Anti-Corruption Campaign Is Both Timely, Necessary: Thai Opinion

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Anti-corruption campaign is both timely, necessary

February 6, 2012 1:00 am

The public needs to help monitor the huge spending on water management

BANGKOK: -- The Thai Chamber of Commerce is promoting a campaign to combat corruption. Under the programme called "watchdog", the chamber invited the public to join the campaign to monitor any misuse of public funds, especially with regard to the government's spending of Bt800 billion for flood recovery programs.

The campaign is an admirable effort indeed. The chamber recently initiated the Anti-Corruption Network (ACN), a watchdog formed by the private sector. Anti-corruption was the issue that the late chairman of the Chamber Dusit Nontanakorn campaigned on during the final years of his life.

However, the government seems to be slow to react to the private sector. ACN chairman Pramon Sutivong said recently that the network submitted an outline for combating the corruption more than a month ago but it still received no response from Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The slow reaction to the private sector could imply that enthusiasm to combat corruption and awareness remained low in the government. This is an irony because every politician tends to raise the combat corruption slogan high during election campaigns.

In fact, the corruption cannot be done with only one party - because it involves the person who gives bribe and another on the receiving end. Private companies know well because they have been adversely affected by corruption.

For instance, corruption often stops the best person getting business contracts. This is because some politicians and officials prefer to award lucrative business deals to unqualified corporate entities who give them a bribe.

Eventually, the public will be at a disadvantage because they will receive bad service from companies that are not qualified to win contracts. And naturally, the companies will pass on additional costs from bribes they have paid to the public, who have to bear additional and unnecessary expense.

Thanavath Phonvichai, director of the Thai Chamber of Commerce University's Economic and Business Forecasting Centre, said corruption in Thailand was getting worse. It had caused huge losses on each project from the government and private sector. The average loss due to graft had jumped from 10-15 per cent of a project's value to 25-30 per cent.

The timing for the watchdog group is significant. The government is set to roll out a massive amount of money as part of its flood prevention work. While details of the spending remain unclear, there are calls from the private sector that every single baht should be spent effectively to ensure that the public will truly benefit from the water management programme.

The network submitted two letters on December 20 and last Thursday to the prime minister describing three steps the government must take to keep track of its huge budget on the country’s rehabilitation.

However, the government has so far failed to respond to the group. Among suggestions that the ACN submitted was a call for the government to disclose information to the public clearly on procurements so that every section of society can monitor the government's actions.

In addition, the Cabinet should give full authority to the National Anti-Corruption Commission to release information and set a median price for state bids and procurement to use as a benchmark to keep an eye out for corruption in the future.

But even without a response from the government, the private sector should not lose hope - rather it should continue to up the ante. One of the simplest ways to is to urge its members to seriously refuse to pay bribes to government officials.

This is because the campaign to combat the corruption will never be successful if even the chamber cannot convince its members not to engage in graft.

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

[kurnell]

i would like to report some corrupt activity, who do I call?

[rkidlad]

i would like to report some corrupt activity, who do I call?

Indeed. If anyone here was in the slightest bit serious in cracking down on corruption, I could give them endless details.

[virtualtraveller]

She's appointed a committee to look into it.

[wintermute]

A committee to talk about a committee to talk about a committee.

[metisdead]

An off topic post lobbying members to sign a petition has been removed:

29) Not to lobby members.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

[Reasonableman]

Ghostbusters or Gutbusters, not quite sure...

i would like to report some corrupt activity, who do I call?

[Reasonableman]

A committee to talk about a committee to talk about a committee.

First you need a committee to discuss the terms of reference for the committee.

[wxyz]

A committee to talk about a committee to talk about a committee.

reminds me of Bill Murray as Mayor Cole

Mayor Cole: "I will appoint a committee to study the generator problem"

City of Ember (2008)

Edited February 6, 2012 by wxyz

[Bakseedaa]

i would like to report some corrupt activity, who do I call?

Ghostbusters...!

[sparebox2]

Corruption cannot be totally remove from human. It is in our blood. We all do it from time to time. Pass a hundred baht note to police to avoid going to police station to pay speeding fine etc.

