[ap-intact] INFO: Anti-corruption brew in Thailand — UNDP opens first “Refuse To Be Corrupt” café for Thai youth
Thailand’s
first Thai Youth Anti-Corruption Network “Refuse To Be Corrupt” café opened on
8 June 2015 at Ubon Ratchanthani University in the northeast of Thailand.
The project
is a partnership between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), True
Coffee, Anti-corruption Organisation of Thailand, Khon Kaen University, and
Ubon Ratchathani University. The partnership provides students with
professional knowledge and means to set up and run the cafés, which serve as active
communities for the students to tackle the enemy of Thai society: Corruption.
In Thailand,
corruption is a serious and complex issue, affecting many strands of Thai
society. “The future must not belong to the corrupt few who steal the country’s
resources”, said Luc Stevens, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident
Representative in Thailand. “The future of Thailand must be won by educated
youth who seek transparency, accountability and justice. This is a vision we
will support.”
A second “Refuse
To Be Corrupt” café in Khon Kaen University is due to open in September 2015.
From here, the project will expand to other campuses. A social enterprise managed
by the Thai Youth Anti-Corruption Network students’ clubs at university level,
the ‘Refuse To Be Corrupt” café seeks to be the anchor of anti-corruption advocacy
efforts in campuses.
The café is a
space created by the youth and for the youth to meet and discuss issues, share
their views among peers, organize events and map out plans to tackle corruption
within their universities, communities, and beyond. The “Refuse To Be Corrupt”
cafés use a business model that does not aim at maximizing profits. Instead,
the cafés advance and achieve the social vision of a “corruption-free society”.
A University
Students’ Integrity Survey of 1,255 students, jointly conducted in 2014 by UNDP
and the College of Local Administration of Khon Kaen University found that Thai
youth understand the concept and the importance of integrity. However, there is
a gap between what they say they believe and how they would actually behave, a
so-called integrity gap.
Over
60% of students surveyed said they would use connections or pay bribes to
obtain an unfair advantage. Over half says that at their university, students
frequently turn in papers written by someone else.
“It’s clear
that the students have a sense of right and wrong, but the influence of
existing rules, norms, and practices might make it harder for them to grow in
integrity,” says Martin Hart-Hansen, UNDP Thailand’s Deputy Resident
Representative. “UNDP is working to push for real changes. Students are the
centre of all the action because they understand the issues, as revealed in
this survey. We are here to back them up, to build them a solid stage, so that
the gap is lessened and that their beliefs and behaviours can come closer to
alignment.”
Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit,
Programme Analyst, UNDP Thailand, explains that “each year, approximately US$3
billion of government funds are allocated to public universities. However,
corruption issues in Thai universities do not receive much attention from the
public.
Universities are perceived
as privileged spaces for academic learning. The hierarchical administrative
systems and relationships between students, professors, and administration
staff have also contributed to a culture of silence on issues related to
bribery, patronage, and abuse of resources. Empowering university students with
knowledge and tools would help break this culture of silence and improve
governance and leadership of public universities in the long run”.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit, Programme Analyst with UNDP in Thailand
M: (+66) 83614 7888
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TYAnticorruption