Public participation required to strengthen country, eliminate corruption

[rooster59]

Public participation required to strengthen country, eliminate corruption

Tanakorn Sangiam

BANGKOK, 1 July 2016 (NNT) – Strengthening the country's corruption eliminating efforts will require participation from the general public and private companies, according to the Deputy Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak spoke at a seminar held by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on the NACC’s policies and measures to bring positive changes to the private sector.

On national reform, he said Thailand should emphasize on improving administrative and governance mechanisms to reduce inequalities, increase competitiveness, and encourage good governance. All of these goals can be achieved only through participation from the general public and the private sector.

The DPM says the government is aiming to encourage participation from the private sector to enhance the country’s strengths and eliminate corruption, while economic deterioration in terms of morality will disrupt the nation's development, thus all companies should proceed all of its joint projects with the government as planned.

He added that all financial transactions will eventually be transposed to the electronic E-payment platform, which will help prevent corruption and tax fraud within the private sector.

-- NNT 2016-07-02

[EricBerg]

Very true that the public must participate in the fight against corruption. It will be a long, hard fight though, as nowadays for many members of the public that very same curruption seems to be the national sport. It's an ever present monster.

[NongKhaiKid]

Yes, and proper leadership from the top which is sadly lacking and when actually present very selective.

[jamesbrock]

Political will is much more important than the public's cooperation - moreover, the government needs to lead by example and eliminate not only corruption in every level of Thai bureaucracy, but the very perception of corruption.

When people see obscene "unusual" wealth like that disclosed by the military and police appointees to the National Legislative Assembly—which is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg—they know how that wealth was obtained, no matter how many lies and contortions are made to try and explain it...

Reform for both powerful mafia-like organisations (the RTP and the military) has been called for on numerous occasions over the past decades, and, while possible, will likely take decades to fully realise. A 2013 report by Paul Chambers from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, entitled 'Unruly Boots: Military Power and Security Sector Reform Efforts in Thailand' concludes:

Security sector reform will not come to Thailand until greater democracy comes to Thailand. The security sector needs to be accountable to democratically-elected politicians rather than the palace alone. As such, there must be a fully-elected Senate in which military appointees are unable to sit in the Upper House. At the same time, the armed forces and police must be shorn of their economic holdings and military/police budgets must be made much more transparent so that defense/police appropriations do not wind up being used for partisan purposes.

Nothing short of restoring democracy, removing military personnel from all government positions and board/management positions in all state enterprises, reforming both the military the RTP making their appointments based on merit, establishing government-appointed independent oversight bodies for both the military and RTP, and make their budgets transparent will eliminate the perception of corruption that the public strive to emulate.

This article, written a mere six months after they seized power, is worth a read: http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/thai-junta-beset-by-corruption-scandals/

[arthurboy]

Yes, good idea. Again.

Now, let's start with the senior members of the military, police, government, business sector and monkhood openly name and condemn those of their own who are guilty of corruption.

It would be a very long list, right? As jamesbrock's post alludes to. ^

[waldroj]

"...Strengthening the country's corruption eliminating efforts will require participation from the general public and private companies..."

They tried it two years ago, and it would seem to have been an abject failure.

Once bitten - Twice shy!

[selftaopath]

"...these goals can be achieved only through participation from the general public and the private sector."

Are the police, courts, laws government entities or public/private?

Get a grip. What's the government's role in all this other than the typical crap that comes out of all their mouths?

Has anyone seen significant change that benefited Thai people or this country? The most action visible from the power in Thailand is a jaw wagging.

[worgeordie]

Out someone who is corrupt,and be sued,even if it's all

true,that's the first law that needs changing.

regards worgeordie

[worgeordie]

Political will is much more important than the public's cooperation - moreover, the government needs to lead by example and eliminate not only corruption in every level of Thai bureaucracy, but the very perception of corruption.

