Freedom of information is most effective weapon against corruption

Columnist Attayuth Bootsripoom pinpointed three groups – politicians, civil servants and private sectors – as the culprits behind corruption in Thailand and said that, for “efficient” elimination of graft, they must be tackled together rather than singly. It would be wonderful to prevent graft in all of them, but where to start?

The brave words of the anti-corruption movement in Thailand are nice, but no more than that. There has never been sustainable action that would give hope of seeing a low-corruption society like Singapore’s. The answer to this problem lies in our broader attitude. Atifete Jaljaga, the President of Kosovo, points out that the sharing of information in an open society is necessary for democracy. Information is enlightenment. Debate is the way to solutions. With no information shared, no rule of law and no accountability, there will be abuse, corruption and indignation. Even Vladimir Putin has said that “Those who fight corruption should be clean themselves”.

No, the road to a solution is a long one. Meanwhile we can go on continuously condemning corruption and hoping for an eventual redeemer for Thailand.

Songdej Praditsmanont