Like it or not, corruption is the name of the game in Thailand

September 7, 2012

BANGKOK, Sept 7 – Corruption is increasingly acceptable in Thai society with an alarming trend of people seeing it as a way of life and willing to ‘tag along’ for personal gain.

An Assumption University poll conducted Sept 1-6, found the number of Thais not objecting to corruption if it was with their partial advantages increased from 63.4 per cent in June to 65.8 per cent in August.

Only one-third – 34.2 per cent – of the 2,117 respondents insisted that corruption is unacceptable.

Assumption Poll director Noppadol Kannikar said the younger generation is most worrisome with 79.1 per cent of respondents under 20 and 76.5 of those aged 20-29 said state corruption is acceptable if it benefits themselves personally.

A similar attitude was reported by nearly two-thirds of the rest of the respondents -- 64.8 per cent of the 30-39 age group, 65.4 per cent of the 40-49 age group, and 59.9 for people above age 50.

Among career groups which embrace the same attitude, students represented the highest percentage at 70.6 followed by entrepreneurs at 66.2 per cent, private employees at 64.3 per cent, general wage earners and farmers at 61.9 per cent.

Lying? White lies only, or more? More than two-thirds, 68.3 per cent, approved lying for survival while slightly under one-third, 31.7 per cent, said they would not lie regardless.

In the public sector nearly 60 per cent of state officials described corruption as acceptable, and referred to benefits in terms of job promotion, transfer to a better location and profit.

They claimed that every government is corrupt and politically intervene in public administration. (MCOT online news)

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