Lamentable 'tradition' In Thailand's Battle Against Graft

[Coss]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Lamentable-tradition-in-Thailands-battle-against-g-30272057.html

 

The Nation November 2, 2015 1:00 am

 

People accused of corruption should get thorough trials, not flowers from supporters

 

Through all of Thailand's lacklustre fight against corruption, one practice has stood out. It's the practice of "giving moral support" to the accused. Some gatherings were low-key, involving just a few people and a few flowers. Others were not, featuring vociferous, sometimes aggressive, crowds who had to be kept within barricades. The demonstrators have the right to do what they do, but there is one thing that they should keep in mind.

 

Such rallies do more harm than good in a country where corruption is one of the biggest problems. High-profile morale-boosting demonstrations for people accused of corruption can turn what should be straightforward criminal cases into highly charged political affairs. They put pressure on investigators. They make whoever serves as the judges feel threatened. Slowly but surely, they associate anti-corruption drives with politics. Before we know it, no big corruption case can be finalised because some big-name politicians or powers-that-be are bound to be involved.

 

Corruption in Thailand and fights against graft have often been badly politicised. The practice of giving "moral support" creates an impression of those accused being victimised by conspiracies. Only small-time graft cases can be settled without much of a fuss. For big cases concerning prominent people, "evidence" appears to give way to how many people show up to support them.

 

When corruption is politicised, it's really difficult to tackle it. When former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra allowed his ex-wife to buy a plot of state-auctioned land on Ratchadapisek Road, the fact that he clearly violated the law was overshadowed by political claims and "conspiracy theories." With the political strife in Thailand going on unabated, the campaign against corruption - which has largely been ineffective - could become even more toothless.

 

We should stop holding gatherings for the accused or giving them flowers - and start paying attention to the evidence. For a country to successfully combat corruption, a few key steps must be taken. First is the empowerment of investigators. Then punishment must be swift and not selective. Thai governments never pushed for penalties on their own people, and anti-graft investigators have never been given unconditional support from anyone, including society itself.

 

The flowers and "moral support" gatherings reflect Thai society's biggest shortcoming when it comes to fighting corruption. Here, graft has become an "us or them" issue; condemnation of crooks and their punishment rarely reflects the magnitude of the crimes. People take sides when corruption is concerned while that should never be the case. Instead of admitting guilt, the accused just point at possibly bigger crimes that have gone unpunished. Instead of deploring graft cases unequivocally, the public appears to be divided between apologists for one camp and vocal critics against the other.

 

Thailand is bracing itself for another major anti-corruption verdict. And it's too late to call for the case on the rice scheme to be "de-politicised". The scandal has already become a "political" prosecution in many people's eyes. It's unfortunate that "evidence" will again be overlooked. One side of the political divide will be more than happy to see former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra punished, no matter what the evidence says. And the other side will loathe her punishment, again, no matter what.

 

Whether Yingluck is right or wrong is a big deal. But it's no bigger than the fact that her case is an explanation of why there remains no light at the end of the tunnel. The country may have to wait a a very long time for the day when all Thais view corruption cases with the same, unbiased attitude. Until that day really comes, Thailand's place on the global transparency index will remain pathetic, and deservedly so.

[cavanami]

Once "they" get off their high horse and really go after corruption, not this pretense and only going after political

opponents...then the ending of corruption will start and only then, IMO.

[Flashermac]

This is Thai style. "They do things for us, so we will support them ... no matter how corrupt or crooked they are." Thais are so easy to buy. It works for all sides and political parties.

[pasathai1]

This is Thai style. "They do things for us, so we will support them ... no matter how corrupt or crooked they are." Thais are so easy to buy. It works for all sides and political parties.

 

 

average thais are like toddlers, they go to the one holding the largest lolipop