Frans Amsterdam in Pattaya (part 8): 'I will maintain'
(Marcel van den Bos / Shutterstock.com)
'Je maintiendrai' is the motto of the Dutch coat of arms. It stands proudly and sounds rather heroic: 'I will enforce'. In gold letters on an azure ribbon. While it hasn't even been invented yet. Its use was a condition for acceptance of the inheritance whereby the Nassautjes acquired the sovereign Principality of Orange.
Enforcement is pre-eminently a government task. Just think of maintaining power, and enforcing compliance with rules and laws. That last one is what I want to talk about.
If rules are not enforced at all, they are pointless. On the other hand, full and strict enforcement is usually impossible. Moreover, both extremes quickly lead to dissatisfaction among the population:
- "Everyone rides without a helmet and nobody does anything about it."
- "Twelve fines this week, and each time only drove two or three kilometers too fast."
In practice, therefore, it is enforced to a certain extent. And then it's no good either, because Jantje did get a ticket and Pietje didn't. (The appearance of) arbitrariness can also arise: 'Abdul received an official report and Floris-Valentijn a warning.' It's never good.
I don't complain much about Thailand, but if there are annoyances, they usually have something in common with this problem.
I mention the story about the Thai lottery. There are rules, occasionally they are enforced for a while, and then everyone just does what they like again, and no one knows where they stand anymore.
I see a similar problem with the ban on street vendors offering their wares in the bar. A general ban has been introduced, with the intention in advance to enforce it selectively in such a way that only the flower girls are affected. Already debatable in itself, and will it work in practice? Not even that. Last night the girls, including babies, happily walked through the bar again. There is really no one who feels called to throw them on the street. The staff shrugs. Result: The plates can be removed better. Only the best boys in the class will now comply with the ban and thereby unnecessarily disadvantage themselves financially. 'Crime' pays in this case.
And it doesn't end yet: Thursday night I watched a football match in the bar. I sent the girl I'd barfind to the Familymart to get some cigarettes, yogurt, and a few beers—two cans of Chang—since the bar was about to close and we were going to watch the second half in the hotel room. She comes back without beer. Cannot be sold after midnight. Of course I knew that, but I have never experienced this prohibition being observed in a 00.00-Eleven or Familymart in Pattaya. I waited a few minutes, then walked to the Familymart myself and picked up three cans of Heineken. Not also two Chang of course, otherwise it would be immediately clear that the girl had been shopping for me. I thought it wouldn't be a problem, but damn, the brat started bleating at this model-quality tourist about something as trivially patronizing as "no alcohol after midnight."
A merciless blow with a thoroughly rotten fish to his dull artificial head earned this piece of lethargic ignoramus! The blood was already coming out from under my fingernails. Should I at least verbally show him all the corners of this damned poor grocery store to begin with? No, because This Is Thailand and it doesn't work that way here.
The blood flowed back to where it came from, I put on my biggest smile of the day, pushed two extra 20 Baht notes over the counter, after which I soon heard three beeps and I opened a plastic bag filled with the most abject imaginable. contraband was handed over.
The Netherlands can also do something about it. For example, I remember that the VVD party in the municipality of Noordwijk once asked questions in the Council in response to a report that showed that the police had spent 1.500 (!) man-hours in one year on tracing violators of the commandment to walking the dog to clean up the faeces of the four-legged friend. It had led to a total of three cases of 'red-handed' and as many fines… I think the border of madness has been well crossed.
While I am writing this piece I am surprised to receive the message that I myself have been caught in violation of copyright. Google has therefore removed my videos from the premiere of the performance 'Kaan' in Pattaya from May this year, at the request of Panjaluck Pasuk Co. LTD Thailand. While I thought I could rightly deduce a contrario from the prohibition of selfie sticks that the use of a recording device without such a stick was therefore allowed. That's just the way it is. There must be a very active enforcement department at Panjaluck, because I had only put the links to the videos here on Thailandblog and did not change the numerical names of the videos to promotional titles, so that you couldn't even find them with the search function on Youtube…
Do you have examples where you think that in Thailand and/or the Netherlands (or Belgium country) too much or too little, or too selectively, is enforced? Or maybe it just suits you sometimes?
And do you agree with me that people in the Netherlands are generally more consistent, regardless of whether you agree with a prohibition or commandment?
And what do you prefer: Many rules with strict enforcement, many rules with little enforcement, few rules with strict enforcement, or few rules with little enforcement? Or do you know of other/better options? Or do you know countries where things are much better or worse? Just call!
– Relocated in memory of Frans Amsterdam (Frans Goedhart ) † April 2018 –
About that 7-11 and alcohol.
Of course you could have just brought two bottles from the bar. Just ask if they leave them closed 🙂
Two notes of 20 baht, well where in the world can you get your way for 1 euro and do things that are not allowed........
