Military-backed senator blasts corruption in current political system, which was crafted by army

A member of military-appointed senate told parliament today that the coup which brought General Prayut Chan-ocha into power in 2014 had failed to fix corruption problems in Thailand.

“The main issue in the previous coup or past talk about reformation was about corruption and election fraud…but it has been 7-8 years until now, the hideous cycle of corruption has gotten worse,” Senator Wanchai Sornsiri said in parliament.

Wanchai was appointed by the military dictatorship into his current position. But despite his previous allegiances, Wanchai did not hold back on blasting the current governmental structure which was manipulated to benefit the current military-backed rulers.

Wanchai urged bureaucrats that have an “overlapping position” as businessmen to avoid finding legal loopholes for their own benefits and profits.

“Senior bureaucrats that know how to find a way to work for private companies are going down a path of a trader, but the path of Thai bureaucrats should be working for respect, honour and acceptance from the people, not money and profit,” he said.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said in 2020 that corruption was the most rampant during the NCPO’s era.

For example, there were 10,382 corruption allegations in 2019 stemming from irregularities in the state budget worth some 238.21 billion baht. The NACC found enough evidence to investigate 3,285 cases worth 236.24 billion baht. Most irregularities can be found in the purchasing and hiring processes which is worth around 207.06 billion baht, the commission said.

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