Toshiba steers clear of tablet scheme, fearing corruption

During a seminar held by the National AntiCorruption Commission, Kobkarn said this was a tough decision for Toshiba, as the company, like other producers of electronic devices, had to do everything to achieve its sales targets. However, when the company reminded itself of its commitment not to be involved in processes that could lead to corruption, it knew that the right thing to do was not to be a part of this programme.

"This is not the first time Toshiba has declined to participate in a government project," she said. "I think the tabletcomputer campaign will possibly lead to corruption, so we will not be involved in the project. If we say that we are anticorruption, we have to start with ourselves, not point our fingers at others to do it."

She said the project, which is to provide tablet computers to Grade 1 pupils nationwide, could end up being a danger to society, as there is no guarantee that the children will use the devices for study only. There is a good chance they will use them for entertainment instead of benefiting their studies.

"Although Toshiba sells hardware, we don't believe that hardware alone can improve people's knowledge and capabilities," she said.

Since Toshiba made this decision, it has told its sales staff to put more effort into other channels to achieve its sales target. Fortunately, the company's policy is that it does not rely on only one channel so that it can avoid risk from focusing on only one market.

To fight corruption, Kobkarn said the private sector must undertake many tests before leading Thailand to become a corruptionfree country in the future. This would not be easy to do but was necessary for Thai society.

She mentioned the experience of Toshiba, where employees had to wear Tshirts with anticorruption logos every Thursday. One day, an employee asked her whether they could wear the Tshirts only when they were in the office. The issue arose after employees were asked by government officials they had contact with, as well as other people, whether the "anticorruption" meant opposition to the government.

"This shows that Thai people think that when we say 'anticorruption', it means 'antigovernment', which it is not. This is only one test, and there are many tests that Thailand has to undertake if we want our country to be clean of corruption," she said.

Speaking in the same seminar, Vicha Mahakun, a member of the National AntiCorruption Commission, said the antigraft law will get more teeth, as probe powers will be broadened to cover the private sector's dealings with the government from the start of the procurement and concession process.

The new law will include the companies related to state projects and is designed to preempt irregularities, he told a seminar on "The New NACC Organic Act: Strengthening the Role of the Private Sector in the Fight against Corruption".

After the act is put in place on January 1, any firm winning a concession or project with a state agency must allow the NACC to access its financial data from the first step of the contract so that the agency can monitor transactions.

Politicians will face deep scrutiny if any unusual increase in their assets is found, unlike now, when only the amount of assets and cash flow can be questioned.

"Regarding the Corruption Perceptions Index last year, Thailand was scored at 3.5 out of 10, improving from 3.4 in the previous year. That score is at the same level as China, Greece and Lesotho. Should we be proud or embarrassed?" he said.

The NACC is drafting the act to investigate conflicts of interest among any politician. Currently, the act covers only the prime minister and the Cabinet. The law in the future will extend to the heads of local administrations and highranking civil servants, he added.