Private group to ramp up anti-corruption fight

[webfact]

Private group to ramp up anti-corruption fight
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The private sector Collective Action Coalition Against Corruption (CAC) plans a large increase in its member companies, focusing in particular on firms involved in public procurement.

To boost its battle against corruption, it aims to raise the number of private company members from 416 last year to 600 this year.

The CAC will emphasise businesses involved in public procurement while it will also push its members to install and implement internal anti-corruption mechanisms. This will more than double the number of CAC certified companies from 78 at the end of 2014 to more than 200 this year.

The plan was unveiled as the government plans to boost the economy through new infrastructure projects. Siam Commercial Bank's Economic Intelligence Centre estimated that if the disbursement of the 2015 budget progresses according to target, especially for infrastructure projects, as much as Bt68 billion will be added to the economy.

This target does not include the junta's dream to start the China-backed rail project by the end of next year.

"In the past year, the Thai business sector became more alert to corporate governance and anti-corruption - as shown by significant rises in numbers of companies joining the CAC and those certified by the CAC. This [projected expansion] was due partly to the shifting social and political contexts that emphasise more on transparency and the government's strong stance in tackling corruption," Bandid Nijathaworn, secretary-general of the CAC said.

"Besides setting ambitious coalition expansion targets for this year, the CAC will focus on getting sectors prone to corruption risk - such as those involved with bidding on government projects - to sign up. It will also push for existing members to put anti-graft policies into action by substantially increasing the number of certified companies," he said.

Another factor that helped elevate corruption consciousness among the business sector was the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) move to compile and disseminate an anti-graft progress indicator. This records progress made by listed companies to put anti-graft policies into action. This indicator will be another tool to help investors understand listed companies' profiles on anti-corruption policies and commitments.

Private companies join the CAC voluntarily. As of end-2014, some 406 companies, including 212 listed companies, had joined - up by 138 companies from 268 at the end of 2013.

Of the total, 78 companies have been certified by the CAC for having put in place policies and high compliance standards to prevent corruption, up from 22 companies at end-2013.

The CAC was founded in 2010 to implement effective anti-corruption policy and mechanisms. The scope of CAC focuses specifically on the private sector and it works closely and in parallel with the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT).

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Private-group-to-ramp-up-anti-corruption-fight-30251357.html


-- The Nation 2015-01-07

[englishoak]

8 out 10 of owners said their cats preferred it.....zzzzzzzzz

[smutcakes]

If Governments are unable or unwilling to prevent mass corruption in procurement or large projects then this seems a good way for the private sector to help.

I know it goes against normal business sense to turn down bidding for projects, but if private companies were to put Thailand before their own gain and make large scale group decisions to simply not tender, or withdraw from tendering for Government projects it would go a good way to highlight where things are happening and put pressure on the Government to do things properly if they find that they are unable to get any work done.

Unfortunately there will always be some companies willing to deal with the devil, but again it would highlight both those companies, and put more spotlight on the Government workings.

Perhaps private companies and the Government could also make tenders which are using public funds to be completely open and transparent for scrutiny.

[angsta]

Good luck with that.

[fatfather]

How much does the certificate cost?

Fatfather

[Emster23]

"This target does not include the junta's dream to start the China-backed rail project by the end of next year." Minnows attacking whales....

[DKUNPUTAF713]

As long as spelled-out procurement policies are not incorporated into and become part and parcel of government law very little results can be achieved in my opinion.

[MaxLee]

600 of them against an entire army of influential Mafia Elites???? You wanna die ?????

[Loles]

I like so much the optimist people who can believe in fairy tails. Nice dream, pretty sure at all.

[dean008]

they will no doubt be as effective as the private teaching agents such as pannasrn/ATOM

[surangw]

face it, things would grind to a halt with out the ingrained corruption in thai society

[45slap]

Too little; Too late.

[EricBerg]

Mission Impossible IV... Will be a nice movie to watch, but a short insignificant passtime only.