The cookie of your own medicine. Connections don't last forever and someone with more money can pay more bribes. A story from 1974.
Before the test, I gathered all the textbooks and memorized everything in my head. Especially the subject civil service I should not underestimate. For fear that this would not be enough, I took extra lessons. Because the position I applied for was a good one, with promotion opportunities.
My friend Prajut, also up for that position, behaved differently. He was not concerned with learning. "You don't have to study for the test," he said. "How can you pass that exam if you don't study for it?" I said doubtfully. 'Of course you can, why not?' he laughed. 'But how?'
'If I put my connections to work. The back door! Knowledge is not as important as having connections. You can study like crazy but you won't pass the test.' 'I have no connections. How can I rustle something like that?' "Shall I do it for you?" he asked. 'No thanks. If I get that job, I'll do it on my own. Don't want to have to say thank you to anyone.' I honestly told him my opinion.
'You're too neat. You can't be nice with things like this. Those who don't obey the traffic rules get on well. A sensible man must be smart.' "No, I don't think so," I contradicted him. But Prajut looked offended. 'If you don't believe me and don't want to enter through a back door, then OK! You will see it. But don't be mad at me then!'
Indeed, that's how it went. Blasted! But Prajut had made it and I was sad to hear that. But with time my disappointment lessened and I believed it was a good thing that I failed. Because I wasn't sure if my attitude would have lasted in circles full of connections.
My second attempt. Connections?
Later I tried to take the entrance exam again and this time for another position. Yes! I came through and was proud of my achievement. But that pride vanished when I learned that this result was not my merit! It was Prajut! He had secretly bribed someone. The flail!
Prajut and I don't look alike. Despite that, we get along well. Probably because we were playmates as children. In this way, Prajut viewed every civil service position. He hadn't worked for two years and then he said, "I'm going to rustle something up so they transfer me to the county." "What's so good about that?" I asked him.
'I do not know either. But in the province I can become chief sooner. In Bangkok you remain a subordinate; there are too many educated people there. It is already overcrowded for civil servants 1st and 2nd class alone.' "So you want to lead the pack." I asked. "Yes, leader is better than being a pissed off."
Not long after, Prajut was transferred to the province. When he came to Bangkok, he stayed with me. "What brings you here?" I asked him. "Ristle up a transfer plan!" "Is something wrong there?" I asked. 'No, actually everything is fine, but it's swarming with terrorists!' "Are you afraid of that then?"
'Naturally! Those guerrillas shoot people like it's nothing and they hate officials. A few days ago, a district manager and a police officer were killed.'
'But, dying on duty is kind of chic, isn't it? There is something in return: money, awards and honor as a defender of the fatherland. You get everything and all you lose is your life. Well, then you'll be satisfied with that, won't you?' I said teasingly and laughing. Prajut also laughed, “I'm afraid of dying. A person like me doesn't give his life for that. So go and arrange for them to transfer me elsewhere.' 'Where would you like to go then?' “Somewhere less dangerous. Just not to a place like now where you don't know if you'll be alive tomorrow.'
Two months later, Prajut managed to get a transfer. He worked there for a year and came back to Bangkok. "Are you here to arrange another transfer?" I was on to him. "Isn't the city good there?" 'She's too small. In a hamlet like that you sit at your desk all day and have nothing to do.'
'No work, no problems! Delicious, isn't it?' 'No; for a civil servant that means earning less when it is not busy. You're going to be as poor as a church rat.' 'You are an impossible and insatiable human being. Why didn't you plan this carefully?' I blame him. 'Naturally. But you know, wisdom comes with age.'
"Which city do you want to make an effort for now?" "This time I want to try to go south." And as always, Prajut has done it again with his connections. He was transferred to a large southern city. But suddenly he comes to Bangkok again.
It's never right….
'So, are you okay there now?' I asked him. 'Go away….!' He shakes his head. 'Why? It is a big city. You have good sources of income there, don't you?' 'Right, you earn well. But the expenses are correspondingly higher.' 'Then you spend less, don't you?' 'Only for my family, those expenses are not that high. But it is precisely the costs for official receipts.'
'Who do you have to receive there?' “My superiors, then friends again. That city is a tourist place. With sea, mountains, waterfalls, golf course. And it is not that far from Penang. Now one after the other keeps passing by and they want me to escort them to Penang. That costs me a lot of money every time.
'Many higher-ranking people are really impossible people! They don't just come themselves, no, they also send others and give their card as a reference. Yes, I am really being exploited. And in my position it is not possible to distance myself. You have to keep friendships warm in order to have relationships. You're digging your own grave if you're unwavering.'
