THAILAND’S PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM
AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES
Arnuphab Raksuwan
Public Administration Program, SDU.
Globalization is an important pressure that pushes the reform of public and
private organizations. The Thai public administration and bureaucratic system is not
exempt from the influence of globalization. The reform of the Thai public
administration and bureaucratic system is not new. After the establishment of the state
more than 700 years ago, from the Sukhothai to the Ayuthaya and Ratanakosin
Kingdoms, Thailand has implemented both major and minor public administration
reforms many times, following changes in economic, social, and political conditions.
This article provides not only a chronological overview of Thailand’s political
and public administrative reforms but also the best practices of public sector reform in
some developed countries. Details of public sector reforms are divided into two parts.
First is Thailand’s public sector reform from 1932 to present and second are the
examples of best practices of public sector reform in some successful developed
countries through the concept of NPM.
1.1 Thailand’s Public Sector Reform from B.E. 1300 to the Present
1.1.1 Thailand’s Public Sector Reform before the Siamese Revolution
B.E. 2475 (1932)
Traditional Thai historians considered the foundation of the Sukhothai
Kingdom as the beginning of the nation. In the political and administrative system at
that time the King ruled the State as the citizens’ father, the so called “Po Khun”. This
system was used to rule the State for a century. The first reform of the political and
administrative system began during the reign of King Ramatibodi I of the Ayuttaya
Kingdom, B.E. 1857-1912 (1351-1369) in order to respond to the expanded power of
the Kingdom. The four pillars of state (Cha-tu-sa-dom) propagated from the Indian
political system were adopted instead of the “Po Khun” system. King Trailokanat of
2
Ayuthaya, B.C.1991-2031 (1448-1488) reformed the Siamese bureaucracy once again
by separating civil and military officials. “Sa-mu-ha-na-yok” was the Head of the
Civil Office which took responsibility for civil duties, and “Sa-mu-ha-ka-la-hom” was
the Head of the Military Office responsible for military duties. In his reign, the
hierarchies of the nobility were first codified. Officials had titular ranks and feudal
ranks called “Sakdi na”. He also adopted a palatinate law in order to re-categorize the
cities of Ayutthaya by class, the hierarchy of cities ranging from the Inner Cities and
Outer Cities to Colonies.
The Thai political and public administration system of the King Trailokanat
had the main objective of categorizing cities of the State in order to rule and control
rather than to provide public services. The power of the State was centralized. The
Kings were the supreme head of State as absolute monarchy was the political system.
The Kings were not only the ruler but also God. Thus, political and public
administration reforms were based on rulers not the people. This system continued
until the public sector reform of King Chulalongkorn at the end of the 19th century.
The Thai bureaucratic system was reformed once again in the reign of King
Chulalongkorn or King Rama V of the Rattanakosin Kingdom in B.E. 2435 (1892).
The old tradition of the four pillars of state system was replaced. The Thai
bureaucratic system and structure of state administration were entirely overhauled.
King Chulalongkorn introduced many new reforms and innovations to the country,
not only public administration reform, but also laws, politics, education and medicine,
commercialism, and so on. These demonstrated the desire of the king to modernize
the infrastructure and other institutions of the country. The Thai public administration
and its structure were adopted in the form of Ministries, Government Bureaus and
Departments and the state administration was divided into three levels of central,
provincial, and local. This form of bureaucratic system and structure of state
administration continued until B.E. 2475 (1932) and has provided the foundation of
the present Thai bureaucratic system.
1.1.2 From the Siamese Revolution B.E. 2475 (1932) to B.E. 2543 (2000)
A crucial turning point in the Thai political system and public administration
was the Siamese Revolution or the Siamese Coup d’état in B.E. 2475 (1932). It was a
3
bloodless transition in which the system of government was changed from an absolute
monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The revolution resulted in the people of Siam
being granted their first Constitution, which began by announcing that “the highest
power in the land belongs to all people”. The Constitution basically stripped the King
of all of his ancient powers for ruling the country. The Thai political system exists
within a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional
monarchy, whereby the King is the Head of State, the Prime Minister is the head of
government, and there is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the
government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two
chambers of parliament—The House of Representatives and The Senate. The
Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. However, although this
transition was vital, the government administrative structure and public administration
paradigm of the government designed by King Chulalongkorn was not much revised.
