Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T18:32:44.038Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Civil Society, Accountability and Governance in Thailand: A Dim Case of Participatory Democracy

from Part I - The Political Contradictions of Globalization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2015

Surin Maisrikrod
Affiliation:
James Cook University
Get access

Summary

INTRODUCTION: POLITICAL TRANSITION IN THAILAND

This chapter assesses the relationship between political-administrative accountability, civil society and a new form of governance in Thailand, following the implementation of the new constitution in 1997. The chapter begins with the historical context, especially the democratic transition and consolidation that has taken place in the country since 1973, within which the notion of accountability and transparency — or good governance — has emerged as a dominant political discourse in recent years. Secondly, the chapter assesses the extent to which the new system of governance has been developed in light of the government led by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra since 2001. It is argued that the issue of creating a new system of governance — a more responsive, more transparent and more accountable governance — cannot be separated from the issue of democratic consolidation. Thirdly, it notes that globalization provides an impetus for the rhetoric of good governance and democracy in Thailand. But as globalization has at least two parts: firstly, market forces, or the material, with key beneficiaries being capitalists; and secondly, the ideational or “good governance” — accountability and transparency — which to a considerable degree is a civil society-led counter-force to the increasing corporatization of Thai politics. In Thailand, the pro-market forces and businessmen-politicians are more dominant, resulting in the erosion of accountability and transparency. This chapter thus hypothesizes that the new system of governance in Thailand is not being achieved as envisaged by the constitution because the capitalist class (or rather a key section of it), in collaboration with more conservative/repressive state agencies, especially the police and the Interior Ministry officials — have captured the electoral process, the parliament, and thus the government. These new political forces are less interested in advancing democratic/participatory governance, but more in monopolistic capital accumulation and, at least rhetorically, the country'S international competitiveness. At the same time, the Thaksin government has attempted to curtail the activity of the middle class-based civil society groups by, among other things, rallying its support from the rural areas based on the ruling party'S populist policies. So, instead of participatory governance, Thailand is now developing a “corporatized governance”.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×