Should senior Thai ministry officials stay clear of politics?

webfact · January 20, 2014

BURNING ISSUE
Should senior ministry officials stay clear of politics?
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Like all people, officials should have the right to express their political stance on whether they agree or don't agree with anti-government protests. But for top officials of state agencies, who have the responsibility for overseeing tens of thousands of staff, is it proper for them to clearly take sides in a political dispute?

Two weeks ago, Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahamethapat joined the Public Health Society to issue a statement rejecting the Yingluck administration's right to govern, saying the government didn't have the moral authority to run the country.

Narong has been backed by the Public Health Society - a group of medical workers comprising members of 20 public health associations. They include the Thai Federation of General and Central Hospital Doctors, the Rural Hospital Directors Society, the Public Health Society of Thailand and the Dentistry Society.

The group said it would only follow orders issued by Narong, who could face disciplinary action for his statement encouraging the society's members not to work with the government. Once Narong joined the community and announced he did not support the government, he was heavy criticised by former senator and prominent health advocate Jon Ungpakorn. Jon questioned the correctness of an official taking sides and supporting the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC)'s political movement.

Jon said he personally respected Narong as a senior health official and understood well that Narong was not ready to work with the caretaker government and the Public Health Minister.

He said it would be better for Narong to resign from his position as top official of the ministry if he wanted to take sides, instead of dragging the whole ministry into the political arena.

Narong defended himself, saying he believed he had done the right thing in serving the public and would not quit the ministry. But to Jon, his action was not correct because the ministry was already divided between officials who supported and opposed the PDRC.

A few days after Narong announced his political stance, another group of medical workers in Chiang Mai province calling themselves "Friends of Democracy" issued a statement supporting the February 2 election, saying it was the best way for all parties to lawfully settle their differences. The group asked all medical workers to take a neutral stance on issues of politics and to continue to provide medical services without discrimination.

Even his deputy permanent secretary Dr Chanvit Tharathep did not agree with Narong's political opinions, saying public health officials should comply with the royal decree that set the election date at February 2. Medical workers had a responsibility to comply with the law and a code of conduct to take care of all people without discrimination, he added.

Not only Chanvit, but the directors-general of several departments in the ministry declared their disagreement with Narong's actions - like Dr Porntep Siriwanarangsun, director-general of the Public Health Department who said officials should not involve the state agency in politics, no matter which side they took.

"As departmental director-general, if I took any side in the political movement it would create conflict instead of harmony in the department. We don't want society to be more divided," he said.

-- The Nation 2014-01-21

Thai at Heart · January 20, 2014

What a dumb dumb question.

notmyself · January 20, 2014

What?

Should senior doctors stay clear of medicine?

I went back to re-read the article because maybe the wording was poor but no... it is really about that.

Far out.

NongKhaiKid · January 21, 2014

Officialdom, police, military etc keeping out of politics is to dream the impossible dream. Some may hitch their wagon to a start and stick with it but so many are bamboo who bend with the political wind to benefit themselves a la the dedicated MPs who are only dedicated to themselves and happily change parties for no good reason other than to get a better personal deal.

JoeThePoster · January 21, 2014

Yes.

tomyummer · January 21, 2014

Whatever. If it's not the health ministry it's any other department or government arm. Thailand is a country full of Colonel Kurtzes running around. Absolutely no true authority or line of respect, order, rule of law.

culicine · January 21, 2014

Big businessmen should steer clear of politics too!

moonao · January 21, 2014

My thoughts exactly.

Any chance we can improve the quality of some of these "news" clippings.

plus they are blatently, consistently unbalanced. come on guys, lift up your game.

whybother · January 21, 2014

Ministry heads are civil servants. Their job is to enact the policies of the government. If they let politics get in the way of them doing their job, then they shouldn't be there.

... whether you agree with the policies or not.

notmyself · January 21, 2014

Far out again...

A person serving as an agent for another by carrying out specified orders or functions.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/minister

I may agree with what you say but that is their purpose in Thailand, that is the reason for the position and nothing else, at all, ever, verbatim and unequivocally.

whybother · January 21, 2014

Ministry heads are not Ministers.

The permanent secretaries of the ministries are civil servants. The ministers are (usually) MPs and are politicians.