The revisions of administrative structure of the government were merely the substructure
of the systems.
A significant change in paradigm, form, and public management procedures of
the traditional bureaucratic model began again in 1980s, associated with the
phenomenon of globalization, international emulation, economic crisis, growth and
strength of private and civil society, corruption, and inefficiency of government and
bureaucracy. The beginning of public sector reform was in B.E. 2532 (1989) when the
term “Good Governance” was introduced by the World Bank and has been used to
refer to good management of government mechanisms in administering social and
economic resources for a country’s development. The term “good governance” has
been accepted as meaning that public participation, honesty, transparency,
accountability, political legitimacy, fair legal framework, predictability, efficiency,
and effectiveness are assured. The movement of Good Governance has pushed for the
reform of development mechanisms in countries which ask for assistance from the
Bank. Thus, in order to fulfill the World Bank’s conditions, there was also a need for
the Royal Thai Government to reform its administration (Pasuk Phongpaichit, 2001).
Three years later, while “good governance” was widely accepted in the Thai
public sector, “Black May” (Phruetsapha Thamin) – a common name for the 17-20
May B.E. 2535 (1992) popular protest in Bangkok against the government of General
4
Suchinda Kraproyoon, led to a major demand to re-write the constitution which was
completed in 1997 (Pasuk Phongpaichit, 2001: 1). The promulgation of The
Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2540 (1997) was called a “revolution in
Thai politics”. The constitution showed a bold attempt at conferring greater power to
the Thai people and decentralizing government. After that, laws and regulations
relating to the reform and restructuring of government were continuously
promulgated.
When General Chaovalit Yongjaiyuth was the Prime Minister of Thailand, the
Master Plan of the Public Sector Reform B.C. 2540-2545 (1997-2001) was introduced
to the Thai public sector. Based on the concept of “good governance”, the Plan was to
strengthen the bureaucracy to be an efficient mechanism in developing economic,
social, and political systems by reforming the functions and sizes of public
organizations, and improving the operating systems of public organizations. The plan
proposed to change the principle philosophy of governing the country from
centralization to decentralization. The two principles of the plan concerned the reform
of functions and size and relating to the improvement of operating systems in public
organizations with the aim to develop public management and its service delivery in
terms of efficiency, equity, and fairness (The National Bureaucretic Reform
Committee, 1997). As a result, the Plan was the starting point of the present Thai
public administration reforms.
1.1.3 Thailand’s Public Sector Reform through the Concept of NPM
The movement of implementing the Master Plan of Public Sector Reform
B.C. 2540-2545 (1997-2001) and the success of bureaucratic reforms in the United
Kingdom, Sweden, France, Australia, and the USA which represented the application
of the New Public Administration Model (NPM) has become a significant catalyst for
change in the Thai public sector (Bongkoch Sutad NaAyuthaya, 2010). Consequently,
Thai public administration reform was pushed forward and made significant progress
in the period that Taksin Shinnawatra was the Prime Minister of Thailand.
In order to achieve public sector reform, the State Administration Act (No.5)
B.E. 2545 (2002) and the Act on Reorganization of Ministries, Ministerial Bureaus
and Departments, B.E. 2545 (2002) have been promulgated as the framework of Thai
5
bureaucratic reform. These two Acts led to the creation of twenty Ministries and Sub-
Ministries. The Acts provided the adjustment of the authority of government agencies
and also changed the administrative system by restructuring agencies with related
tasks into a group so as to enable the objectives and direction of related agencies to
jointly and efficiently work without unnecessary cost due to overlap. In addition, the
Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) was established in
B.E. 2545 (2002) as the main driver in the development of Good Governance and
NPM in the Thai public sector.
