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| Higher Standards Expected from Politicians |
| UPDATE : 25 June 2009 |
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The issue of 16 senators being singled out by the Election Commission for holding shares in private companies that are concessionaires of the state or are media outlets has been hotly debated.
The senators and those sympathetic to their plight gave several arguments. Some said the shares they held were so little that they don't have any influence on the decision-making of the company. Others said they purchased the shares solely for investment purposes. And on and on this group goes...
By saying that you can probably guess my stance on this issue. I've always said time and again and strongly believe that politicians everywhere have to set a high standard for the general public—ethically, financially, personally, etc. They are volunteering themselves to serve the public and although their salaries are not that impressive, they are richly rewarded by recognition, accolades, respect everywhere they go. They wield a lot of power and authority and given the vast temptations offered to them in terms of bribes or the state budget they deal with, they must resign themselves in being subjected to checks and balances of the highest level. Therefore, whatever excuses the senators give in owning shares are not plausible.
This case jolts us back to when former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra first took power and how he was charged with asset concealment. He had tried to get around the law prohibiting ownership of shares in a private firm by transferring the shares to his driver and his household help. He was acquitted by a narrow margin on his famous 'no intention of committing wrongdoing' argument. It angers me that he got off on such lame reasoning. It is as if you let a robber get away with the crime simply because he said he didn't know it was a crime and he didn't intend to do it.
We must try to purge Thailand of corruption, particularly among politicians so any laws that do that must be supported. It may seem like the politicians are being picked on by these nitty-gritty laws but anything to keep them from dipping into the cookie jar. And enough already with the excuse that they forgot they have these shares. If they can't be responsible for getting their financial affairs in order before assuming office, how can we trust them with our future? Politics is not child's play so politicians have to beware of what they're getting into and get their house in order. That means washing their hands off any shares in private companies. It's simple enough!
Story by: Chadaporn Lin
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