Every one of us is responsible for corruption

Our support goes to the first group of 130 volunteers who have joined an anti-corruption campaign set up by the private sector, which is fed up with the chronic problem of graft in Thailand. The first task for the “Watchdog” volunteer project is to examine the allocation and use of a budget of more than Bt400 billion that the government has approved to rehabilitate economic sectors affected by the disastrous flood crisis last year. 

Naturally, these volunteers will certainly face obstacles and they are unlikely to end the problem of corruption overnight. But the responsibility being shown by these people demonstrates that everyone can contribute to the effort to change our society for the better.

The aim of the project is to protect the public interest. Pramon Suthiwong, chairman of the private sector’s anti-corruption network, said that surveys have shown that “tea money” usually accounts for as much as 30 per cent of a government project’s value. This is a waste of the public’s tax money.

In a situation where annual government spending reaches Bt3 trillion, damage could run to the tune of Bt200 billion if tea money accounts for 25-30 per cent of total contract value. It’s not hard to imagine how much the bad guys have embezzled from hard-earned taxpayers’ money for their own benefit.

Corruption has been prevalent in Thailand for decades. It is now contributing to the political division in our society because it widens the income gap between the haves and have-nots. People with good business connections tend to win contracts at the expense of qualified people who deserve to be given opportunities. People with political connections get better opportunities at the expense of others. This “not what you know but who you know” attitude wrecks the competitiveness of the country because people are not selected based on merit, but on connections and wrong practices.

Although the downsides of corruption are well known and we hear about them on a daily basis, graft is deeply rooted at all levels of Thai society, and it happens at every stage in business dealings, especially those involving the government. Ordinary people, through their ignorance, play a part in propagating corruption. It’s a sad but true fact that Thais tend to admire people for their wealth, regardless of whether the source of that wealth is highly dubious. Our society does not ask questions, so those involved with the dirt of corruption are encouraged to get even dirtier.

Perhaps the greatest problem is that our law enforcement is far too lax. In spite of the endless headlines about corruption, only a small number of cases are pursued to the courts and the deliverance of justice. Transgressors are rarely punished, and even if they are, the penalty is never much of a deterrent against future violations.

Politicians in power are often assigned to the portfolio that covers their personal business interest. If they are not, they try to find loopholes in the laws to avoid certain regulations. Private companies agree to pay bribes because they cannot win projects based on their merit or ability to deliver. Government procurement projects in Thailand are not carried out via a transparent process, as the ministers in charge usually select contract winners from their personal business contacts. The list of wrongdoing goes on, and it all comes at the expense of the public interest.

The new anti-corruption campaign will hopefully serve as a sign that the private sector will not tolerate this situation much longer. Therefore, this first set of volunteers is an important model for the private sector. We hope it will spur an even greater organised and coordinated effort to suppress corruption in Thailand in the future. 

These volunteers will be assigned to examine documents and collect information for the anti-corruption network to submit evidence to the relevant agencies if they uncover irregularities in any government projects. 

Everyone is responsible for this problem, either through engaging in corruption directly or by simply turning a blind eye. We all have a responsibility to show that we are serious about changing our society for the better. These volunteers aim to instil desirable values in a new generation. The public and state agencies should fully cooperate with them in this endeavour.