Universities could be sharp-toothed watchdogs against graft
Play
I fully support Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in his call for the civil sector to monitor and examine alleged graft in a bid to bring transparency to public affairs.
University academics and graduate students could play a vital role in this monitoring and scrutiny. As experts in their fields, they are trained to be impartial and analytical, which would lend credibility to the results.
For example, in the Rajabhakti Park case, faculty and students could analyse the market price for the statues, the degree to which the project’s terms of reference and bidding were transparent, how they could have been improved, and where graft could have occurred. They could work in tandem with, say, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, providing both brainpower and manpower, while garnering publishable articles and hands-on experience.
Prayut could aid the implementation of this anti-graft initiative by ordering all state agencies involved, including the military, to cooperate fully with university watchdogs as we work together to rid our country of this scourge.
Burin Kantabutra