'Now I'm lucky that my position means a lot to merchants. I deal with the Chinese merchants. I can get them to lend a car or arrange for them to treat a guest.' 'Aren't you afraid of the punishments? Boy, if that's convenient!'
'Of course I'm afraid. But the situation forces me to. And I firmly believe that, when it comes down to it, there are certainly people who will help me, as I have received everyone so kindly. I've told you before: to be a civil servant you need connections and loyalty.' "But if you get along so smoothly with everyone, why do you want to be transferred?"
'I'm now to the point where I don't have to win friends over anymore. I now have more than enough loyal friends. Now I must have money to insure my livelihood. I've calculated everything. If I stay on this station I will only have friends but no money. That's why I want a transfer to another city. It doesn't have to be as big as this one. If only there weren't so many tourists. I'm tired of having visitors.'
"Such a city is not easy to find." 'Not at all! I already know one.' I must say, Prajut is first rate when it comes to connections. Once again he was able to arrange a transfer in an unparalleled way. I asked him how. 'Be honest, how do you manage to be placed wherever you want? I think it would be easy for you.'
'What's difficult about that? My method is very simple. I go to the important people and ask for their understanding. Sometimes I have to get down on my knees and flat on the ground and beg.' "Are you going to throw yourself flat on the ground?" 'Of course, because you want something from them. You just have to pick the right moment when no one is watching. But now this method no longer works either.'
'Why?' I asked him. “The important people get that because a lot of people do this. People crawl at their feet but behind their back they scold them. So I have to use another method.' 'And what is that?' Now I wanted to know too. 'Money, dude! If you have money, you do what you want. And if you don't dare to offer that yourself, there are intermediaries who will arrange that for you.'
"Is your department really that dirty?" "Yes, and it has been for a very long time." 'People anyway; then those from human resources must be rich, right?' 'Clearly. Rich and easy too. Because people who want to pay for a transfer are happy to pay for it.' "What's the price for a transfer?" 'That varies. It depends on how important the city you want to go to is.'
'And is that profitable, that amount?' 'Dumbass! If it's not profitable why would you get transferred? Of course you have to calculate in advance whether it is worthwhile.' 'What do you mean stupid? I just don't know that kind of thing' I apologized. "I think you spent a lot of bribes on your transfers." 'It's not too bad, it's not that much.'
The new mail
The city in which Prajut now works is not far from Bangkok. A big city with earning opportunities. It is not expensive and there are few visitors. Prajut was able to save up nicely and even buy a piece of land of 200 m2 in a neat neighborhood in Bangkok. He told me: 'I want to build a house in Bangkok for my children to live in when they have to go to school.'
It was clear to me: if Prajut continued to work in that city, he would build a house in Bangkok. But… that's strange, I heard that Prajut was going to be transferred. I asked him 'Why do you want to be transferred again? You've got everything in order here, haven't you?'
He pulled a sour face. “I don't want to be transferred at all. But some guy got me a transfer and got my job….”
Source: Kurzgeschichten aus Thailand. Translation and editing Erik Kuijpers. The story has been shortened.
Author Maitri Limpichat (1942, More info ลิมปิชาติ). He was a senior official in Bangkok's water supply department and since 1970 he has published a hundred short stories.
Without connections you will not get anywhere and with connections there are opportunities for everyone. That has not changed in all those years and that is how it works in Thailand.
The wisdom of the country and you must be able to respect that. Their own people are quite capable of fending for themselves and they don't need foreign interference for that.
Johnny BG, and you're absolutely right about that. Our interference as white noses is not necessary at all and would only lead to enormous resistance.
We white noses are never a party to this way of filling pockets! We are allowed to pay the damage with our thick flaps from the ATM.
Still, I like the way a Thai writer denounces this. Between the lines and with a good portion of criticism of the system. Unfortunately, if the writer were to tell everything, his head could go off. It is not for nothing that many have fled to San Francisco.
Here is such an example of how people do their own thing and is not given to everyone.
A good acquaintance of mine in the Netherlands, with dual nationality, came into contact with a Thai lady a few years ago and love blossomed. The couple is now married in the Netherlands and Thailand and the Thai lady decided to stay with her husband in the Netherlands. Very understandable, but for her good job at the municipality, this caused some hassle. Despite the fact that we know our story, a sloppy 500.000 baht must be paid for the same job guarantee, valid for a period of five years. Her father, who is not without means and as a retired colonel in the army, has been able to pay for this. I can't see the market stall manager on the corner copying it.
