Democrat deputy leader Korn Chatikavanij says Thailand is slipping behind other Asean economies, citing an ageing society, a shrinking workforce and some of the world's highest household debt. He warns the 1% policy rate may make debt look manageable when it is not. This is an opinion piece with no new policy or numbers. For a small business, the practical point is to keep borrowing conservative and stress-test cash flow in case slow growth persists.