage continues to climb in terms of financial losses.

But worst is the loss of life, which has now tipped over 500. Human misery continues to climb as many are suffering under intolerable conditions. So many have lost everything they have worked and toiled for all their lives. And for so many, no compensation will be enough.

In these dark and dire times we have seen the best and the worst of human nature. But there can be no doubt that the people and this country will survive this disaster. There can be no doubt that the undeniable spirit of the Thai people will eventually prevail and rise once again.

What clearly remains in doubt, however, is whether the Thai people can rely on the necessary collective leadership to implement the right measures, indeed make tough decisions, to ensure that a similar disaster will not occur again.

And I don't just mean the necessary leadership qualities of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her cabinet. I also mean the necessary leadership of the opposition as well.

There is no doubt that Khun Yingluck has all the good intentions; she is determined and is trying her best to deal with this disaster. In fact, I do feel sorry for her as this challenge of premiership was thrust upon her. And she really did not have any time to learn the ropes, so to speak, before this disaster finally spilled over.

This disaster has shown that inexperience in working and dealing with the bureaucracy and the politicians, as well as the differing and conflicting views of experts, academics and advisers, has resulted in missteps by the prime minister.

As prime minister, she could not initially control the outburst of Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi. She was unaware of the "New Thailand" proposal which suddenly popped up. She flip-flopped on the Khlong Sam Wa sluice gate incident.

The fact that many of her ministers are simply greenhorns in running the country or have proven ineffective in dealing with this crisis, has not helped.

Even amidst this crisis, there have been reports that Pheu Thai Party's de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra is unhappy with the performance of certain cabinet ministers for providing wrong information about the flood problem to the prime minister and that those assigned to lead flood relief and post-flood rehabilitation have failed in their tasks.

Internal finger-pointing within Pheu Thai does not erase the fact that as far as Prime Minister Yingluck is concerned, good intentions and determination are simply not enough.

In terms of much-needed leadership in national administration, she has been challenged, measured and, sadly, been found sorely wanting. And if she is drowning now, what chance is there that the right decisions of rehabilitation and revival would be made when the floodwater finally recede and the full force of vested interests and politics comes to the fore?

I do believe that a more experienced leader would have done a better job. Love him or hate him, we must admit that Thaksin Shinawatra would have done a better job.

Likewise with Abhisit Vejjajiva. Both have had experience in working and dealing with Thai bureaucracy and would have handled the lack of coordination between the Royal Irrigation Department and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration better. 

They have sufficient political mileage under their belts to ensure that slip-ups by ministers would not be glaring, and that wrong messages would not slip out.

Even so, I don't believe either of these political leaders would have been able to stop or stem the flooding we are currently facing. It is easy to say that we have borne the brunt of more than our fair share of tropical storms and rainfall. We are facing the current disaster, in part, because of gross water resources mismanagement.

In 1995 His Majesty the King advised and warned that we have allowed factories and industrial estates to be built in natural water catchment areas. They are located in areas where floodwater naturally flow. His Majesty further advised that waterways needed to be constructed to ensure that these estates do not get flooded.

His Majesty also noted that encroachment had occurred in many of the canals snaking through Bangkok and in surrounding provinces.

The king urged reclamation of these canals so that flood waters could flow and drain more efficiently. The king also suggested that a flood-way should be constructed to avoid a repetition of the 1995 floods which struck Bangkok.

His Majesty gave all this advice 16 years ago. Sadly, and clearly, our political leadership then, and now, have not heeded the king's advice.

What is more saddening than having a prime minister who is overwhelmed, is that after the floods are drained, we will still be stuck with a lack of political leadership in the government and the opposition  to work together and lead the people and this country towards a national agenda of revival and rehabilitation.

My fear is that bitter bickering, finger-pointing and politicking will re-emerge. I doubt whether the prime minister and her cabinet will have the guts to make the necessary changes in policy, and set aside what they promised before the elections in order to focus on what really needs to be done on rehabilitation, to ensure that a similar disaster does not happen again. I would dearly love to be proven wrong.