Edited January 21, 2014 by whybother

noitom · January 21, 2014

Unless they really disagree, and then resign on a matter of principle. Which Thais rarely if ever do.

smedly · January 21, 2014

They have every right to an opinion and further more are the best placed people to expose wrong doings and corruption by the government - I'd like to see a lot more of them blowing the whistle but unfortunately they run the risk of losing their jobs - their lives - or their share in the trough

They should be encouraged to expose what they see and know is wrong and be protected for doing so

They are also people a new government will be very keen to replace if they are seen as a threat to future operations - they are promptly replaced by their own, there have been several cases the last 2 years were such people have taken the government to court for wrongful dismissal and won, there have been several other senior ministry employees have tried to expose issues like the rice scheme and have been very promptly silenced or moved or both

Edited January 21, 2014 by smedly

whybother · January 21, 2014

They should expose wrong doings and corruption, but they should keep their politics out of it.

icommunity · January 21, 2014

IMO, any one who is also an official of a government has the right to voice or take part in political activities as an individual but not as official of a government.

Using his/her position to endorse or support a political activity is very intimidating and therefore abused his/her power. It can also caused division within the department and affect their work to the public.

A junior staff who used the name of his/her department tarnished the image of that department and therefore breaching the trust and faith of the public. Wearing their uniform is abusing the properties of that department or profession.

All senator whether elected or appointed cannot voice his/her political opinion or taking part in political activity. Doing so is violating of the constitution. As for the appointed senator, they has violated the purpose of an appointed person and the trust and faith of those who appointed them.

Therefore the ministry or the government reserved the right to investigate whether abused of power, breach of public trust and faith, improper use of state properties has av\actually taken place or not. Interference by any person during the process of investigation is considered as obstructing the work of government official.

IMO, the use of Royal colour, picture etc for political purposes in also not appropriate. It can be insulting, and tarnishing the image of the Institution.

Men/women in uniform cannot take part in political activities with their uniform and/or other properties of their Institution/department. Doing so will create suspicion, speculation, fear, anxiety, tension and the lost of faith and trust of the people.

Edited January 21, 2014 by icommunity

Thait Spot · January 21, 2014

I would say that a lot of professions should keep out of politics - police, army, sport etc.

And the other side of the coin is that politcs should keep out of those professions too

In most mature democracies, a civil service head could be involved in politics provided it does not affect his/her job or staff appointments

spirit47 · January 21, 2014

Good that a few people not put their ethics and moral in a bag when they start working. Everybody have responsibillity for him/her-self, and if you want a good feeling when you look in a mirror, you must sometimes swimming against the flow. I love it when people have the grit to stand for that they believe in. But most people are conditioned with values, that they easy to be controled.

Snowden for example, a traitor or a hero?

rickirs · January 21, 2014

A Senior Leader who is either an elected official or government confirmed appointee certainly has the right to oppose the government. But not while working within the government. The option to resign is always available in order to provide support the opposition when government policies can no longer be supported. It is otherwise a betrayal to the people who voted in the leadership and a detriment to ordinary government operations when the chain of command is broken. But how many of these leaders are willing to leave their nicely paid government positions to take a chance on a political tide to put them back in again under opposition leadership?

Scamper · January 21, 2014

An utterly stupid opinion piece, not worth the paper it's written on. Surapong himself would have been very proud to have written it. Everybody - regardless as to station or influence - has a right to express him or herself. Period. As soon as we start constructing wild labyrinths of an apparently hierarchical structure of when freedom of expression is appropriate and when it is not - when it is desirous and when it is dangerous - we bury the very concept itself - suggesting it is no more a sentiment of convenience. As the Yingluck administration - and apparently this writer as well - dump on this man, and subject him to every avenue of public and private persecution, one is reminded how easy it is to beat up those whom all the bullies have already amassed to administer punishment. Narong has as much a right to his opinion, as the writer of this article has a right to express his own unfortunate opinion. Narong's opinion was for himself and himself alone. Those who agreed with him within the ministry - of which there were many - followed his lead and joined the protest. Those who disagreed with him within the ministry - of which there were many - did not. It's called a free society.

chrisrazz · January 21, 2014

I often wonder if any of these so called public servants earned their post on merit. Good for them if this is the case, but, given the system, I have great doubts. Those that did not and in some way owe for their positions are therefore compromised, they are themselves very much part of the problem.

bigbamboo · January 21, 2014

Spot on. Governments come and go but the business of government goes on regardless.

I will stop there before I turn into Sir Humphrey Appleby....

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