People power

"It is easy to say we like or dislike Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but much harder to create and embrace a solid path for Thailand's development," says outgoing senator Jon Ungphakorn, the country's latest Magsaysay awardee, who was honoured for his social service last year.

Images of street demonstrations may have become more prevalent on television screens, but they are not backed by strong non-government organisations (NGOs), he adds.

Senator Jon, who founded the Thai Volunteer Service in 1980 to expose privileged university graduates to the country's rural poor and to the NGOs that work among them, fears the country's problems are deep-rooted.

He says many Thais often feel comfortable blindly following leaders, not organising to influence them, and believes society is full of influential persons who prevent people's participation in national policy.

Mechai Viravaidya, the 1994 award winner for devoting himself to the betterment of society through his Population and Community Development Association, urges the government to create opportunities for NGOs to make a greater contribution to society.

Without any sustained influence from the people's sector, the country faces a repeating cycle of fighting over leaders, not issues.

Whose voices?

The media is a major problem inhibiting the people's sector, argues Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, the 1978 awardee. The media should change their attitude that brands NGOs as troublemakers, she asserts.

The media must provide avenues for independent information and differing opinions. And people need to judge whether the information handed to them has a hidden agenda, she says.

Jon agrees and says Thailand should have its quality media overseen by [but not run by] the state. State-run programmes such as the "Thaksin meets the people" radio show are unfair.

Sophon Suphapong, the 1998 awardee for public service, suggests social activists and NGOs should increase their standing and go beyond producing sound-bites for the media.

 NGOs must improve their capacity for scrutinising, not just complaining about what the government may or may not be doing, he says.

Ethics above all

Sophon is concerned how easily unethical behaviour among politicians renders impotent much of the intent of the 1997 Constitution.

Ethics are more important than democracy and independent agencies under the Constitution must act with ethics, says Sophon, a former member of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDA).

Part of the problem, he admits, is that the CDA gave too much power to the prime minister. His power must be reduced and more power given to independent bodies established under the Constitution to scrutinise the government, he says.

Mechai hopes investment in the younger generation can improve the ethics of future governments.

Citing a project he has been working on with young people aged 14-24 in 300 villages, Mechai said his organisation supported youth committees in running their own projects. These young people elected representatives to run the projects and organised public hearings to promote transparency.

Some Tambon Administration Organisations (TAO) invited these youths to attend meetings and some youth committee members became elected TAO members.

Commitment to education

Education for rural people is the future of Thailand, says Krasae Chanawongse, the 1973 awardee for community leadership.

Krasae, a doctor who has been working to promote better education and healthcare services in rural areas for more than four decades, claims state policy is designed to leave behind people in rural areas, especially as a result of poor education.

He sees the decentralisation of administration from Bangkok as critical to education reform. Provincial governors should be elected within the next five years. Elected governors would pay more attention to the needs of people than those appointed by the central government, he argues.

Governors must give priority to developing and retaining quality teachers.

Meanwhile, Jon points out that while Thailand aims to guarantee health care and a liveable income, albeit not fully realised, such an objective has yet to be established for education. He would like to see access to free education for all through to university level.

Real help for the poor

Working in urban slums for almost three decades, Prateep says she would like to see a mechanism to redistribute the country's wealth and assets, especially land rights for the poor.

Krasae agrees that unless redistribution happens, society will continue to allow the strong and rich to take as much as they can.

Prateep proposes an inheritance tax system as used by the Japanese, where high taxes must be paid after death, deterring vast accumulations of wealth.

Other approaches could involve something similar to the Stock Exchange of Thailand programme to return one-third of its profits to society, says Mechai.

Injustice in the South

Sophon, an active member of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), feels violence in the three southernmost provinces reflects a general unwillingness to advance justice.

He cites the State of Emergency Law imposed in the deep South as evidence that further restrictions have only added more fuel to the conflict.

The violence cannot be stopped with more violence, says Jon. Not only does he see the need to abolish the emergency decrees, but communities must be allowed to decide their own futures.

The state must change its mindset and consider autonomy that embraces all groups of local people, he argues.

Note: This article is the first of a series on "Magsaysay Thai Awardees on the National Agenda" roundtable discussions organised by The Nation.

Next: Analysis of some of the more fundamental issues.

Subhatra Bhumiprabhas

The Nation