Children should be taught selflessness
Measures beyond the Constitution, such as instilling in children the idea of sacrifice for the public good are also essential in reforming Thai politics, a recent seminar on political reform was told.
The education system should focus more on teaching school children the importance of placing the public interest above personal benefit, Assoc Professor Nakarin Mektrairat, dean of Thammasat University's Faculty of Political Science, said. "When they grow up, they should think of the public interest first," he said. The idea was backed by two other speakers at last Friday's seminar on "Political Reform: A Way out for Thai Society", organised by Krungthep Turakij newspaper. The other speakers were Saiyud Kerdphol, chairman of the People's Network for Elections in Thailand (P-Net), and Surichai Wankaew, dean of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science. Nakarin said non-constitutional measures should be taken side by side with constitutional measures in the bid to reform politics. There was also a need to give the media more freedom in order to ensure that the public is well-informed about social happenings, he said. The academic said that one flaw in the current Constitution was that the administrative branch had became too strong, which had resulted in a serious rift in society. He said constitutional amendments should be made to ensure that independent organisations, set up to scrutinise politicians, should be genuinely free from political intervention. Another panel speaker, Saiyud, said the efforts of constitutional reform would depend heavily on the nature of the new government. If the next government is liberal, there is a better chance of getting a genuinely liberal charter. He said that a political system with a very powerful leader and a virtually crippled opposition could cause politicians in power to seek personal gains and eventually lead to the collapse of such a system. "I don't believe politicians can bring about [constitutional] reform because they tend to have conflicts of interest. They can only agree on issues that benefit them. So people should take part in the amendment in order to make sure a real reform will happen," he said. Surichai said the root cause of the current political conflict involved not only individuals but also the "wrong" political culture, where the winner takes all while the loser gets no respect. He said all elements in society, not only politicians, should be allowed to take part in the reform process.
Budsarakham Sinlapalavan The Nation
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