Samak’s Garlic Overture – Or The Politics Of Thai Garlic
In India politicians now and then face an onion uprising, as life on the Subcontinent is unthinkable without abundant cheap onions. In Egypt it’s the bread – now in Thailand the government faces a garlic crisis. Cloves of garlic get imported from China for nothing. But, as the connoisseur knows, Chinese garlic is not as pungent as its Thai equivalent. And not as patriotic.
Our jolly prime minister therefore launched a new nationalistic campaign betting on the virtues of Thai garlic. Said Samak Sundaravej in his Sunday TV address: “I want to ask people to help buy local garlic – it is perfect for Thai foods.” And as a nod to garlic farmer: “I bought the garlic to prevent (protesters) from blocking the roads.”
The power of Thai garlic. Garlic growers are the latest group joining the protesting truck drivers, rice farmers, fishermen and others who want state assistance to battle soaring inflation and high fuel prices. Hence Samak rattled off his favorite garlic-infused dishes – using the power of garlic in the hope of turning away garlic farmers from joining the growing list of protesters.
Samak, a man known for his signature dish Porc mariné au Coca Cola, knows how to play the masses with his sanctification of this very Thai staple food. A Thai meal without garlic is like a Thai without homeland. Don’t underestimate garlic. Even at academic New Mandala they have a keen interest in the political implications of Thai garlic on Thai politics.
Making it look like communist garlic is threatening Thai culture Samak manages to take off some heat from the street with his plea for the uniqueness of the pungent Thai bulb. But in these inflationary times, don’t the masses want cheaper this and that?
Samak attempts to stop the world spinning. Just take the newly refurbished Route 3 through Laos, cutting the 1,800 kilometers driving time from China’s Kunming to Bangkok dramatically. The better access will even widen the flood of imports of fruits and vegetables from China. Imports of Chinese garlic do all but increase.
2Bangkok was at the Garlic Protest – reads a sign: “If growing garlic has no price (return), we’d rather grow marijuana instead.”
People in these inflationary times think with their wallets. Garlic populism may make for a good headline. Blame it again on foreigners and outsiders. While our a prime minister stumbles over a pungent bulb.
Did I mention? Don’t underestimate the power of Thai garlic. As in India, where onions make politics.
Never heard of such a thing in India, though heard of animal feed.
But never in the history of India the PM dared to ask the herd of cows in the country to jointly make “nam prik” to help the people of the animal feed industry.
Here we have a national leader who showed us in “Talk my Way” on how to make nam prik. He even troubled himself and the producer to gather all the ingredients.
Hail Nam Prik (Garlic)
A quick Google search for india + onion + crisis coughs up all the results one may wish for.
BangkokDan
Or read this from the FTA Watch Group – Thailand:
http://www.ftawatch.org/autopage1/show_page.php?t=22&s_id=3&d_id=3
Understand the impact of the hastily initiated FTAs under Thaksin? Also read here about former Bangkok senator Kaewsan Atibhoti who’s quoted with: “For instance, the FTA with China has put many Thai growers of garlic and other vegetables out of business due to the dumping of cheaper Chinese imports …”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaewsan_Atibhodi
Most of the population are clearly bored with the PAD protests.
And what shall a new government solve? The crisis is mainly an external crisis, just to mention the oil price and other inflationary factors.
PAD’s got the completely wrong timing this time. Now they try to save their own face with a grande finale protest … What good comes from that.