Remember public servants who put Thailand first

Over the past week, Thailand has lost two technocrats who have served the country with their vision of Thailand playing a pivotal role in the global economic community. When the civil service was a stronger institution than it is today, these two veteran servants laid down the foundations for their agencies and left a legacy that their successors are unlikely to emulate because of the changing work culture.

The two bureaucrats in question are Bajr Issarasena, former permanent secretary to the Commerce Ministry, and Staporn Kavitanon, former secretary-general of the Board of Investment (BOI), who passed away within days of each other. Although both men had retired for years before their passing, their achievements should serve as a benchmark for the new generation of civil servants. Bajr and Staporn displayed dedication and courage in standing up to politicians, and they groomed the next generation of officials, some of whom have risen to the top of their careers today.

Bajr and Staporn began their careers as Thailand was first starting to embrace external trade and foreign investment. Bajr started at the Commerce Ministry in 1954 after graduating from Cambridge University. He accumulated knowledge and experience by working at various departments until he finally rose to the post of permanent secretary. One of Bajr’s main roles and achievements was leading Thailand in many crucial international trade negotiations – bilaterally, multilaterally and regionally – and working to protect Thailand’s commercial interests. For instance, he led Thai trade negotiators in a bilateral trade dispute with the United States over imported cigarettes. He groomed his subordinates, including Kriek-krai Jirapaet and Karun Kittisataporn – who both later became permanent secretaries at the Commerce Ministry – to become the Kingdom’s top trade negotiators for the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt), which has now become the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Staporn, meanwhile, turned the Board of Investment into a successful facilitator to attract foreign direct investment. Under Staporn’s guidance, the BOI was transformed from what was known as the “twilight zone” into a magnet to draw foreign investors to Thailand. The BOI is now a modern organisation that has introduced a one-stop service to provide information for investors and assist them in establishing their businesses. 

Staporn was also instrumental in promoting greater cooperation between the public and private sectors. During his decade at the BOI, he was a great advocate of all channels in public relations that would effectively showcase Thai manufacturers’ competitiveness.

Bajr and Staporn may be among the last generation of technocrats to play a forceful role in Thailand’s development. The political environment has changed, and nowadays politicians exert greater influence at the ministries they are in charge of. At times they put severe pressure on permanent officials who decide to stand in their way. In fact, Bajr learned about this all too well. He was dismissed from the ministry by then commerce minister Uthai Pimchaichon in 1994 over a conflict regarding a deal between a trading company and the ministry. Other officials might have chosen to succumb to the directives of politicians in order to survive in the post. But Bajr decided to act based on what he thought was right. The Supreme Court later ruled that Uthai’s dismissal of Bajr was an act of political misconduct.

While these two public servants were in charge of their respective agencies, they proved to be visionary leaders – a rare quality these days among bureaucrats and, especially, politicians, who tend to adopt short-term policies to stay in power. Bajr and Staporn’s legacies should serve as a reminder and a lesson for the civil servants of today and tomorrow.