Legislation to make public servants more amenable

For too long, Thailand’s bureaucracy has been the source of public complaints, and rightly so, because of the poor level of service received when requesting necessary documents related to such things as a new citizen ID card, driving licence, house registration transfer or a land transfer — among many others.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said there were roughly 600 acts that required people to make some sort of contact with government agencies, one way or another.

The poor level of service is sometimes a deliberate effort by public officials based on a corrupt motive. For example, public officials may demand money from a person who wants a “fast track” in an otherwise endless and complicated process that may take months.

As a result, this new act could prove to be very helpful — especially for people who do not have the power of money and are always “stuck at the bottom of the pile”.

The act will require government offices and agencies to provide clear and precise details about all the necessary documents to accompany a request and, most importantly, the expected waiting time.

If public officials fail to complete their tasks on time, they are obliged to explain to the people the causes of the delay and the renewed deadline. Otherwise, the heads of those departments or offices that receive many complaints may face disciplinary charges that could result in transfer or dismissal.

The act’s focal point is to create “convenience” for people every time they need to contact public officers with any kind of request.

Wissanu last week said the government aimed to create a “one-stop-service” where any official request could be fulfilled in one place. 

He said there had been talks to open these one-stop-service centres at Central World and over ten other Central shopping malls across the country.

There had also been talk of the possibility of “outsourcing” certain types of bureaucratic responsibilities to the private sector, on the grounds that private firms may possess a higher level of management skills, expertise and efficiency.

These are progressive initiatives that should be seriously pursued and although the ideas are good, mechanisms must be created to ensure their continuity and effective regulation.

For example, article 82 of the Civil Service Act already clearly states that all public officials must “welcome, provide convenience and fair treatment to any citizens who come to make contact with their offices.”

This hasn’t always been the case in the past.

Civil Service Act article 23 states that public officials “must not be rude or insult, look down on people who come to request their service.”

Thailand’s past bureaucratic problems resulted fundamentally from the lack of effective law enforcement and regulation, rather than the absence of a legislative framework.

The new constitution already gives absolute power to transfer, dismiss or appoint high ranking public officials |such as the Permanent Secretary |of Ministries, to the bureaucrats |themselves, which is not a welcome |sign for effective regulation, examination or transparency. How will the head of a public office be punished if his office delivers poor service to the people? Thailand’s bureaucracy needs to be regulated by a non-bureaucratic organisation such as the soon-to-be established People’s Assembly. Under the new constitution, it will receive public complaints and submit cases to the Office of Civil Service Commission, or relevant Ministry’s civil servant commission. As a result, people’s complaints will gain more attention and be taken more seriously.

People want an improved level of service and convenience from public offices that are required by law to be effectively regulated and maintained, not just for this short period time, but for all time.