In 2019, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stormed an election campaign rally stage with a promise to end turmoil and move the country forward. He managed to survive attacks from all sides, from an oath gaffe to anti-government protests. However, nobody imagined that the coronavirus would present a real challenge to his rule. After 18 months, the crisis has battered the country with 218,000 infections and 1,600 deaths so far.
Critics have claimed that the government has been slow and disunited in resolving the crisis. In the first phase, authorities imposed a curfew and total lockdown at the expense of the economy. Yet, it failed to implement strict preventive measures when compared to other countries like Taiwan, which detected its first case around the same time. Later, the country became complacent about zero local transmissions as other countries grappled with new waves.
During the second wave, officials attempted to deal with coronavirus clusters but ensured that public health and the economy would go hand in hand. Finally, as the third wave hit, the government faced new variants that spread rapidly, especially in highly mobile population groups. Meanwhile, the government is scrambling to maintain its mass vaccination campaign amid criticism of a chaotic rollout. The Thailand Development Research Institute has estimated that the failure to reopen the country is costing the country 100 billion baht per month.
Earlier this month, critics gathered at a forum held to mark the 72nd anniversary of Thammasat University's Faculty of Political Science to air their views and discuss the future. At the discussion, they called on the government to empower people to prepare for a post-pandemic world.
Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of the Thailand Development Research Institute, said the government should increase the number of skilled workers. Photo courtesy of TDRI
Decentralising power
Asst Prof Tavida Kamolvej, dean of Thammasat University's Faculty of Political Science, said a silo mentality is the main problem in bureaucracy. The government has invoked the emergency decree because those who use other laws such as the communicable disease act and the disaster prevention and mitigation act have not had a unified pandemic response.
"Staff at different departments don't exchange relevant information as was seen during a recent spat over vaccine distribution between the Ministry of Public Health and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Crisis management should be based on a system where instructions flow in the same direction but it doesn't mean centralisation either. They are two different things. It is like an orchestra performing in unison or otherwise musicians will clash. Distrust and looking for decision-making rights undermine unity," she said.
Tavida said the government should tackle fragmentation in bureaucracy by developing a big data system to ensure accurate monitoring and evaluation. In addition, it should empower local administrations and offer them technical support and it should also allow civil society groups to engage in state mechanisms.
"They share local information and monitor state agencies but the problem is that if there are blunders, to what extent is the system accountable to its people? Without it, we will feel worn out and bear the full brunt of its effects," she said.
Dr Komatra Chuengsatiansup, director of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, said the government should establish a relationship with citizens on democratic accountability.
"In a democratic society, our rights and voices should be guaranteed. Citizens are part of the country and need protection. Democratic accountability can translate into policies and practices but bureaucracy is complicated and concrete proposals become weak points. So, there should be a right relationship," he said.
Prof Woothisarn Tanchai, secretary-general of King Prajadhipok's Institute, said the government should intervene in the economy to support vulnerable people. Photo courtesy of KPI
Reducing inequality
Prof Woothisarn Tanchai, secretary-general of King Prajadhipok's Institute, said the government should learn lessons from the pandemic to plan for the future. One such fact that Covid-19 has exposed is inequality in society and new vulnerable groups. People often say they won't let anyone miss the train but there are many who don't know where the stations are.
"The case of those who flocked to Krungthai Bank to register for the Rao Chana (We Win) scheme is an example. And when it comes to education, we talk about computers and online learning but ignore that some parents are not ready to teach their children. This is a shortcoming in the education system and it needs a complete overhaul," he said.
Woothisarn said the social support system will play an essential role in the future. Compassion can alleviate the impact of the outbreak. Village health volunteers are an example of huge social capital in the public health system and it shows that even ordinary people can throw their weight behind frontline workers by ordering food for hospital staff via online delivery.
"Managing social capital will have an immediate impact. In the first phase, those who lost jobs returned to their provincial homes to live off the land. They were surviving without a 4,500 baht cash handout and it shows the social safety net is still valuable," he said.
He said the government should bridge the gap and demonopolise the economy to keep vulnerable groups alive. In the long term, it should prepare them for the post-pandemic future of work and come up with a clear development plan.
"The state must reimagine or it will miss new opportunities," he added.
Improving competence
Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of the Thailand Development Research Institute, said the government should increase the number of skilled workers and enhance their competence to reimagine the future. Thailand has invested a substantial amount in education but an international student assessment test recently showed that 40-60% of Thai students are illiterate in math, science, and reading. Meanwhile, the country has been a victim of the middle-income trap since 1960 and its capability of escaping is dropping.
"With control over corruption, rule of law, and bureaucracy, Thailand outpaced Malaysia and Vietnam in 1998 but now it is now the other way round. It is worrying because we are facing daunting challenges. Covid-19, technology disruption, and geopolitics require highly competent officials. While businesses are catching up, the state is trailing behind," he said.
However, stringent regulations will continue to be an obstacle in the post-pandemic world, Somkiat said. Over 70,000 laws were passed between 2015-2018 and some of them are very strict. For example, Thailand is lagging behind other countries in its vaccine rollout because procurement regulation laws don't allow it to pre-order vaccines in the development phase. On the other hand, the UK was able to make an advance purchase of vaccines last July before they were even approved for emergency use.
"In the recovery phase, businesses will be hamstrung by bureaucratic regulations. If they want to open new restaurants, they must get five permits; a commercial registration licence, food business establishment licence, building construction licence, food sanitation licence, and liquor licence," he said.
