Corruption is natural?

This is a good one from the Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra! Corruption is normal and to be expected!! Give me a break! This sounds like he's continuing to justify himself. And it does sound like a true statement about him.

I don't believe it's true that it's a natural or normal sort of thing. A lot depends on what we're taught and have modelled for us a children. If we grow up in an environment where corruption is accepted as the norm then, of course, it will seem to be natural.

I remember that my dad was super honest. It wasn't until years later that I realised there were people who cheated on their tax returns and who took advantage of others for personal gain.

Khaleej Times Online - Thai prime minister says corruption natural

Thai caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Saturday that corruption is quite normal in life and to be expected.

He told his weekly radio audience that most people will exploit any opportunities they can find to make extra money.

“It’s human nature to try to find loopholes. To cheat, to look for the weak spot in any system,” Thaksin said.

I do wonder about that statement! It certainly seems as though Thaksin has used loopholes in the system to feather his own (and his family's) nest. But I reckon he's done this because he grew up in a family that did it and he never thought to question whether it was right or wrong.

Many changes have taken place in Thailand over the years. More and more people are opting for a life of integrity and honesty. If Thaksin really had that integrity then why did he take advantage of the loopholes in that US$1.9 billion sale of Shin Corp back in January. That was an opportunity for him to show integrity and honesty. Instead, he (and his family) made an obscene profit and, not only that, they escaped paying any tax on the deal. Sheesh!

The article goes on:

He said this was the reason that government was switching over to using computerised bids for government contracts, rather than the old system of taking bids in sealed envelopes. “It’s more transparent. It’s harder to cheat.”

Thailand is in a political crisis triggered by opposition claims that the prime minister and his family and associates have exploited political power for personal gains. Thaksin may not contest fresh elections scheduled for later this year.

Thaksin’s popularity with the urban middle classes plumetted in January when his family sold its 49.6 per cent stake in Shin Corp - Thailand’s largest telecommunications conglomerate - to Temasek, the Singapore government’s investment arm, for a tax-free 1.9 billion dollars.

Critics of the prime minister have claimed the sale was technically legal, but structured in ways that broke the spirit of laws designed to protect strategic business assets from foreign control.

Thaksin said in his weekly radio show that all laws needed to be continuously updated to stop people exploiting loopholes.