Why does corruption continue to plague us?

When the very way that a society works enables corruption, what can be done? Uprooting corruption requires fundamental change.

CORRUPTION & SOCIETY

Why does corruption continue to plague us?

31/01/2017
Suranand Vejjajiva
Former secretary-general to the prime minister

Those following news reports over the past few weeks likely have the impression that corruption is rampant in Thailand.

First, there was a series of bribery cases have emerged one after another starting with the shady Rolls-Royce deals of Thai Airways International.

Next, a poor ranking by Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 said a lot about corruption in Thailand.

There are quite a few research studies on corruption done by prominent academics like Pasuk Phongpaichit and Sangsit Piriyarangsan.

There have been many anti - graft campaigns aimed at boosting public awareness about corruption and its social costs.

Despite all these efforts, we are still haunted by cases of extortion and bribery from the lowest rungs of the traffic police to cabinet ministers and even prime ministers.

CORRUPTION CASES VERY DIFFICULT TO PROVE IN COURT

Cases are difficult to prove, as they are usually surrounded by rumours and accusations.

The two graft - busting government agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which deals with cases that involve high-ranking government officials and politicians, and the Office of Public Sector Anti - Corruption Commission (PACC) which handles the rest, are not very impressive.

The former especially, the NACC, is seen as being too political, meaning that some cases are processed quickly (political enemies of power -holders, for example) while others are lost or forgotten (of power-holders and their friends, for example).

Measures that could reveal corrupt officials such as asset declarations or improvement in government procurement procedures seem to catch only the small fish.

Laws and regulations exist but corrupt practices plow through them largely unnoticed.

POWER CENTRALISED & NO CHECKS AND BALANCES

First, it is the centralised nature of Thai bureaucracy and the political system that is at fault.

There is a Thai saying "hua mai sun, hang mai kradik" meaning "if the head does not move, the tail does not wag".

Temptations at the top where decisions are made set the tone for an entire government agency.

This is true for even a small police station in a rural area or a larger organisation with a huge budget.

As power is concentrated in the hands of a few, we need checks and balances to prevent abuse. But we deal with corruption in a superficial way.

COMPLICATED LEGAL RULES HIDE CORRUPTION & PROTECT CORRUPT OFFICIALS

Most it be a government agency or a state enterprise, all protect themselves with complicated rules full of legal jargon and technical terms which make it difficult for outsiders to check facts or follow the processes to discover what is going on.

Take a look at the government projects.

When the government budget is passed through the non-elected National Legislative Assembly (NLA) or an elected parliament, House oversight committees lack the mechanisms to follow up and investigate. With pork barrel politics, Thai style, many turn a blind eye.

Almost free from inspection is the military budget.

Even when the country had a democratic system, few elected officials raised this issue.

Things are worse now the regime is running the country. That explains why the regime is able to push to procure submarines for the navy.

'THE SAD THING IS THE ONLY PROFITABLE BUSINESS IN THIS COUNTRY IS GRAFT'

Even when rules and regulations exist, there is always room to manoeuvre and one can abuse power, taking advantage of legal loopholes.

Taking commissions is the norm.

The loot is often divided up and spread around so everybody keeps quiet.

An American friend of mine made this observation the other day: "The sad thing is the only profitable business in this country is graft."

PATRON-CLIENT SYSTEM MEANS FEW WHISTLEBLOWERS

But why do so few of us speak out on corruption? Where are the whistleblowers ?

This brings me to my second point -- the culture of patronage (patron- client system) in Thai society.

This goes beyond ethics and morals. It destroys meritocracy and, before we know it, the system is plagued with corruption.

When who you know is more important than what you know, you will find a way to bend the rules.

The returns could be monetary, but more often than not it is to trade in future favours.

So, the provincial official who controls the procurement budget will "help out" the local contractor whom he drinks and plays golf with.

It could be his wife's relatives or his mistress' company, or his brother, son or nephew.

The close ties to extended family among Thais play an important role in facilitating corruption. Examples can be found at the national level.

THE COVER-UP

Then comes the cover-up, concealing the corruption to prevent people discovering the truth. 

A high-ranking official was caught red-handed stealing paintings at a hotel in Japan.

His superiors in the government agency say that "it might not be considered a serious disciplinary offence" and with assistance, he got a "get out of jail free card".

This epitomises the culture of protection and friends and colleagues can always get assistance.

Members of parliament (MPs) have the same attitude and cover-up corruption.

MEDIA MINDSET PERPETUATES CORRUPTION 

Even the media, the fourth estate, are susceptible to this behaviour and cover-up corruption.

Some columnists have friends with whom they kraeng jai or "feel obligated" not to mention any kind of financial support they may have received.

Then there are defamation lawsuits that can cripple a news organization and often suppress the truth.

GOVERNMENT-BUSINESS NETWORKING PROVIDES CORRUPTION OPPORTUNITIES

I always question the merit of study programmes that aim to create a network between high-ranking government officers and businessmen. Networking is important.

But if it facilitates patronage and leads to corruption collaboration schemes, it should be eliminated.

Patronage is stronger with the concentration of power in a military government.

Scandals are quickly swept under the rug.

Those who expose them face threats and intimidation.

For example, the students who protested and questioned the Rajabhakti park scandal.

The claim that the military regime has the moral high ground compared to "corrupt" politicians can be just an illusion and a tool for suppression.

THE SOLUTION?

The problem is the systematic, ingrained cultural factor.

We need to decentralise and democratise with full checks and balances tied to the public from the local community level upwards.

There needs to be a commitment to reviving the meritocracy system at all levels.

It will take a radical overhaul to bring change. We must begin now.

Suranand Vejjajiva was secretary-general to the prime minister during the Yingluck Shinawatra government and is now a political analyst.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1190017/why-corruption-continues-to-plague-us

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