The OPDC has pushed reform of the public secto
THAILAND’S PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM
AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES
Arnuphab Raksuwan
Public Administration Program, SDU.
Globalization is an important pressure that pushes the reform of public and
private organizations. The Thai public administration and bureaucratic system is not
exempt from the influence of globalization. The reform of the Thai public
administration and bureaucratic system is not new. After the establishment of the state
more than 700 years ago, from the Sukhothai to the Ayuthaya and Ratanakosin
Kingdoms, Thailand has implemented both major and minor public administration
reforms many times, following changes in economic, social, and political conditions.
This article provides not only a chronological overview of Thailand’s political
and public administrative reforms but also the best practices of public sector reform in
some developed countries. Details of public sector reforms are divided into two parts.
First is Thailand’s public sector reform from 1932 to present and second are the
examples of best practices of public sector reform in some successful developed
countries through the concept of NPM.
1.1 Thailand’s Public Sector Reform from B.E. 1300 to the Present
1.1.1 Thailand’s Public Sector Reform before the Siamese Revolution
B.E. 2475 (1932)
Traditional Thai historians considered the foundation of the Sukhothai
Kingdom as the beginning of the nation. In the political and administrative system at
that time the King ruled the State as the citizens’ father, the so called “Po Khun”. This
system was used to rule the State for a century. The first reform of the political and
administrative system began during the reign of King Ramatibodi I of the Ayuttaya
Kingdom, B.E. 1857-1912 (1351-1369) in order to respond to the expanded power of
the Kingdom. The four pillars of state (Cha-tu-sa-dom) propagated from the Indian
political system were adopted instead of the “Po Khun” system. King Trailokanat of
2
Ayuthaya, B.C.1991-2031 (1448-1488) reformed the Siamese bureaucracy once again
by separating civil and military officials. “Sa-mu-ha-na-yok” was the Head of the
Civil Office which took responsibility for civil duties, and “Sa-mu-ha-ka-la-hom” was
the Head of the Military Office responsible for military duties. In his reign, the
hierarchies of the nobility were first codified. Officials had titular ranks and feudal
ranks called “Sakdi na”. He also adopted a palatinate law in order to re-categorize the
cities of Ayutthaya by class, the hierarchy of cities ranging from the Inner Cities and
Outer Cities to Colonies.
The Thai political and public administration system of the King Trailokanat
had the main objective of categorizing cities of the State in order to rule and control
rather than to provide public services. The power of the State was centralized. The
Kings were the supreme head of State as absolute monarchy was the political system.
The Kings were not only the ruler but also God. Thus, political and public
administration reforms were based on rulers not the people. This system continued
until the public sector reform of King Chulalongkorn at the end of the 19th century.
The Thai bureaucratic system was reformed once again in the reign of King
Chulalongkorn or King Rama V of the Rattanakosin Kingdom in B.E. 2435 (1892).
The old tradition of the four pillars of state system was replaced. The Thai
bureaucratic system and structure of state administration were entirely overhauled.
King Chulalongkorn introduced many new reforms and innovations to the country,
not only public administration reform, but also laws, politics, education and medicine,
commercialism, and so on. These demonstrated the desire of the king to modernize
the infrastructure and other institutions of the country. The Thai public administration
and its structure were adopted in the form of Ministries, Government Bureaus and
Departments and the state administration was divided into three levels of central,
provincial, and local. This form of bureaucratic system and structure of state
administration continued until B.E. 2475 (1932) and has provided the foundation of
the present Thai bureaucratic system.
1.1.2 From the Siamese Revolution B.E. 2475 (1932) to B.E. 2543 (2000)
A crucial turning point in the Thai political system and public administration
was the Siamese Revolution or the Siamese Coup d’état in B.E. 2475 (1932). It was a
3
bloodless transition in which the system of government was changed from an absolute
monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The revolution resulted in the people of Siam
being granted their first Constitution, which began by announcing that “the highest
power in the land belongs to all people”. The Constitution basically stripped the King
of all of his ancient powers for ruling the country. The Thai political system exists
within a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional
monarchy, whereby the King is the Head of State, the Prime Minister is the head of
government, and there is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the
government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two
chambers of parliament—The House of Representatives and The Senate. The
Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. However, although this
transition was vital, the government administrative structure and public administration
paradigm of the government designed by King Chulalongkorn was not much revised.
