Thais’ tolerance for deep-seated corruption appears to be wearing thin, putting pressure on political parties to stop paying lip service to the problem and start rolling out tangible solutions.
Estimates indicate the country loses billions of baht each year to graft as public money is siphoned into the bank accounts of corrupt officials. Earlier this month, a senior official at the revenue office in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district was charged with taking bribes of about 4 million baht in exchange for waiving 40 million baht in building-and-land tax. A search of his home revealed the modestly paid bureaucrat somehow owned assets worth over 100 million baht.
Meanwhile earlier this year, Ratchada Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya was fired for taking bribes during his tenure as director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
“Corruption has not subsided in spite of the fact that our country has implemented more anti-graft mechanisms,” lamented Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT).
How corrupt is Thailand?
Thailand ranks 101 out of 180 countries in the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, compiled and released by Transparency International. The latest ranking saw Thailand climb nine places from 2021. But when it came to the transparency score, Thailand had risen by just one point.
Mana complained that Thailand’s corruption situation has seen little improvement over the years no matter what parties were in power. Thailand’s score has ranged between 35 and 38 out of 100 during the past decade.
Yet, Mana refuses to give up hope. He believes that promises made by politicians – no matter how empty they seem at first glance – offer a foundation for anti-corruption work in the future.
“At the very least, parties that are contesting the 2023 general election must say how they would deal with corruption. While their words may seem like empty promises now, we can press them to act on those promises later,” Mana said.
Thailand’s political parties unveil policies to woo elderly people
Thais’ call for anti-graft push
ACT recently surveyed voters for their opinions on parties’ and politicians’ anti-corruption policies ahead of next month’s election.
The survey, conducted jointly with the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Khon Thai Foundation, found corruption is the first problem respondents expect the new government to tackle, even amid the current economic woes that prevail in Thailand. Back in 2019, Thais listed bread-and-butter issues of living costs as the most pressing problem the new government should handle.
The survey of 2,255 respondents revealed 83.6% of voters polled will shun parties that do not issue anti-graft policies because they feel this reflects a lack of transparency. Only 16.4% of the respondents said they would vote for a party that had no policies to combat graft, explaining that corruption was too deep-rooted to wipe out anyway.
Meanwhile, 25% chose “corruption” as the first problem that the new administration should tackle. Next were educational problems, social inequality, and the economic gap.
Around 18% of respondents said the new government must take action against any of its members or parties found to be engaged in graft. Also, 16.7% hoped the new government would boost transparency by making important information available to people online.
“The findings reflect that the respondents understand that corruption causes problems including economic woes, poor quality of life, and drug abuses,” Mana said. “Today, voters want tangible anti-corruption policies from political parties.”
Parties’ positions on corruption
The Move Forward Party, which is popular among the younger generation, has put forward a detailed plan to wipe out graft from Thai society. For example, it plans to publicize state data with no delays to foster transparent and corruption-free government, develop smart systems to prevent graft, and offer incentives to whistleblowers.
In addition, Move Forward has vowed to ensure the fast delivery of government services. Less red tape means less likelihood of people offering “tea money” in hope of being fast-tracked for state services. The party also says it will ensure police appointments and promotions are fair and transparent. The police force is hit by regular allegations that key posts in lucrative positions are sold to the highest bidder.
The Thai Sang Thai Party has also adopted a serious stance against corruption. Under its policy, an Anti-Corruption Center would be set up to gather information on alleged graft cases and take action.
The United Thai Nation Party, which has General Prayut Chan-o-cha as its PM candidate, has highlighted anti-corruption in its policy platform. It has vowed to conduct proper investigations into alleged irregularities at all levels and close loopholes in laws that foster corruption.
Thailand’s oldest political party, the Democrats, is promoting the slogan “Honest Democracy Free from Money Politics” to position themselves as a force against all forms of corruption.
The Seree Ruam Thai Party says it will crack down on corruption, protect the good, and use state budget for the public.
Chart Pattana Kla and Pheu Thai have pledged to leverage technology to enhance transparency and curb corruption.
Seven of Thailand’s political parties unveil their environmental policies
Expectations and recommendations
Mana agrees that the more transparent government agencies become, the less chance of them being engaged in graft. He suggests that the new government should overhaul data-disclosure criteria to promote stronger transparency.
“If each agency is nudged to fight corruption, the overall situation will improve. Results will be visible,” he said.
Mana also expects parties to control their members and allies, introduce clear mechanisms to prevent them from engaging in corruption, and mete out punishment against the corrupt.
Thanisara Ruangdej, CEO and co-founder of Punch Up & WeVis, which seeks to empower citizens through data, said her group has been preparing tools for voters to keep their government representatives in check. These tools focus on what political parties have promised during their election campaigns on data disclosure, corruption investigation, and related enforcement.
“Our tools will be effective as people become more politically active,” she said.
Punch Up & WeVis decided to step into the anti-corruption field after noticing that the government tended to give excuses rather than information, and that the public wanted to help improve their country but had no channels to contribute.
“We are trying to ensure that people can play a role and make a difference,” Thanisara added.
By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk
