Anek Laothamatas on the future of populism

Over 10 years ago he predicted the recent past:

"...Just over a decade ago, he asked a question which clicked with middle-class anxiety over the drift of Thai politics. How come the rural majority selects governments at the ballot box, and the urban minority throws them out by protest and scandalization, resulting in chronic instability? His answer was that the rural electorate was trussed up by the patronage of local bosses. The solution was to tighten up rules to keep the bad guys out of parliament, and get rural issues onto the agendas of political parties. This was not just political science but prophesy..."

Now he's predicting the future again:

"...Thaksin gave people things they wanted, and was rewarded with massive support at the polls. Even if Thaksin and TRT vanish from Thailand’s political map, this populism will stay. Other leaders will copy it. Once one party offers people the moon, then its rivals must offer the moon and the stars. But Anek fears the risks are massive. The people become dependent on state handouts. The bureaucracy is politicized. The economy dives into the same kind of economic crises as populist Latin America...."