Grassroots power 'key to survival'

GLOBALISATION

Local communities must be given a bigger role in national politics so Thailand can better cope with the impact of gobalisation, a leading social commentator says.

Political and administrative power in Thailand needs to be decentralised so the country can respond to the demands of global society, political scientist and social activist Seksan Prasertkul said to mark the 60th anniversary of Thammasat University's faculty of political science.

The political horizon must be expanded to encompass people from all walks of life, he said.

"The old paradigm of the centralised state is being eroded and contested by a world that is becoming increasingly borderless in terms of economic, social, cultural and political spaces," Mr Seksan said.

Thailand has been challenged by the need to balance the interests of foreign and Thai capitalists with those of locals and migrants who participate in the Thai economy, he said.

Mr Seksan said he did not oppose globalisation but was suggesting that the country's power structure needs to change to mitigate its impact.

"Business and economic growth should not be the only indicator of prosperity if it occurs at the expense of villagers who live near industrial sites and the degradation of their environment and health," he said.

Without effective decentralisation, rural communities would become increasingly weak and forced to depend on powerful groups with vested interests, he said.

"Local communities must be given more space to manage the country. Communities must be empowered. They need to be partners in the country's development," he said.