Index on perceived corruption reaches best level in six years

The improvement was attributed to greater awareness of the problem, close scrutiny by society, and stringent enforcement, including under the junta’s sweeping Article 44 powers.

A survey by the university and the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand showed that the CSI improved to 55 points in December from 49 a year earlier. A score higher than 50 is considered positive, with the country seen as more corruption-free the closer the index gets to 100.

UTCC president Saowanee Thairungroj said that to ensure further progress against corruption, the government should continue to cooperate closely with other sectors under the "State of the People" model.

The survey was derived from 2,400 respondents including members of the public, the private sector and government officials. It found that the cost of bribes had dropped from 25-35 per cent of each project’s value in the 2010-2013 period, and from about 5-15 per cent in 2014, to 1-15 per cent last year.

With fewer bribes, the country is estimated to have saved about Bt100 billion to Bt150 billion last year. These savings equate to 0.7-1 per cent of gross domestic product, she said.

The perceived trend of corruption in the future also improved to from 50 points in the 2014 survey to 57 points in December last year. The sub-index on seriousness of corruption rose from 42 to 52, and the prevention of corruption sub-index was unchanged at 54. The sub-index for ethics and awareness of corruption improved from 49 to 56.

Meanwhile, the 2015 Corruption Perception Index as reported by Transparency International ranked Thailand at 76th, the same as in the previous year, with a score of 38 out of 100.

Thanavath Phonvichai, director of the UTCC’s Economic and Business Forecasting Centre, said the local survey showed that the private sector was quite satisfied with the corruption situation. The university expects that average cost of bribery will decline from 10 per cent last year to about 5 per cent this year.

To continue the fight against corruption, the general public and the private sector have suggested that the government continuously tackle the problem in all sectors, particularly its own agencies.

The government should reduce factors that lead to corruption, such as allowing officials to make their own decisions. It should also stringently enforce the law to punish cheating officials, and have an audit committee inspect officials’ work and behaviour. It should also allow the public in on the scrutiny process.

Corruption problems start with lax enforcement of laws and regulations, low ethics and morals, delays and complicated procedures in dealing with government agencies, and low incomes for government officials.