The Phuea Thai Party, the country’s largest opposition party, is becoming increasingly irrelevant. To compound matters, the Thai prime minister is enjoying a surge of support, thanks to the country’s relatively successful battle against the coronavirus.
There are many different dynamics at play when one examines the tenuous nature of the Perikatan Nasional-led state government in Johor. Think political battles within and without.
The net effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the resultant shutdown and relief measures are hard to fathom. While the government can draw on some base-case scenarios, it might have to prepare for the worst when it comes to unemployment.
The Thai military has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to Chinese largesse, however, it will be able to secure the military kit it wants.
Indonesia’s Islamist groups have not hit back at President Jokowi for his handling of the current Covid-19 pandemic. There are several reasons for their strategic silence.
The national carrier is flying into turbulence, and its woes are being compounded by a near-standstill in global air travel. The hope is that an extensive restructuring would put the carrier on a stronger footing – and lead to broader reforms of state-owned enterprises in Thailand.
E-commerce is seen as a panacea for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but it should be seen as one part of a larger and more complex system, involving other elements such as manufacturing and logistics. An ASEAN initiative to address bottlenecks in such systems should be lauded and supported.
Vietnam stands to benefit from MNCs’ efforts to diversify their production base beyond China. How much it will actually benefit, however, depends on how fast it can roll out measures to further improve its infrastructure and business environment.
In the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the more established multilateral development banks – the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank – are still miles ahead of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The same applies to non-Covid19 related loans and grants.
The fall of the Kedah state government led by Mukhriz Mahathir will change the country’s political map, and the fortunes of the various players involved.
The Phuea Thai Party: The Ignominy of Irrelevance
The Phuea Thai Party, the country’s largest opposition party, is becoming increasingly irrelevant. To compound matters, the Thai prime minister is enjoying a surge of support, thanks to the country’s relatively successful battle against the coronavirus.