Phuketwan 'Brave Enough to Change' Campaign
PHUKET: Whether reforms precede the next national election or come after a poll, Thailand should now be fighting to end corruption - and Phuket must be turned into a role model.
This week's positive news has included the dive industry's move to stop extortion by rogue police, one man's campaign to make visa run vans safe and the sight of ugly wastewater running free across beautiful Karon beach.
Some people may see these issues as negatives but Phuketwan views them all, every one of them, as positives.
Only when people are made aware of the problems and then solutions sought will Phuket be saved for future generations of residents and visitors. Cover-ups and compromises won't work in the 21st century.
Unless action is taken now, corruption, environmental degradation and lack of safety on roads and beaches will kill Phuket's tourism industry within 10 years.
We don't hear anyone arguing that one.
Bear this in mind: there are already times of the year when on Phuket you will find more non-Thais than Thais. As Thailand's most international province, pressure for change will continue to grow in intensity on Phuket.
That's why the dive industry is rebelling, that's why visa run vans need closer controls, and that's why environmental degradation must be halted quickly.
Even with street protests continuing, the time could soon be right for the next government of Thailand to make Phuket corruption-free, then to use the ''Phuket model'' to clean up graft around the whole country.
We hear that all over Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi this week, renegade law enforcement officers have been rushing to make sure their sources of extorted income are maintained, or at least won't blab to the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.
We hope people don't give in to fear. We hope people continue to keep blowing the whistle, not just in the dive industry but everywhere that illegal graft is being demanded and paid.
Now's the time for Phuket's chronic corruption to be overcome.
We know that's what the European Union ambassadors want. And we believe that also could be the aim of the Minister for Tourism and Sport, Somsak Pureesrisak, and the Region 8 Police Commander Major General Panya Mamen.
What we are urging is simple: Follow the Singapore example. Introduce incorruptible officers who can provide the foundation for a new beginning on Phuket.
Start with just one of Phuket's 10 police stations, fill it with honest officers and expand the corruption-free process from there.
Eventually, with 17 organisations or groups on Phuket known to be on the take, according to Patong business people, Phuket and Thailand are certain to be exposed and found wanting.
When the Asean Economic Community provides clean, corruption free competition from late 2015, how bright will be the future of Thailand and Phuket?
Both sides of politics should make ending corruption in Thailand an integral and essential part of their policies. The politicians who prove they are most sincerely are likely to be the winners.
And Phuket, the international Thai province, should be leading the way. After all, everybody knows who ultimately pays every baht of it in the end: the tourist.
With you all the way Ed. It's a vision for the future but sadly might be only a pipe dream.
Many want Phuket to change for the better or even simply back to what it once was.
But there are many with deep pockets & grubby mitts who like it just as it is.
Time will tell.
Posted by Logic on March 30, 2014 13:38