Wage debate has come too late

Ladies and gentlemen, why were you so quiet before the elections, when your in-depth studies might have swayed votes, either for or against? When the Pheu Thai said that their proposed reductions in corporate taxes would adequately offset the promised massive rise in minimum wages, why didn't you force them to show their studies - and scrutinise the assumptions and figures? If they'd refused, you should have done your own, and presented them for others to question.

One of the key roles of associations, labour unions, think tanks, etc is to serve their members by making sure that what political parties promise and do is in their members' best interests - that's why an active civil society is one of former prime minister Anand Panyarachun's 7 Pillars of Sustainable Democracy.

Those affected - whether from civil society or the private sector - should have come out and spoken forcefully as soon as the major parties unveiled their platforms. Now, ladies and gentlemen, your arguments are all but moot, just words in the wind. Campaign promises are made to be fulfilled, and, for good or ill, that's what should happen.