Subverting the women's fund

COMMENTARY

Published: 23/02/2012 at 09:57 AM
Newspaper section: News

Help the mother, and you help her whole family. Who can argue with that? Why then has the 7.7-billion-baht Women's Fund got the thumbs-down from many women's rights groups and legal experts? The answer lies in their common concern regarding abuse for political gain. This is a real concern.

During her election campaign, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she would allot each province a 100-million-baht women's fund. She announced this policy at the National Council of Women of Thailand, where her elder sister was once president and still enjoys wide influence. The message was not missed _ that if she won the election, the Women's Council and its nationwide members would play an important role in the fund's management.

Right from the start, rights-based women's groups have been calling for Ms Yingluck to allow public participation in the management of women's funds _ to no avail. In short, they wanted transparency. They wanted to know who would manage the fund and how to ensure that the money reaches women with real needs, instead of being concentrated among those in the political network of Pheu Thai Party.

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About the author

: Writer: Sanitsuda Ekachai; Position: Assistant Editor

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howell
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Discussion 13 : 24/02/2012 at 11:32 AM13
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@med142. 'people talk about transparency etc why? because they want a slice of the action.'

Err, no it is because transparency means it is possible to see where all the money goes and thus avoid it being sliced off.
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med142
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Discussion 12 : 23/02/2012 at 10:04 PM12
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There is nothing subversive about this at all, There are protocols in place to apply for such funds.These funds can not just be given to anyone, they need to register and apply for them. Nothing wrong in that at all. How many would actually know about these funds and how to get access to them? This is where communication comes to the fore.
But we all know that some will line there pockets also. How is Thailand going to get rid of all this corruption?
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ggh
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Discussion 11 : 23/02/2012 at 05:47 PM11
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Dis #3 and #6 – Regardless of the difficulty of the job, it is still the opposition’s job to provide checks and balances. Of course we know politicians will line their pockets or show favoritism if they can, not naivety here. But do you really think any other organization created to oversee the fund would be better? Maybe the government should scrap the plan because it can’t be managed? Or should the program be supported by all, to help better the lives of the under privileged? It really is a shame that all sides can’t work together for the good of the average citizen!
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pointoffew
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Discussion 10 : 23/02/2012 at 02:24 PM10
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Last month, or in December, not sure, one of my best friends was approached, asked if she would be interested in being a consultant for this project in her province. She personally believes that at least half of the budget will end-up in the pockets of those who need it least - executives.
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raimund
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Discussion 9 : 23/02/2012 at 01:10 PM9
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50 % of the voters are women. So make it clear to Yingluck at the next election,that she can fool you only once.
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dao
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Discussion 8 : 23/02/2012 at 11:31 AM8
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Make a lofty promise to help your voter base. Get funds from the budget .Finally .... It sounds like the flood plan .No follow through or accountability .Do you think the most desperate people get out and vote and registered house holds ?
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med142
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Discussion 7 : 23/02/2012 at 11:18 AM7
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The author here says help the mother help the family. Well yes i agree, then educate the mother.
Why are most just subservant to the male? Just look at the way music industry,media portray woman and teenage girls as. Correct this first then maybe, just maybe things will start to get better.
people talk about transparency etc why? because they want a slice of the action. It will never change, why even have womans rights groups here. When you see how they are portrade here.
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Ian Wensor
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Discussion 6 : 23/02/2012 at 09:53 AM6
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ggh- discussion 1... Some of your suggestions have merit albe they somewhat naive ... You can bet your sweet Nelly that bureaucrats and politicians will see this as a golden opporunity to plunder and rort the system at the expense of the less fortunate ... WHO FOOLISHLY VOTED FOR THEM.
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Eric
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Discussion 5 : 23/02/2012 at 09:38 AM5
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I think the headline '.....why has it failed...' is very misleading & premature. Afterall the fund will only be officially launch on 8 March and no work has been done yet. However I can accept that the devil is in the details and there are not much for now. Still it is tax payer money and should be spend for the purpose it is intended for and not for political reasons. All past attempts including the village funds have failed and we want this latest attempt to succeed to better the lives of women who form half the population. We should support this but monitor its progress and then we can judge.
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Ian Wensor
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Discussion 4 : 23/02/2012 at 09:31 AM4
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This should send a clear message to all Thais and not only to women. Bureaucrats and politicians deem GREED more important than the NEED of poverty stricken women and because graft and corruption is now endemic and an integral part of the 'Thai way' of doing things - IT AIN'T GOING TO CHANGE.
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