Cafes, and Gas Fields: Monopoly and a Nation’s Pride

PTT’s Amazon franchise is being scrutinized over violating the constitution for unfair competition, while PTT’s bid for Erawan and Bongkot gas field concessions provides Thailand transparency skeptics a big target to chide at. With the polarizing between the US and China, and the upcoming elections next year, it’s high time for Thailand’s self assessment.

 

PTT is Thailand’s largest company, and it is a state owned enterprise. A strategic framework and commercial campaign of “Pride and Treasure of Thailand” pretty much sums the sentiment of how PTT wants to be considered as.

Recently, former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij had criticized PTT over its move to acquire Glow Energy Plc through its subsidiary Global Power Synergy Plc (GPSC) as monopolistic. Furthermore, Amazon Cafe a thriving non-oil business of PTT that is ubiquitous with PTT’s gas stations was alleged as unconstitutional because it directly competes with private businesses in an area where state owned enterprises are not justified to do so.

Thailand’s transparency in doing business will likely be questioned in relation to results of the concession bid of its offshore gas fields, Erawan and Bongkot, regardlessly even if PTT wins them by virtue of being most qualified. And if PTT loses, an issue of the nation’s “pride”, and of the nation’s “treasures” will most probably be invoked by the nationalists, and conservatives. When national pride and business gets mixed together, a catch 22 situation is an appropriate description of the political quagmire that is created.

 

The Republic of Macedonia, or Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the Greeks would have it called, is holding a referendum over changing the nation’s name to end disputes with Greece. Deutsche Welle reporting on the background to Sunday’s referendum cites it as a matter of national pride, as well as a historic chance. The referendum will be a decisive factor that will bring legislations for the creation of “North Macedonia”, conclude a 27 year long dispute with Greece, and promises the nations entrance to the EU and NATO via Greece ending its vetoes.

Whenever pride is brought up at a national scale, everything becomes a sticky issue. Pro North Macedonia name change, Petre Shilegov, the mayor of Skopje, said :

“It’s very simple. Either we become North Macedonia or North Korea,”

 

While, the rhetoric from Republic of Macedonia conservatives is:

“By changing our name they want to completely erase the Macedonian nation. We are losing our identity, our language, everything,”

The name Macedonia had its utility during the nation’s struggle for independence, to invoke an identity different from the status quo in power. But now, it’s become a hindrance to national economic progress. It’s only fair that the citizens of the nation decide whether to cling to a bygone ideological construct that had its use, or to move forward economically with political realism in mind.

 

Nationalism’s hayday at the turn of the 19th century to the 20th century brought on World War One, and then World War Two. Now, its reemergence in geopolitics threatens global cooperation. Nations are reacting to the burdens of globalization, and are retreating from the obstacles of integrating humankind with universal rights and international laws. And, perhaps it is in the interests of nations to do so, but at what costs? Beggar thy neighbour till thy neighbour become robbers maybe?

Ethnicity based nationalism satisfies primal grouping instincts. However, human progress is about overcoming instinct, like controlling fire. Each nation as a person in the global community must contribute to this progress in order for the community to work.

 

PTT can be the pride and treasure of Thailand, and especially if it is to be an entity we can be proud of and hold value in, it must be a just and fair entity. Internal scrutiny is as important as, if not more, than accepting external criticism in order to progress, in order to become more refined.

Thailand has played the unique nation with unique circumstance character for a while now. And losing face has long been an issue in Thai culture, but every face needs to be reflected in the mirror every so often to see what kind of face one has, and to see whether it is time for a new look, or even a face lift. Justifying something that’s wrong as a necessary evil for the sake of protecting, and conserving national interests is like a fake smile, you could only force it for so long, and eventually everyone catches on to what is really behind the facade of that smile.