When people see obscene "unusual" wealth like that disclosed by the military and police appointees to the National Legislative Assembly—which is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg—they know how that wealth was obtained, no matter how many lies and contortions are made to try and explain it...

nla-asset-declarations_page_1.png

nla-asset-declarations_page_2.png

nla-asset-declarations_page_3.png

Reform for both powerful mafia-like organisations (the RTP and the military) has been called for on numerous occasions over the past decades, and, while possible, will likely take decades to fully realise. A 2013 report by Paul Chambers from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, entitled 'Unruly Boots: Military Power and Security Sector Reform Efforts in Thailand' concludes:

Security sector reform will not come to Thailand until greater democracy comes to Thailand. The security sector needs to be accountable to democratically-elected politicians rather than the palace alone. As such, there must be a fully-elected Senate in which military appointees are unable to sit in the Upper House. At the same time, the armed forces and police must be shorn of their economic holdings and military/police budgets must be made much more transparent so that defense/police appropriations do not wind up being used for partisan purposes.

Nothing short of restoring democracy, removing military personnel from all government positions and board/management positions in all state enterprises, reforming both the military the RTP making their appointments based on merit, establishing government-appointed independent oversight bodies for both the military and RTP, and make their budgets transparent will eliminate the perception of corruption that the public strive to emulate.

This article, written a mere six months after they seized power, is worth a read: http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/thai-junta-beset-by-corruption-scandals/

Wow ! the rates of pay in the armed forces and police,must be very high,OR

did they all marry very rich wives.

regards Worgeordie

[jamesbrock]

Wow ! the rates of pay in the armed forces and police,must be very high,OR

did they all marry very rich wives.

regards Worgeordie

Well, I guess in order to obtain wealth many times one's lifetime salary they could all have married up, or they could all have been born into wealthy families and coincidentally entered the same career path, or there could be some secret security services investment club that no one else knows about, or... the old adage 'where there's smoke there's fire' could ring true and all the countless stories and proven cases of high-level corruption from all sources point to an endemic pattern of self-serving hypocrites running ruining the country for their own unlimited greed... I don't know, just throwing ideas around...

[watcharacters]

Out someone who is corrupt,and be sued,even if it's all

true,that's the first law that needs changing.

regards worgeordie

Truer words were never spoken..

[Farang99]

555555555555555555555555555555555555555! Collapse in hysterical laughter

[heybruce]

"He added that all financial transactions will eventually be transposed to the electronic E-payment platform, which will help prevent corruption and tax fraud within the private sector."

Only the private sector? How about using E-payment for soldiers salaries, thus eliminating these rumors of ghost soldiers? Will payments to military contractors also be by E-payments? Will there be transparency in all these payments, and will the press be allowed to report on discrepancies without fear of legal or illegal retaliation?

Probably not.

[baboon]

Wow ! the rates of pay in the armed forces and police,must be very high,OR

did they all marry very rich wives.

regards Worgeordie

Well, I guess in order to obtain wealth many times one's lifetime salary they could all have married up, or they could all have been born into wealthy families and coincidentally entered the same career path, or there could be some secret security services investment club that no one else knows about, or... the old adage 'where there's smoke there's fire' could ring true and all the countless stories and proven cases of high-level corruption from all sources point to an endemic pattern of self-serving hypocrites running ruining the country for their own unlimited greed... I don't know, just throwing ideas around...

'The corruption you are looking for is over there. Never you mind what is happening here. Now off you go...'

[jamesbrock]

Wow ! the rates of pay in the armed forces and police,must be very high,OR

did they all marry very rich wives.

regards Worgeordie

Well, I guess in order to obtain wealth many times one's lifetime salary they could all have married up, or they could all have been born into wealthy families and coincidentally entered the same career path, or there could be some secret security services investment club that no one else knows about, or... the old adage 'where there's smoke there's fire' could ring true and all the countless stories and proven cases of high-level corruption from all sources point to an endemic pattern of self-serving hypocrites running ruining the country for their own unlimited greed... I don't know, just throwing ideas around...

'The corruption you are looking for is over there. Never you mind what is happening here. Now off you go...'

Haha, yep, something like "36 billion baht for 3 submarines, but look over here, amnesty for political offenders!!!"

[tuanku]

The Government strenuously tries to prevent public participation in politics, aided and abetted by the legal system that punishes whistle-blowers with defamation lawsuits, or worse lese majeste accusations, and at the same time they call for it in order to tackle an issue in which they are complicit and implicated.

The hypocrisy takes ones breath away.

[clockman]

come back in 50 years time!