Thailand’s bureaucracy has been frozen in time for over 20 years, with the last real reforms coming around 2002 under the government of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Now, with Thaksin back from self-exile and his Pheu Thai Party back in power, the government appears poised to shake up the bureaucratic structure once more.
“With no major overhauls, our current bureaucratic structure is pretty much the same as in 1932 [the year of the Siamese Revolution],” said Olarn Thinbangtieo, deputy dean of Burapha University’s Faculty of Political Science and Law.
The Siamese Revolution brought the end of absolute monarchy in favor of a constitutional monarchy and democratic government.
Thailand’s bureaucratic system
Although Thailand has developed its bureaucratic system over time, the country is still considered a bureaucratic polity in which the civil service rivals the elected government in terms of power.
Anand Panyarachun was the first prime minister to challenge that status quo with his bureaucratic reforms of 1991.
As a result, the country emerged with 15 ministries including the Ministry of University Affairs, which was separate from the Education Ministry.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Energy was renamed the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in 1992, while the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare was established in 1993.
A decade later, the Thaksin-led administration established six new ministries. Among them were the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which was upgraded from agencies under the Office of the Prime Minister; the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, which was upgraded from the Interior Ministry’s Public Welfare Department; and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, which was formed from agencies previously under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment.
The three others were the Information, Communication and Technology Ministry; the Energy Ministry, upgraded from Industry Ministry agencies; and the Culture Ministry, which was formed from agencies previously under the Education Ministry.
Also set up following the overhaul were several public organizations, including the Office of Knowledge Management and Development (OKMD). The OKMD continues to oversee prominent public institutions such as TK Park, Thailand Creative and Design Center, and Museum Siam.
The Thaksin government, moreover, privatized several state enterprises including energy conglomerate PTT, Airports of Thailand, state-owned public broadcaster MCOT, and Thailand Post.
“Moves by the Thaksin government marked the beginning of efforts to overhaul bureaucratic polity,” Olarn said.
“But its efforts were also mixed with conflicts of interest. That’s why we saw the privatization of state enterprises benefiting investors and Thaksin’s cronies rather than the general public.”
In 2019, General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government merged the Ministry of Science and Technology with the Education Ministry’s Office of Higher Education and the National Research Council to establish the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.
“I have to say that the bureaucratic polity in Thailand has grown following the 2014 [Prayut-led] coup,” Olarn said.
In his view, the reforms that started with the 1997 Constitution and continued till the Thaksin administration curbed the power of government agencies, which angered the elite establishment that lost power as a result.
“That’s why they have grabbed every opportunity to restore their power after the [2014] coup,” Olarn commented.
That restoration of the old status quo also reversed moves to decentralize power to local administrations, with Prayut’s government passing regulations to significantly restrict their power, he added.
“I think their independence has reduced by half,” Olarn said.
Reform in the works
The current Srettha Thavisin government led by Pheu Thai, whose de facto leader is thought to be Thaksin, is reportedly preparing several laws to revamp the bureaucratic structure.
It is expected to push for the establishment of a Climate Change Ministry to tackle a crisis now at the top of the global agenda. Germany and Australia are among many countries that have already established a climate change ministry in response to the growing need to address the crisis.
Many observers believe the Srettha government is also poised to set up a Soft Power Ministry to align with a Pheu Thai policy focus, though PM’s Office Minister Jiraporn Sindhuprai has refused to confirm or deny the rumors.
“I can only tell you that we are going to push for the Thailand Creative Content Promotion Bill,” she said.
If approved, the bill will trigger the establishment of a new state body called the Thailand Creative Content Agency.
This will, however, be neither a government agency nor a state enterprise. Instead, it will be financed with a budget from the Government Lottery Office.
The new agency will handle festivals, tourism, sports, competitions, e-games, e-sports, fashion shows, expos featuring jewelry, handicrafts and cosmetics, music, movies, TV programs, arts, theatrical performances, books, publications, foods and beverages, as well as other fields endorsed by the office’s board.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Pongpanit has balked at the suggestion that agencies under his ministry will be removed to establish the Soft Power Ministry.
“No, that won’t happen. We can work in collaboration with the Culture Ministry to take care of soft power,” he said.
Ministries of Climate Change, Soft Power?
Olarn acknowledges that climate change is an important agenda but opposes the establishment of a Climate Change Ministry, insisting that the hot issue can be handled by cooperation and coordination among existing agencies.
“By setting up new ministries, the government will demonstrate it has a top-down attitude,” the academic said.
Expanding the bureaucracy in this way usually adds to red tape and hinders much-needed local empowerment and decentralization, he added.
“You need to address the problem and explore solutions with a horizontal approach, with all sectors working together, because climate change can’t be tackled singlehandedly by any single agency.”
Olarn also shot down the idea of a Soft Power Ministry.
“Bureaucratic reform is good, but not in this way. We need real reform, something that will reflect efforts to keep pace with the changing world.”
He lamented that Pheu Thai, despite boasting about bureaucratic reform during its election campaign, failed to mention the issue in its policy statement after taking power.
By Thai PBS World’s General Desk
