A party-list MP and leader of the Economic Party, Chris Potranandana, is attacking the budget allocation for infrastructure development in Cambodia through a cooperation agency under the Finance Ministry. He is extremely upset.
The budget will cover the repair of NR 67, the road that connects Siem Reap and northern Cambodia to Si Sa Ket and northeast Thailand, as well as a road connecting sites in Sa Kaeo province to ease traffic in Poi Pet, a major tourism and trade channel.
NR 67, which was inaugurated in July 2009, has been rehabilitated and rebuilt under concessional financing from Thailand since 2006.
The projects are funded through loans from the Export-Import Bank of Thailand. Under the contract, the Thai Finance Ministry, through the Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency, has absorbed the loan interest margin for those projects.
The amount for 2027 is small, 31 million baht altogether, but it has upset Mr Chris, who wants to scrap it.
Mr Chris has vented about the issue on social media. On the face of it, his concerns seem justified. Why should countries with hostile relations bear a budget burden in the form of relief measures and the like?
However, that is only half -- or less than half -- of the truth, and it only spreads public misunderstanding regarding the Thai-Cambodian issue.
To begin with, it is apparent this novice politician cannot see the big picture of intra-region infrastructure development, especially projects that take place near the Thai border.
If he could, he would understand those projects represent shared interests.
These roads pave the way for trade in Thai consumer goods and commodities, fostering people-to-people connections with the neighbouring country, which once recorded a heavy trade deficit with Thailand.
The diminutive margin that the finance ministry has paid cannot be compared with the other benefits. The hostility means the two projects are frozen, like other cooperation projects.
Moreover, those projects are funded through loans, not grants or free handouts. The politician's shock or profound disappointment is therefore unnecessary.
The real concern about his message is that it is wrapped in bias and fuelled by jingoism. Yet that's not surprising, as it's the same jingoism that propelled him and his party to parliament in the Feb 8 election.
The sadder fact is that this politician is not the only one cashing in on ultranationalism. A number of media influencers or wannabes have shared racist posts, many of which are based on fake news, to earn "views" and "likes" that enable them to secure income.
Mr Chris' post has earned over 5,600 likes and was shared by nearly 1,000 Facebook users.
What a jingoist like Mr Chris does not know or won't admit is the impact of dormant border trade over more than a year since the border conflict turned violent.
Traders and businesspeople along the border are feeling the pinch, while chambers of commerce in border provinces, such as Chanthaburi and Sa Kaeo, complain about economic hardship from zero trading and business, as well as labour shortages in key sectors like farming and construction.
These are costs they are forced to bear. The government turns a blind eye to keep jingoists satisfied, but this cannot be good in the long run.
Something that the government never informs the public is that Cambodia is now turning to Vietnam and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, as well as China, to source consumer goods it can no longer get from Thailand, and this may continue if such hostility persists.
The public also needs to know that such animosity has heightened the need for arms, resulting in an enormous military budget for this year and the years to come.
This is the cost of using a military-led policy to deal with our neighbour, disregarding warnings from academics and experts who advocate for proportionate measures and the avoidance of large-scale conflicts and complications.
In contrast, such a budget could be used for public welfare if politicians did their best to avoid armed conflicts and focused on bringing issues to the negotiation table.
If they allow the conflicts to last longer, it will be even more difficult and expensive to exit the strife.
A wise government should find ways to resolve the messy situation and, regarding border demarcations, adhere to international laws for fair solutions.