The revisions of administrative structure of the government were merely the substructure
of the systems.
A significant change in paradigm, form, and public management procedures of
the traditional bureaucratic model began again in 1980s, associated with the
phenomenon of globalization, international emulation, economic crisis, growth and
strength of private and civil society, corruption, and inefficiency of government and
bureaucracy. The beginning of public sector reform was in B.E. 2532 (1989) when the
term “Good Governance” was introduced by the World Bank and has been used to
refer to good management of government mechanisms in administering social and
economic resources for a country’s development. The term “good governance” has
been accepted as meaning that public participation, honesty, transparency,
accountability, political legitimacy, fair legal framework, predictability, efficiency,
and effectiveness are assured. The movement of Good Governance has pushed for the
reform of development mechanisms in countries which ask for assistance from the
Bank. Thus, in order to fulfill the World Bank’s conditions, there was also a need for
the Royal Thai Government to reform its administration (Pasuk Phongpaichit, 2001).
Three years later, while “good governance” was widely accepted in the Thai
public sector, “Black May” (Phruetsapha Thamin) – a common name for the 17-20
May B.E. 2535 (1992) popular protest in Bangkok against the government of General
4
Suchinda Kraproyoon, led to a major demand to re-write the constitution which was
completed in 1997 (Pasuk Phongpaichit, 2001: 1). The promulgation of The
Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2540 (1997) was called a “revolution in
Thai politics”. The constitution showed a bold attempt at conferring greater power to
the Thai people and decentralizing government. After that, laws and regulations
relating to the reform and restructuring of government were continuously
promulgated.
When General Chaovalit Yongjaiyuth was the Prime Minister of Thailand, the
Master Plan of the Public Sector Reform B.C. 2540-2545 (1997-2001) was introduced
to the Thai public sector. Based on the concept of “good governance”, the Plan was to
strengthen the bureaucracy to be an efficient mechanism in developing economic,
social, and political systems by reforming the functions and sizes of public
organizations, and improving the operating systems of public organizations. The plan
proposed to change the principle philosophy of governing the country from
centralization to decentralization. The two principles of the plan concerned the reform
of functions and size and relating to the improvement of operating systems in public
organizations with the aim to develop public management and its service delivery in
terms of efficiency, equity, and fairness (The National Bureaucretic Reform
Committee, 1997). As a result, the Plan was the starting point of the present Thai
public administration reforms.
1.1.3 Thailand’s Public Sector Reform through the Concept of NPM
The movement of implementing the Master Plan of Public Sector Reform
B.C. 2540-2545 (1997-2001) and the success of bureaucratic reforms in the United
Kingdom, Sweden, France, Australia, and the USA which represented the application
of the New Public Administration Model (NPM) has become a significant catalyst for
change in the Thai public sector (Bongkoch Sutad NaAyuthaya, 2010). Consequently,
Thai public administration reform was pushed forward and made significant progress
in the period that Taksin Shinnawatra was the Prime Minister of Thailand.
In order to achieve public sector reform, the State Administration Act (No.5)
B.E. 2545 (2002) and the Act on Reorganization of Ministries, Ministerial Bureaus
and Departments, B.E. 2545 (2002) have been promulgated as the framework of Thai
5
bureaucratic reform. These two Acts led to the creation of twenty Ministries and Sub-
Ministries. The Acts provided the adjustment of the authority of government agencies
and also changed the administrative system by restructuring agencies with related
tasks into a group so as to enable the objectives and direction of related agencies to
jointly and efficiently work without unnecessary cost due to overlap. In addition, the
Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) was established in
B.E. 2545 (2002) as the main driver in the development of Good Governance and
NPM in the Thai public sector.
The OPDC has pushed reform of the public secto
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
