Thai officials must be made 'to swear not to cheat'

[JOC]

I swear!!

[wabothai]

wishful thinking

[EnglishJohn]

I wonder what is in the Oath they take when they enter office ?.

I would have expected them to charge Yingluck for breaking it - but I presume it is not legally binding in any way. If not, it is utterly pointless in Thai society where 'embarrassment at getting caught' is the nearest they get to 'honour'.

[Lupatria]

It will end up the same way as the oath to serve the country and it's people...

[Fat Haggis]

Swearing does not work here. Before the coup, PM Prayuth swore and promised "There will be no coup". A BP article written this week stated very clearly "All the 18 coups in Thailand were launched under the guise of stopping corruption, and afterwards the military leaders were all found to have become unusually wealthy " (sic).

We who are seeing the newest version are all limited by narrow time frames...the article was written by a very old Thai man.

Hush you!!! You're commiting farang blasphemy!!

[LannaGuy]

a Thai not Thai-ing would be like a Pope not praying

[billd766]

If they break their promise they don't have to worry. They can just go give a temple some money and food and make merit and all is forgiven. Just ask YL. She has done it many times

They don't have to worry anyway because with the amnesty they gave themselves, anything they do is not considered wrong or ilegal. They can't be judged or prosecuted.

Did you actually read the OP before replying?

It was nothing to do with the government at all.

[elgordo38]

Cheating is a gene imbedded already. What a jo$e ALL THAIS are. It's ME 1ST AND EVERYBODY LAST.

This gene is imbedded world wide. We all want to play Wheel of Fortune. Some are just more fortunate than others. It all depends on where/which spigot of life your seed was expelled from. A lot also depends on where/whom it was expelled to. If there was gold/money on the giving and receiving end well chances are your life will be golden. I hereby make the declaration that I am not a fortune teller

[elgordo38]

Lol yes get em to do that,like all people in power worldwide who promise this and that,let's lie through our teeth to get appointed.

Its been going on for so long now that when you watch/listen to a politician lie its like watching a venquilitrist. You can hardly see his lips move. But the dummy speaks loud and clear.

[Cpkt8]

Those who built their wealth from unscrupulous means, usually do not have conscience. Ask them to swear a hundred times means nothing to them either.

[Suffinator]

OK, well that's one approach and I'm sure they'd keep their word ... NOT.

The second and most sensible approach would be to enforce and even toughen the laws:

1. A minimum of 25 years imprisonment

2. Stripping of all family assets

Try it out on a few and see then if other decide if their corrupt ways are really worth the price.

[Fat Haggis]

This is like telling your kids not to tell fibs!!

[rijb]

As public officials, they are duty bound as part of their job not to cheat or defraud the state or the people they are supposed to be working for. This should be well understood already, and no fancy ceremony in front of a statue or monument is going to change that. Is not changing the law to ensure that officials suspected of cheating are prosecuted without exception and if found guilty are subject to far more severe punishments than at present, likely to be rather more effective? Sending a policeman or senior public official to another province, office or awarding them with the famous "inactive post" punishment is clearly little deterrent to embezzlement and corruption, or the problem would have been reduced (never mind solved) many years ago. Instead of moving towards a law-based society, the mob in control at the moment want to maintain a superstition-based society, which is closely related to one of the reasons why corruption and fraud in public office is so rampant in Thai society.

The "mob in control" as you call it has the support of most Thais and your description of the Government is a childish insult.

What is your source for "support of most Thais"? Have you counted the dissenters (all colors) who are not allowed to congregate?

[Chris Lawrence]

'Another is that the new charter should ban permanent secretaries, rectors, chancellors and executives of state enterprises from taking part in private companies, besides ministers, and the prime minister, as in the current draft.'

What about military types?

So they won't cheat, but nepotism will be OK?

[plachon]

As public officials, they are duty bound as part of their job not to cheat or defraud the state or the people they are supposed to be working for. This should be well understood already, and no fancy ceremony in front of a statue or monument is going to change that. Is not changing the law to ensure that officials suspected of cheating are prosecuted without exception and if found guilty are subject to far more severe punishments than at present, likely to be rather more effective? Sending a policeman or senior public official to another province, office or awarding them with the famous "inactive post" punishment is clearly little deterrent to embezzlement and corruption, or the problem would have been reduced (never mind solved) many years ago. Instead of moving towards a law-based society, the mob in control at the moment want to maintain a superstition-based society, which is closely related to one of the reasons why corruption and fraud in public office is so rampant in Thai society.

The "mob in control" as you call it has the support of most Thais and your description of the Government is a childish insult.

How do you know that the present military junta has "the support of most Thais"? Because of a handful of polls commissioned by said junta, an election result perhaps, some other objective measure or because you just want to believe it is the case? My description was purposefully, however, suggestive of the fact that the present "mob in control" are not that much different from their predecessors, when it comes to being serious about reducing "cheating", malfeasance or corruption in public office, but rather the problem/benefits of public office just switches from one set of hands to another. If you think my reasoning is "childish", you are welcome to your opinion, but I would also like to hear your opinion on how effective a deterrent and "adult-like" the suggestion to make public officials swear an oath in front of the Emerald Buddha or City Pillar (what significance would this monument have to an official from the South or Isaan, pray tell?) would be in addressing this specific problem?

Don't forget, these officials are termed "kha-racha-gan", which means first and foremost they are servants of the king, and so should already be aware that they are cheating the monarch, as well as the state and people, when they commit these offences.

[ratcatcher]

And here I always thought they took oath before his Royal Highness, Man I better read more. No disrespect meant toward royal household But thought that was how it was done here. But seems I'm wrong forgive me.

Actually a little more reading might be a good thing.

Thai cabinet members along with the P.M. swear an oath before His Majesty the King not His Royal Highness The Crown Prince.

No disrespect was given anyway.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-prayuth-leads-cabinet-pledge-oath-allegiance-king

[Srikcir]

"A CIVIC group is proposing that politicians vow in front of the Emerald Buddha Temple that they will not cheat."

So do people of other religious faiths or not of any faith get a free pass on cheating?

[phuketandsee]

They are going to swear? Will "I'm going to f---k you all" be sufficient?