We just have to live with it. This is Thailand, not Finland.

[spidermike007]

There will be no "Watchdog" agency formed. If it is formed it will do nothing. There is nothing being done about corruption in LOS. Nothing. No committees, no watchdog agencies, nothing. All of Thailand's neighbors are making progress of some sort. Nothing is being done here. There is no political will, no willingness to admit that it is a problem, or no willingness to even pinpoint where the problem is coming from. Nothing, as in zero.

[tingtongfarang]

Corruption cannot be totally remove from human. It is in our blood. We all do it from time to time. Pass a hundred baht note to police to avoid going to police station to pay speeding fine etc.

We just have to live with it. This is Thailand, not Finland.

Speak for yourself, There are those among us who point blank refuse to get involved in such ilegal activities including myself.

[wxyz]

i would like to report some corrupt activity, who do I call?

a monk, and hope he is not one of the fake monks scamming for baht.

Edited February 6, 2012 by wxyz

[FOODLOVER]

"Corruption cannot be totally remove from human. It is in our blood. We all do it from time to time. Pass a hundred baht note to police to avoid going to police station to pay speeding fine etc".

"We just have to live with it. This is Thailand, not Finland".

Typical

Edited February 6, 2012 by FOODLOVER

[sparebox2]

Corruption cannot be totally remove from human. It is in our blood. We all do it from time to time. Pass a hundred baht note to police to avoid going to police station to pay speeding fine etc.

We just have to live with it. This is Thailand, not Finland.

Speak for yourself, There are those among us who point blank refuse to get involved in such ilegal activities including myself.

I apprciate your good nature. But good people is an endangered species. Almost extinct.

[tingtongfarang]

Corruption cannot be totally remove from human. It is in our blood. We all do it from time to time. Pass a hundred baht note to police to avoid going to police station to pay speeding fine etc.

We just have to live with it. This is Thailand, not Finland.

Speak for yourself, There are those among us who point blank refuse to get involved in such ilegal activities including myself.

I apprciate your good nature. But good people is an endangered species. Almost extinct.

To come to that conclusion you must be mixing with the wrong people or are one of the wrong people, Infact i know many who would strongly object being turned into a criminal by a hardened criminals greed,

While on the subject of criminals...has anyone else noticed the BIB seem to have stopped stealing peoples money at the side of the road since the great flood?

[Reasonableman]

Corruption cannot be totally remove from human. It is in our blood. We all do it from time to time. Pass a hundred baht note to police to avoid going to police station to pay speeding fine etc.

We just have to live with it. This is Thailand, not Finland.

Speak for yourself, There are those among us who point blank refuse to get involved in such ilegal activities including myself.

I apprciate your good nature. But good people is an endangered species. Almost extinct.

Maybe they need some support and appreciation, rather than this meek sheeplike acceptance of the corrupt, illegal, antisocial and amoral as inevitable. There remain people of principle; it's unfortunate they seldom make it into politics, or survive long if they do! However, inspiring exceptions include Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi. Sad to see you have lost hope, if you ever had it. Some people, and I think it is the majority, believe there is hope for the world yet.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Reasonableman

[wxyz]

"Anti-corruption campaign"

Would that not be Anti-Thai?

Edited February 6, 2012 by wxyz

[alanferdi]

i would like to report some corrupt activity, who do I call?

By all means not the POLICE!!!!

[alanferdi]

"Anti-corruption campaign"

Would that not be Anti-Thai?

Free T-Shirt "Do not bury your head in the sand (loose face) - FACE UP TO IT!"

if that happens - Amazing Thailand

[pepi2005]

Good luck with this initiative.

Maybe there will be some actions against corruption in Thailand in 100 yrs from now,

but certainly not in the near future.

Not with these invididuals - regardless of their 'color', and whether they work right

in Thailand or from Dubai - in charge.

[wxyz]

i would like to report some corrupt activity, who do I call?

By all means not the POLICE!!!!

Woman in car: "I'll tell you how to find a dirty cop. Pick up the phone and call the police station. Don't really matter who answers."

"National Security" (2003)

Edited February 6, 2012 by wxyz