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Topics

• Decentralization and local governance
• Development and administrative problems
• Mobilizing people's participation
• Lessons learned and experiences
• Next steps

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About Thailand and its Government

Location: Southeast Asia
Size: About 517,000 square km.
Capital: Bangkok
Areas: Admin. Areas: 75 Provinces and BMA

• 876 Districts and Sub- districts
• 7,255 Tambons
• 69,367 Villages

Population: 61,466,178 (30,874,576 females and 30,591,602 males)
Local Gov.:

• 75 Provincial Administrative Organizations, PAO
• 1,129 municipalities (as of June 1, 1999)
• 2 special forms of Local Government (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Pattaya)
• 6,747 Tambon Administrative Organizations (as of March 2000)

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• The Administrative Law of 1933
  • Central administration
  • Provincial administration
  • Local administration
• Establishment of Provincial and Tambon Councils (1953 and 1956)
• The 5th Plan (1982) and new rural development
• The Tambon Act 1994

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New concept of local governance

• The 8th Plan (1997- 2001)
  • people centered process/ participation/enabling and empower local people
• The New Constitution 1997
  • Good Governance (political and public sector reforms)
  • Decentralization

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New framework for decentralization

• Self-regulated body
• Freedom to manage and develop own communities
• Elected representatives
• Transfer appropriate functions to local authority
• People's participation

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Local Governance at the Tambon Level

• TAO Council - policy and development direction
• TAO Executive Committee - development plan annual budget manage all affairs
• TAO permanent Staff - day to day management and implement development projects

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Problems

• Unequal partnership
• Dominant roles of former community leaders
• Limited and unstable resources
• Financial and administrative crisis
• Lack of people's participation
• Rigid and complex rules and regulations
• Lack of transparency and corruption

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Benefits

• Promote democracy at the grassroots level in Thai society
• Stimulate political and public sector reforms
• Better development projects (to serve local needs)

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Mobilizing People's Participation

• Pilot studies at Tambon and villages levels (1990-2000)
• Used A-I-C Approach at village level (a focus group technique)
  • Share and exchange information and concerns
  • Develop vision and plan future
  • Transform to actions
  • Share responsibility
• Involved TAO members

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Lessons and Experiences

• Villagers understand and commit to develop own community
• TAO members gain confident and development responsibility
• Better TAO plan (more social related projects)
• Transparency
• Community's watch (monitor progress and performance)
• Better election and representatives

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Transparent Local Governance

• NCCC and EC implement a two-year community-based project to stimulate people's participation in anti-corruption
• National agenda and P. M. regulations on good governance (1999)
• Ministry of Interior's policy guidelines on good governance
• Whistle-blower and witness protection program

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Table 1: Date and number of TAOs elected

Table 2: Number of TAO members by gender

Table 3: Number of registered voters and the number who voted by gender