Disregard for public safety in everyday life also commonplace in matters of national securityPublished on December 30, 2007
There is a correlation between the lax enforcement of public-safety laws in everyday life and the absence of oversight and accountability on the part of government agencies responsible for national security. Both problems stem from the apathy of people in this society who think that these matters are nobody's business except those directly charged with the tasks. The lack of public interest in the way law-enforcement and security officials handle their work provides no incentive for them to do a good job. When there is no system to reward achievers or to punish laggards, things tend to take a turn for the worse. This explains why virtually no reckless drivers on public roads have ever been pulled aside by police and ticketed for violating traffic regulations.
Our lax attitude towards public safety and security has nothing to do with the absence of legislation. Big signs at construction sites scream "Safety First" and yet the workers walk around without hardhats, proper work boots or other basic protective gear. Worse, we often see young children running around the construction sites because their parents cannot afford to leave them behind in their rural hometown or put them in a day-care centre.
Examples abound of a glaring lack of oversight and accountability from government officials who are supposed to know better as they are being charged with important responsibilities that could mean the difference between life and death for citizens.
Take for instance Pol Maj-General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, the spokesman for the Royal Thai Police, who recently announced that he would quit his post if Bangkok were to come under a spate of attacks similar to last New Year's Eve when a series of bomb blasts rocked the capital, killing three and injuring more than 20.
What is baffling about his irresponsible challenge has nothing to do with the fact that he was willing to put his post on the line. After all, spokesmen in most Thai government agencies tend to be the first to speak but the last to know. The bewildering aspect of his statement has to do with the attitude our public officials and policy-makers have towards the very issue of safety. Perhaps the spin doctor, who is known for his spotlight chasing, could learn to keep his mouth shut.
It is irresponsible for a national police spokesman to be making a nonsensical bet about security issues. These matters must be handled using serious and sustained intelligence gathering, dedicated investigation work, and enforcement. Making light of the security situation could add to the already pervasive public complacency.
Pongsapat should have sought cooperation from members of the public to be remain vigilant and serve as the eyes and ears of law-enforcement officials as part of a society-wide effort to minimise the possibility of terrorist attacks.
The Army, which is responsible for national security, fares no better. In his attempt to salvage the country's reputation by assigning blame elsewhere, Army spokesman Colonel Acra Thiproch was quoted earlier this year as blaming the series of beheadings of innocent victims in Thailand's deep South on Indonesian militants.
"You really need to know certain bones of the necks to behead someone and Thais don't really know how," Acra said. "You need someone to be trained overseas or foreign trainers to teach them how."
Perhaps Acra deserves to be given some slack. After all, he was only repeating statements made by top military brass who continue to insist - despite the growing body count in the southernmost provinces - that things are moving in the right direction. One could not help but wonder what benchmarks these generals are using to gauge the situation. They, like the rest of the society, need to understand that national security is everyone's responsibility, not an area for idle babbling by incompetent officers who have no sense of public accountability. It is a dead-serious business for security agencies.
For too long, we have heard security officers boast about how they knew in advance that this or that attack was going to happen in the deep South. If a security officer knows of an upcoming violent incident and does not do enough to avert it, he should be severely punished for dereliction of duty. But we as a society have always been soft on incompetent and unprofessional officers. We need to stop this and really hold them accountable for poor performance. Perhaps we should start by teaching them what professionalism means.
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There is a correlation between the lax enforcement of public-safety laws in everyday life and the absence of oversight and accountability on the part of government agencies responsible for national security. Both problems stem from the apathy of people in this society who think that these matters are nobody's business except those directly charged with the tasks. The lack of public interest in the way law-enforcement and security officials handle their work provides no incentive for them to do a good job. When there is no system to reward achievers or to punish laggards, things tend to take a turn for the worse. This explains why virtually no reckless drivers on public roads have ever been pulled aside by police and ticketed for violating traffic regulations.
Our lax attitude towards public safety and security has nothing to do with the absence of legislation. Big signs at construction sites scream "Safety First" and yet the workers walk around without hardhats, proper work boots or other basic protective gear. Worse, we often see young children running around the construction sites because their parents cannot afford to leave them behind in their rural hometown or put them in a day-care centre.
Examples abound of a glaring lack of oversight and accountability from government officials who are supposed to know better as they are being charged with important responsibilities that could mean the difference between life and death for citizens.
Take for instance Pol Maj-General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, the spokesman for the Royal Thai Police, who recently announced that he would quit his post if Bangkok were to come under a spate of attacks similar to last New Year's Eve when a series of bomb blasts rocked the capital, killing three and injuring more than 20.
What is baffling about his irresponsible challenge has nothing to do with the fact that he was willing to put his post on the line. After all, spokesmen in most Thai government agencies tend to be the first to speak but the last to know. The bewildering aspect of his statement has to do with the attitude our public officials and policy-makers have towards the very issue of safety. Perhaps the spin doctor, who is known for his spotlight chasing, could learn to keep his mouth shut.
It is irresponsible for a national police spokesman to be making a nonsensical bet about security issues. These matters must be handled using serious and sustained intelligence gathering, dedicated investigation work, and enforcement. Making light of the security situation could add to the already pervasive public complacency.
Pongsapat should have sought cooperation from members of the public to be remain vigilant and serve as the eyes and ears of law-enforcement officials as part of a society-wide effort to minimise the possibility of terrorist attacks.
The Army, which is responsible for national security, fares no better. In his attempt to salvage the country's reputation by assigning blame elsewhere, Army spokesman Colonel Acra Thiproch was quoted earlier this year as blaming the series of beheadings of innocent victims in Thailand's deep South on Indonesian militants.
"You really need to know certain bones of the necks to behead someone and Thais don't really know how," Acra said. "You need someone to be trained overseas or foreign trainers to teach them how."
Perhaps Acra deserves to be given some slack. After all, he was only repeating statements made by top military brass who continue to insist - despite the growing body count in the southernmost provinces - that things are moving in the right direction. One could not help but wonder what benchmarks these generals are using to gauge the situation. They, like the rest of the society, need to understand that national security is everyone's responsibility, not an area for idle babbling by incompetent officers who have no sense of public accountability. It is a dead-serious business for security agencies.
For too long, we have heard security officers boast about how they knew in advance that this or that attack was going to happen in the deep South. If a security officer knows of an upcoming violent incident and does not do enough to avert it, he should be severely punished for dereliction of duty. But we as a society have always been soft on incompetent and unprofessional officers. We need to stop this and really hold them accountable for poor performance. Perhaps we should start by teaching them what professionalism means.
Discuss
Add this link to...
Tell a friend
Bury
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