You're lucky I'd say.
Hi Frans, rules are especially useful if there is public support for them. Lawyers call that codifying legislation, promoting change through legislation is called modifying legislation…Changing society through rules usually doesn't really work. Smoking in a restaurant is generally perceived as undesirable, also by smokers. Smoking in a pub is again more nuanced. Many small pubs have customers who also smoke themselves, apparently there is a need for that.
Enforcement is therefore a problem. I advocate some restraint in legislation on matters that are not (yet) widely supported. Then use other resources first. You see too often - also in the Netherlands - that legislation is decided on the basis of incidents without guaranteeing feasibility or enforceability. This leads to a violation of government authority, which is also undesirable.
So: some restraint in legislation, good assurance of feasibility in advance, do what is necessary and then also implement it…something like that. Not really a popular point of view in these times of noise and cheap effect -:)
nice
But a little Don Quixote.
Rest and think about your blood pressure, Hahahaha
French when learn that Kaan is in Jomtien on Trepessit Road and NOT in Pattaya. People look rotten. Jomtien is a district of Pattaya.
You don't say: I'm going to Pattaya for the immigration documents, do you?
All the best with your soap.
I thought: 'What are all those people looking for here?'
From your stories I know you as a bon vivant. You are certainly not stingy and you are not too bad to lend a helping hand financially, especially to some ladies from the escort circuit. I was astonished when, in your story about lottery sellers, you held so firmly to the government-determined price of 80 Bath. You argued about the price with the sellers, a waste of time in my opinion, even calling it a matter of principle. Gosh, I thought, principles, or rules that you want to adhere to in any case, in the context of purchasing a lottery ticket? Nothing for Frans anyway, he has not become a stormtrooper after all. Then I read a bit further on in your piece that you gave a lottery saleswoman a tip of 600 Bath, 150% on the purchase price. Yes, that was more like the image I have of you. And also fits with the solution to circumvent the government-determined alcohol sales times by bribing the "snot nose", who abides by these rules and who is silently cursed by you, with a bounty of 40 Bath. Might have done the same, as I also “good” for practical reasons hand over the police their “teamoney” during checks. Having principles sounds nice, although many only invoke them when it suits them, but often only enforceable by those who can afford to.
Beautiful stories French.
About that enforcement: I think that was a spell of William of Orange, also known as Willem de Zwijger. His nickname already shows how he thought about it.
I myself get a goatee from all those stupid rules that are made up by all kinds of well-paid know-it-alls,
and which make no sense at all, but do cause a lot of frustration.
I am in favor of few rules, but I still have some faith in ordinary common sense, although not everyone has that to a sufficient degree.
Just like here in the Netherlands that hassle of growing a maximum of 5 hemp plants. Tracking down all this takes a lot of working hours and only leads to frustration. Let everyone have their own way , provided others are not inconvenienced or bothered by this .
I hope that the police can and are allowed to have their own opinion, especially to do sensible things, such as tackling real criminals and those responsible for major corruption!
Source: Wikipedia
Rene van Chalon was a son of Count Hendrik III van Nassau-Breda and Claudia van Chalon. In 1530 he inherited from his uncle Philibert of Chalon (1502-1530), who died childless, the sovereign and nominally independent principality of Orange (Orange) and a large number of possessions in the free county of Burgundy (Franche-Comté) and the Dauphiné. René is the first Nassau who was allowed to call himself Prince of Orange and was a sovereign prince because of his possession of this principality. From that time on he called himself “of Chalon”. He also adopted the family motto “Je maintiendrai Châlon”, which he later changed to “Je maintiendrai Nassau”. The Dutch motto "Je maintiendrai" comes from this. René had in principle inherited his uncle's principality on the condition that he would bear the name and coat of arms of the house of Châlon-Orange[2], but was still exempt from this by private codicil. Nevertheless, he is often regarded as belonging to the House of Châlon-Orange and has remained known in history as René van Châlon rather than as «René van Nassau-Breda».
I consider myself lucky to live in a country where enforcing rules is sometimes taken too far. Especially when it comes to road safety, construction safety, and many other matters. Costs a lot, that enforcement, but in NL you live in one of the safest countries in the world. It proves its usefulness, even if I can sometimes stick the enforcers (especially parking attendants and garbage inspectors) behind the wallpaper. That is the price for safety, (social) security and law.
So maintain: yes! But keep a critical eye.
A Dutch cabaret artist, I believe Van Muiswinkel, once said that “Je maintiendrai” should be replaced by “Must be able”, in connection with the many “toleration” in the Netherlands. I fully agree. Making people's lives miserable while in many cases it doesn't really make much sense is nonsense.