'don't Wai The Corrupt' - Farewell To A Warrior In The Fight Against Graft

[Flashermac]

Thai Chamber of Commerce chairman Dusit Nontanakorn died earlier this month but the battle he spent his professional life fighting is one the country cannot afford to abandon

 

 

The studio is only on the first floor, but Dusit Nontanakorn, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, and a television producer were waiting for the elevator. It was taking too long.

 

''Shall we just walk up?'' the producer asked Dusit.

 

Dusit nodded reluctantly and smiled.

 

Halfway up the stairs, the producer turned and found Dusit still struggling with the first step. ''Are you OK?''

 

''I'm all right.''

 

In the make-up chair, Dusit offered his apologies.

 

''He has leukaemia,'' his assistant whispered to the producer.

 

The producer apologised profusely for suggesting they walk up the stairs.

 

''It's OK. I'm all right,'' Dusit said, smiling.

 

Before we started the TV interview, Dusit told me, the interviewer, ''I apologise but I have to take a break every five minutes. I get too tired.''

 

That was a month ago. On Sept 6, Dusit passed away from leukaemia. He was 64 years old.

 

Sick as he was, Dusit explained why he had come for the interview. ''If there's one last thing I can do, this would be it - fighting corruption.''

 

I first met Dusit in July of last year at a forum organised by the Joint Chambers of Commerce on income inequality and social disparity in Thailand.

 

He was a speaker on the first panel. I was on the second. Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva gave the opening address. More than 300 local and foreign executives attended the event.

 

Watching him on the panel, what struck me was this: here's a man, a Thai, an elderly one at that and a businessman to boot, who's willing to speak candidly against corruption at a public forum.

 

Dusit spoke with conviction, garnering sporadic applause from the crowd. The event was in English, but Dusit was so passionate he begged the audience and organiser's indulgence to switch to Thai.

 

Here's the gist of his speech.

 

When government concessions are offered to the private sector there is often an under the table payment of 30%. He estimated that added up to two trillion baht per year and the trend is on the upswing - it could soon reach 50%.

 

Dusit offered this information over a year ago.

 

Last week, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board said there are high- and low-ranking police officers involved in drug trafficking, especially in inner Bangkok.

 

The week before, police inspector-general Sathaporn Laothong said more than 10 high- and low-ranking police officers were involved in the Sutthisan casino that MP Chuvit Kamolvisit exposed in parliament.

 

The Thailand Information Centre for Civil Rights and Investigative Journalism last week released a study which showed that 317 MPs were found to have become richer than they were when they took office on Jan 22, 2008.

 

Of those, seven MPs saw their bank accounts swell by 100 million baht in their three years in office, 10 had become 50 to 100 million baht richer, the wealth of 54 grew by to 10 to 50 million baht, and 61 were between five and 10 million baht richer. The wealth of the rest only grew five million baht each.

 

Overall, it was a 4.3 billion baht increase in wealth.

 

The study, however, stated that this newfound fortune was through investments made by spouses and family members and other ''legal'' means.

 

The average monthly salary of an MP is about 100,000 baht.

 

Last week, Education Minister Woravat Au-apinyakul proposed legalising tea money in the school admissions process, which many have criticised as legalising or encouraging corruption.

 

A coalition comprising 30 state enterprises and private businesses on Wednesday released a statement claiming that corruption in Thailand will worsen in the next 12 months.

 

Figures from the Thai Corruption Perception Index for last month showed half of the 2,400 people surveyed expect corruption to be on the rise next year unless effective preventive measures are introduced.

 

Nearly half of those surveyed believe the government is unable to solve this problem.

 

On Thursday, a panel of leaders in the business and media gave a talk on corruption.

 

Thai Journalists Association chairman Prasong Lertrattanawisut said, ''The press alone cannot start a movement. Often what the press report is dictated by business interests. The government has to act as well.''

 

But as Dusit said we can all take responsibility and stand against corruption rather than wait for others.

 

One interesting act of defiance Dusit proposed was to stop paying respect to or waiing the corrupt _ be they politicians, bureaucrats or businessmen.

 

It was a practice Dusit himself adopted. ''By not waiing we show that we no longer condone corrupt people,'' he said.

 

Dusit believed this was an important step in sending a message to the corrupt that they would no longer be tolerated simply because they are phu yai and social norms dictate they must be kowtowed to.

 

Dusit also led efforts that resulted in the signing of an MOU by nearly 30 business associations pledging that they would no longer pay bribes for government concessions.

 

''Each of us have to lead the way. We have to play a part. We have to show by example, not just talk,'' he said.

 

During his career, Dusit, a civil engineer by training, helmed top positions at blue chip companies such as Krung Thai Bank, the Government Savings Bank, Siam Cement, Advanced Info Service, Siam Future Development and Loxley, among others

 

He served as chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand, and also as a director of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce,

 

Among other degrees, Dusit held an MBA in engineering sciences and construction engineering from Ohio State University and a BBA in business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.

 

Before he passed away, Dusit was working on a project to produce anti-corruption T-shirts for sale. He intended to use the proceeds along with other funding sources such as donations to produce an anti-corruption TV series.

 

''We would use the names of known corrupt people as characters in the series,'' he said.

 

Here's to the memory of Dusit Nontanakorn.

 

 

Bangkok Post