Making it count | Bangkok Post: feature

INTERVIEW

The title "inspector-general" exudes the aura of an all-powerful person, yet tends to carry with it the stereotypical connotation of an innocuous, paper tiger left out in a void within the realm of the civil service in Thailand.

However, the Ministry of Industry's (MoI) Inspector-General Somchai Harnhirun begs to differ and is keen to dispel this line of thinking. "Inspectors general are the internal affairs of the ministry. True, we appear to hold no power because all we do is inspect provincial agencies [finance, implement policies, corruption] affiliated to the ministry. But you cannot overlook the fact that the permanent secretary [highest ranking government official in any ministry] delegates power to inspectors general like me to deal with situations such as post-flood recovery, among other important matters," said Somchai, who holds a PhD in economics from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

"Is it a 'paper tiger' position? I say it is an experience for me, a new culture from my previous postings at the Office of Industrial Economics where academics worked independently, or at the Department of Mineral Resources where engineers worked in a warm seniority-based atmosphere," explained the Chiang Mai native who is responsible for 13 provinces in the upper north region of Thailand.