The phrase "civil servant" means different things for different people. Some parents dream of their children becoming civil servants because they feel the job is honourable and stable. Some look at it with disdain, associating it with corruption and back-stabbing. Some respect civil servants, many look down on them. There is no right or wrong.
In my life, I haven't had to interact with that many civil servants or government officials. When I do have to be in touch with them face-to-face, such as to renew my ID card, I have never had any unpleasant experience. On the phone, although they always transfer my call back and forth, they are not unpleasant. In emails, when I write to ask something at info@whatevergovernmententity, their response has never been unpleasant (because, let's be honest, they usually don't respond to my email at all).
However, on a recent trip abroad, while queuing up at the gate at the airport, I saw a group of government officials who acted like they owned the place, putting their bags on the very limited seats and talking loudly. As soon as the staff announced that the gate was open, the group got up and stood behind the "Business Class/First Class" sign.
I was walking through their group in order to make my way to the back of the line, and one middle-age man snarled angrily to me, "Hey, queue up, missy!" but I just dismissed this as a misunderstanding. Minutes later, from the back of the line, I heard him complaining to the staff in Thai, asking why he could not queue up in the business class line (he was flying economy class) when we were all going on the same plane anyway. He made a big fuss, waving his government official passport with its distinctive dark blue cover with one hand, holding brand-name shopping bags in the other. The foreign staff, who obviously didn't understand a word he said, just let him pass. The man grinned victoriously.
Upon exiting the plane, I saw some uniformed people waiting anxiously for these passengers, whose egos were as big as Suvarnabhumi airport itself. They handed their luggage and coats over to the staff and walked with their heads high up in the air, exiting the airport through a VIP lane. While I was amazed by the size of their egos, I was even more amazed by how terrified the subordinates were. They did not even look these people in the eye, and they kept staring at the ground like guilty children caught breaking Mummy's favourite plate. They jumped at every command, and looked like their dignity had exited their bodies a long time ago.
We always say proudly that Thailand is a democratic country, but sadly, we don't understand the true meaning of it. Our society is terribly hierarchical, but we sugar-coat such class-driven discrimination with sweet words like "respect", "seniority" or "humility".
Equality sounds good in theory, but in practice it just doesn't allow some people's power to be maximised, or their egos to bloom.
I have heard many stories of how government officials go on luxurious trips abroad, accompanied by their non-paying spouses, children, or even mistresses, splurging our tax money on expensive meals, fine hotels and extravagant shopping, without bringing back much knowledge or experience to help our country move forward. The same money that could have been used to provide better education for children in rural areas. The same money that should have fixed the bumpy sidewalks near my house.
But surely those things can wait? Life's too short to pass up all-expenses-paid trips to Europe.
Napamon Roongwitoo is a feature writer for the Bangkok Post.