The illusion of progress is still our top priority

MY TWO SATANGS

The illusion of progress is still our top priority

Published: 16 Jun 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

A priority is, as most people know, the most important task at hand at any given moment. I learnt that fact when I was four and needed the toilet and wanted to play football both at the same time. Of course I made the wrong choice about where my priorities lay and ended up being too wet to play football.

Some pundits wonder whether Thais are focusing on the right issues—football or stopping crime. Five suspects are brought before a press conference after police arrested a gang for allegedly assisting applicants to cheat in police entrance examinations. Officers seized 10.5 million baht in cash paid by applicants to the suspects. PRASIT TANGPRASERT

Thailand is like that four-year-old version of me. We are a country that is so excited about the prospect of playing football that we forget if we want to play at our best, we must empty our bladder of all the nastiness going on inside our bodies. This week Thailand's national agenda is squarely focused on a number of issues that on a list of priorities should be located somewhere between "not important" and "huh? What are you babbling about?"

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wangsuda
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Discussion 15 : 16 Jun 2012 at 22.3215
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Corruption = "Thainess"
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dao
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Discussion 14 : 16 Jun 2012 at 21.5814
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Maybe make the punishment fit the crime .Stop punishing the finger pointer .Stop embracing the cancer thats killing you .
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genii
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Discussion 13 : 16 Jun 2012 at 21.4613
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There are those who want corruption as it benefits them in some way. There are those that have nothing to do with corruption and could care less. There are those who hate corruption as it hinders them. Then there are the leaders of the country that are suppose to take care of corruption. If the leaders accept no responsibility in stopping corruption then there is no hope.
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lannadad
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Discussion 12 : 16 Jun 2012 at 18.1512
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Most Thais see corruption as a way to gain benefits or to make things less difficult as long as they have connections - "sen". Unfortunately, the ones who make the rules always have the connections they need so nothing is done. The ordinary Thai simply lives in hope of, someday. getting a bit of sen too.
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mogy71
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Discussion 11 : 16 Jun 2012 at 16.2111
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Disc #8: it's fear of reprisal that prevents people from speaking out in Thailand...which in turn leads to Disc#5: it would also boost the income of the temples with the amount of funeral blessings for the agency folk involved....
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domdunnn
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Discussion 10 : 16 Jun 2012 at 13.2110
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Thailand has been run by corrupt people for as long as anyone can remember, it's the only system the people have known and most people think it works even if it leaves a lot to be desired.
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felixqui
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Discussion 9 : 16 Jun 2012 at 11.519
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Before you can fix a problem, it's necessary to be able to tell the truth. In Thailand, the law is designed to prevent truth telling for the unwholesome habit of face-saving.

And laws against prostitution, gambling and the like are deliberate incitements to corruption. Legalize them and a major source of corruption will be killed at no cost. Is this why politicians and officials deceitfully insist on the need for such unjust laws?
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ggh
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Discussion 8 : 16 Jun 2012 at 11.448
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Dis 2 – Without a doubt education of the masses would help the problem but this alone will not stop corruption, especially at the lower levels. When employees work for very low wages, if there is a possibility of supplementing income thru corrupt means, most people will do this (possibly even myself included). So I guess you could say to a certain degree for many, corruption may be a matter of survival. This is one of the reasons I do salute the government’s attempt at implementing the wage increases.
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ggh
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Discussion 7 : 16 Jun 2012 at 11.407
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Dis 2 – Without a doubt education of the masses would help the problem but this alone will not stop corruption, especially at the lower levels. When employees work for very low wages, if there is a possibility of supplementing income thru corrupt means, most people will do this (possibly even myself included). So I guess you could say to a certain degree for many, corruption may be a matter of survival. This is one of the reasons I do salute the government’s attempt at implementing the wage increases.
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Just-1-Voice
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Discussion 6 : 16 Jun 2012 at 09.396
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And for Thailand you could say - "There are only a few other countries at the moment where people accept and embrace corruption in their country, and say the government is totally ineffective in fighting it."

Any sane and rational person, who isn't familiar with Thailand of course, would ask why someone would pay 400,000 - 500,000 for a job that only pays about 7,500 a month to start. Those us of who live here, and know what the "real deal", is understand why. I can only wonder what would happen if an outside, independent, and uncorrectable investigative agency was brought in, with full authority to investigate, arrest and prosecute, and then have them investigate every police officer from the rank of Captain up, as well as Army officers of the same ranks, for "unusual wealth". It would be a boost to the economy for the new prisons that would have to be built.
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The illusion of progress is still our top priority | Bangkok Post: opinion