Efficiency outweighs corruption?

The Nation, Asia News Network, Thailand

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has rarely hidden his thoughts when it comes to corruption. Of course, there was his election rhetoric -- such as "I will never demand a receipt when charges arise (against the government)" -- but as days go by his stand on the issue has become clearer and clearer, demonstrated yet again in his recent speech to kickstart a brainstorming session on the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) law.

He called for a "realistic" antigraft law, one which would not shut out efficient people from politics by making their corporate management expertise, success, or experience a political liability.

During his painful Constitution Court trial, Thaksin more than once said that "anybody can do wrong". That was the closest he came to admitting that the massive share transfers to his family servants were not the right thing to do. It was part of a two- pronged strategy he used for his political survival.

For his ardent supporters and for the judges, his message was a firm "I'm innocent", but for doubters, he was implicitly urging them to forget the past and allow him to move on with the business of rescuing Thailand.

Now, when a Democrat MP is threatening to expose an alleged tax evasion scheme by Thaksin's business empire, Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party is hitting back by claiming that the MP himself owned shares in companies accused of tax violations. In addition to that, the House committee on business development, dominated by Thai Rak Thai MPs, has ordered the Democrat to cease the investigation and it has taken over the inquiry itself.

Put all the pieces together and we will see that Thaksin's stand on corruption is anything but revolutionary. Receipts? No, he does not want any as long as the accused are his political enemies.

If he is on the receiving end, all allegations are a political game designed to destroy a good man. And what will you do when you are accused of corruption? Hit them back with similar or bigger charges. Blackmail them into silence. If their charges are solid, show the public that the other side is dirty all the same.

What's happening to Democrat Sirichoke Sopha reflects a vicious circle: A corruption charge is countered by another allegation and sub,sequent "probes" deteriorate into a protracted spitting contest until the public loses interest.

In theory, it should benefit the checks and balances system when rival politicians dig up dirt against each other, but in reality, many smear battles have ended in secret truces.

Thaksin criticizes the corruption law as too rigid. That's the likely reason why the government is trying to amend the legislation to ease restrictions on business activities of spouses of political office holders.

At the Nov. 23 workshop to amend the NCCC law, the prime minister gave an unmistakable signal as to what the new law should be. "We should ask ourselves what kind of person we really need to solve the country's problems," he said. "If your answer is an absolutely clean man and it doesn't matter if he had never done anything at all, then we need one type of law. But if you prefer efficiency and experience, the prerequisites they use when selecting a company president, then we need another type."

Interpretation: He wants to compromise anticorruption measures. That and what his party did to Sirichoke is a mockery of his "new ideas, new actions" motto.

Thailand can never solve its corruption problem as long as certain individuals are allowed to stay above the rules or integrity is placed below "efficiency". And when a tax scam allegation is countered by a similar charge, we can only draw one conclusion -- the eventual loser will be the people.