The campaign promise we’d love to hear

By The Nation

 

 

Not a single party contesting the election has declared a zero-tolerance policy on internal corruption
 

The campaign posters lining roads around the country are making welcome pledges, such as trimming the fat off the military budget and, vaguely at least, goosing up the economy.

 

Among the multitude of “pick me and I’ll fix this” assertions are also vows to tackle the rampant corruption that mires Thailand’s development. But it would come as a pleasant shock if a candidate somewhere went as far as promising to deal firmly with any graft discovered within his or her own political circle. 

 

No one is saying this, and we hope the reticence doesn’t reflect a lack of political will. We will never achieve national reconciliation if politicians continue to blame all the corruption on the opposition.

 

In the fight against graft, rooting out corruption among one’s friends and allies is absolutely crucial. Politicians devote vast amounts of time to scrutinising their rivals. Censure debates bring out damning information about the sitting government, but it’s almost always easily brushed aside. 

 

It doesn’t take much connecting of the dots to see that many political and social problems large and small stem from the failure to take action against wrongdoers who are well connected, powerful, allied or friendly. Slipping some cash to a traffic cop to dodge a ticket is criminal bribery – unless it’s a friend or helper doing it, in which case it’s a practical, understandable and entirely acceptable way of avoiding a nuisance trip to the police station to pay the fine.

 

At street level, this is the jaundiced interpretation of the rules that keeps cops taking bribes, schools accepting tea money and city officials looking the other way when a street hawker is causing problems. In boardrooms and ministerial chambers, it fuels detrimental, long-lasting rivalry, vengeful cycles and the worst kind of opportunism. At this rate Thailand, limping along with 4-per-cent GDP growth, will never again catch up with other nations. We’re too busy fighting over the cash available, often quite literally.

 

Let’s not worry so much that no campaign posters are pledging to stymie corruption wherever it occurs. Let’s worry more that parties seem to have no clue how to tackle the problem or, worse, no intention to try. It might be unwise to campaign on a promise to spare no friend or ally accused of corruption, but what a revolutionary impact that would have. And if the political will to tackle internal graft cannot realistically be advertised during the campaign, it would be most refreshing to see politicians get serious about it after the election.

 

The campaign placards denouncing corruption might not mention military spending if the issue didn’t boil down to transparency. Voters would need to give little heed to who’s in the old guard and who’s got the new blood if every candidate could be counted on for integrity. The matter of protecting citizens’ rights wouldn’t be so prominent if not for the inequality with which justice is meted out when corruption is uncovered.

 

Corruption is a pervasive national scourge that feeds on ideological prejudices and a misguided electorate. Many of the campaigners recognise this, and yet no one is pledging to take the fight all the way to the finish line. What they need to profess is zero tolerance for corruption, wherever it’s taking place and whoever is involved, even if it’s our own brothers and sisters.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30364694

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-25

"...Among the multitude of “pick me and I’ll fix this” assertions are also vows to tackle the rampant corruption that mires Thailand’s development. But it would come as a pleasant shock if a candidate somewhere went as far as promising to deal firmly with any graft discovered within his or her own political circle..." 

 

Why would anyone be surprised by this? Anyone who lives in Thailand understands that Thais are 100%, sure fire, absolutely, guaranteed, adamantly against other people's corruption.

 

My turn at the trough, however...

 

How about a more reasonable clarion call;

 

'My party will be less corrupt than the military!'

 

 

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

Not a single party contesting the election has declared a zero-tolerance policy on internal corruption

due to acceptance that it is not currently possible

Ask again this question after election, we will know who has paid what money for 

a persons vote, 

Rescind any laws protecting coup conspirators from being tried for treason would be a good start