What do you mean to say that corruption in any form is good because it is common in Thailand and it is common and we as non-Thai should not comment on it. Read the last paragraph again. A society and economy does not benefit from corruption because, as you see in Thailand, the vast majority are badly off and only a small group benefits, and you think that's fine, I understand from your response.
In the attached link you can read about the costs/disadvantages of corruption:
https://www.transparency.nl/wat-wij-doen/over-corruptie/#veelgesteldevragen
And you may wonder why in the richer Asian countries, to stay in the region, corruption is out of the question like in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan. You can conclude from the latter that the population will get more wealth, more control, more personal development if there is no corruption. But yes, you do not think that is necessary for Thailand, well with my story I show that foreign interference, for example information about corruption and comparison with other countries, is necessary because if you do not know you cannot improve.
Quote about the consequences of corruption from FIOD Netherlands:
Consequences of corruption
Corruption can have major consequences and high costs. These costs can become so high that the growth of a country is slowed down. Other consequences of corruption are:
Poverty in a country increases in favor of a few individuals;
Hazardous (rejected) products can enter the market more easily;
Competition between companies is affected by the uneven playing field;
The economy is becoming less open and transparent;
Companies no longer want to invest in countries with a lot of corruption;
Politics in a country becomes unstable
The Thai people are not able to fend for themselves, as witnessed by the many abuses in any field. Consequence : poverty on economic, financial, political, societal and social level.
Lobbying as in NL is also a form of corruption for me. Political veterans who once had to serve the public are not afraid to take a job with organizations that want to perpetuate big money and injustice. As I said, connections are always important.
Apparently the corruption in Thailand is not too bad given the foreign investment and the benevolence of the tourists who are only too happy to come to Thailand.
A large part of the nightlife in Thailand has to do with corruption, so anyone who wants to see it changed better stay away because you should not want to support or maintain such a system. It's that simple sometimes.
There is corruption in any form in every country, but thanks to the rankings it is clear where there is more or less corruption. Looking away, staying away or saying nothing are actually an incentive for offenders to continue with corrupt practices. Abuses also occur in the Netherlands and a good example is what you mention concerning political veterans. Personally, I am disturbed by the mayoral appointments with which people clap hands privately in the Netherlands, a kind of quartet game with jobs. Or the support that the government gives to the business community, even support for corruption, while ordinary citizens are allowed to fall over, as with the 0 support by the embassies for Covid vaccinations in Thailand. When I think about the embassy in Bangkok I always get a bad feeling because you can pay a lot for any support (including passports double rate) and support for practical matters is almost completely 0 for ordinary citizens, but everything is done for the business community drawn, will also have to do with networking and giving each other jobs and I also think it is a form of corruption.
Dear Johnny, I agree with you that there are many examples where things have gone strange in politics. Money and prestige continue to be highly attractive and then the moral aspect is considered less important. Disapproving but true. However, I think that it cannot be deduced from the fact that foreigners invest in Thailand that the corruption is not too bad. I think there are other factors and feelings behind people doing this. Many real estate investors are often out of love for a partner. Then people sometimes want to overlook or overlook something. Where would we be without rose colored glasses. Big money also has other values and norms, which we are also familiar with by now. So I wouldn't put it that black and white. When it comes to nightlife, the values and norms also apply. Take prostitution and sex tourists. It is a supply and demand situation that must be broken before that changes. This will not easily come from the needy person himself, he has other priorities. It should be clear that one should never start a beer bar, starting from the perspective of honest people, because that certainly cannot be done without corruption influences and much more hassle. If only it were that simple. Everything has consequences.
In the Netherlands it is a form of nepotism. Us knows us and kind seeks kind. The other, the strange, is a far from bed show, which many people don't like. This is especially noticeable in the jobs where the money is distributed. Disgusting, but visible all over the world. So also to be observed in Thailand, but then again in a multiple. It is like a growth in society that causes a lot of hassle. Predominantly it is the less educated and the poor who bear the brunt of this. In this area, one cannot look the other way. Certainly not the political leaders who have taken on a great responsibility by taking office as representatives of the people.
I still have such a figurine in the house of the hear, see and speak no evil principle. This reminds me to comment (constructive criticism) especially when things are not going well. Ger-Korat is right as far as I'm concerned. The majority in Thailand is insufficiently able to support itself, and the reasons for this are now well known. One only has to keep one's eyes and ears open here to know what's going on. Certainly this people, where there are many nice, friendly people, deserves better, but cannot do it alone.