From poorly equipped school facilities and dubious construction projects to suspiciously wealthy politicians, the people of Thailand have heard, if not lived, with stories of bribes and back-room deals as far back as they can remember.
To showcase how endemic corruption is in the country, the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) recently opened the Museum of Thai Corruption, which incidentally coincided with Anti-Corruption Day on Sept 6. The opening ceremony was presided over by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The museum features 10 sculptures that represents 10 major corruption cases that have happened in Thailand. All the sculptures are currently being displayed at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) until Sept 27 and will be permanently moved to the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in December.
Secretary-general of the ACT Mana Nimitmongkol said that the idea of setting up the Museum of Thai Corruption stemmed from the perception that people who are involved in corruption only care about one thing -- how not to get caught, and that the rest of the Thai society forgets fraud cases so quickly as it is a Thai trait to easily compromise.
"With this museum, we want people to learn and remember that corruption can be conducted in various forms. As for those who corrupt in any form, this museum reminds them that what they do will be recorded in the country's historical pages and will never be forgotten," said Mana.
"We are living in a society where corruption is treated as common behaviour. The country's political and economic transition makes room for the powerful and influential to benefit themselves. And while this exploitation of power has been going on, people on the lower level do not want to get involved. As a result, corruption has never been solved."
The 10 major corruption cases being showcased include the rice pledging scheme under the Yingluck Shinawatra government; police station construction fraud; Rai Som media corruption scandal case; Bangkok Film Festival case; Klong Dan water treatment scheme fraud; primary school futsal pitch scandal; Longan scandal; police booth LED advertising signboards fraud; a case involving a wealthy former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport; and the grey-market luxury automobile case.
The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) submitted a long list of corruption cases and was finally whittled down to 10 specific cases by the ACT. But, given the sheer number of corruption cases that occur in Thailand, the natural question is: why these 10?
"We picked big cases that have caught the public eye," noted Mana. "They are cases that have had great impact on our country. They include corruption at a government-policy level that brought about long-term economic and social consequences. There are also corruption cases committed by senior government officers, as well as by general state officers with private sectors acting as accomplices.
"The cases that we picked are all related to politicians from several governments that are linked to many big-name political parties. For some cases, however, parties from different political standpoints conspired to commit acts of corruption."
Sculptures contain symbolic designs that aim to encourage visitors to interpret the hidden messages. There is also a corresponding text containing simplified information for each case presented right by the sculptures themselves.
For example, with the Klong Dan water treatment scheme fraud which took place in Samut Prakan province, the sculpture shows a three-headed person that signifies how the authorities committed the fraud by themselves -- from setting up the water treatment policy, to setting the budget, to approving the whole project. The authorities also played a role as a contractor who was supposed to be responsible for the construction of the water treatment plant that actually never existed. The fraud apparently led to a 2.1 billion baht loss.
Also on display is an installation representing the case of the Bangkok Film Festival in which two Los Angeles movie executives were sentenced to six months in a US jail after being found guilty of paying around US$1.8 million (65 million baht) in bribes to win the right to manage the Bangkok International Film Festival between 2003 to 2006. The bribe was allegedly paid to the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Juthamas Siriwan.
The sculpture features one lady standing on a turtle, suggesting the slow pace of the judicial process, as the case has only finally made it to criminal court this year.
"The museum does not mean to vilify anyone, but it aims to enable people to see through the corruption tricks that damage our country," Mana opined. "We want our citizens to be aware of the possibility of corruption. Inspection on state authorities and politicians must be actively put into action."
Apart from the actual museum at BACC, the ACT has also launched an online version of the museum which, they hope, will be easier for people across the country to get access.
The website (museumofthaicorruption.com) features all of the 10 cases currently exhibited at BACC. This interactive channel is designed with a user-friendly interface that encourages people to share their favourite cases on social media. While sharing photos of the cases, users are also allowed to create a slogan for each particular sculpture which will appear on their social network feed.
Mana said that while the Museum of Thai Corruption is part of the ACT's mission to urge Thai people to act against corruption in all levels of society, the focus right now is at the government level as it is the country's biggest concern.
"The political situation right now has made it easy for us as there are policies to eliminate graft," he added. "But more importantly, Thai people should keep their eyes fully open and be ready to make tangible changes that would help create long-lasting results.
"No matter what aspects Thai people want to see changed, they must keep their voice loud and share their opinion in order to balance the government and the public sectors. At the same time, it is equally important for the government to take public requirements into consideration.
"It is very challenging to build sculptures that can depict problems that are rooted deeply in Thai society," the ACT secretary-general concluded. "Right now we are working on more cases to be added to the display to give a bigger picture of corruption in Thailand."
