STRENGTHENING PEOPLE
Title: STRENGTHENing PEOPLE IN POLITICs and ADMINISTRATion FOLLOWING SUFFICIENCY ECONOMY APPROACH IN THAILAND
Keyword: Strengthening People
Decentralization
Political and Administration
Sufficiency Economy
Buddhist Economics
Political Virtue
Networking processes
Author: Supwat Papasarakang
Lecturer, (Faculty of Humanity and Social Science,
Ratjaphat Suan Dusit University, Thailand;)
(www.rotoratuk.blogspot.com)
Year: 2009
Abstract
The promotion of strengthening people in politics and administration of Thailand includes the policy of decentralization, policy of sufficiency economy, laws, Act, development approach, concept and proposal from experience of development based on sufficiency economy. This primary information, involves to those promotions of Thailand. In order to classify the component of strengthening people in politics and administration, further information is the measurements and indicators of strengthening people in ones for application and useful to the next study.
STRENGTHENing PEOPLE IN POLITICs and ADMINISTRATion FOLLOWING SUFFICIENCY ECONOMY APPROACH IN THAILAND
Introduction
The promotion of strengthening people in politics and administration of Thailand includes the policy of decentralization, policy of sufficiency economy, laws, Act, development approach, concept and proposal from experience of development based on sufficiency economy. This primary information, involves to those promotions of Thailand. In order to classify the component of strengthening people in politics and administration, further information is the measurements and indicators of strengthening people in ones for application and useful to the next study.
In Accordance with the thinking “heart of achieve the local self-administration and self-government in Thailand are decentralization base on sufficiency economy approach”. Strengthening people as the mechanism can use to decentralize strengthen efficiently politics and administrative development. This is the alternative, which demonstrates the political virtue and the administration on the principle of good governance have made at the level of the nation, urban and a rural. It is the development approach deal with the political virtue and/or social capital and the networking processes of civil society. These elements involve with the various policies of government and dealing with measurements and indicators of achieve.
The meaning of its definition, decentralization is the central government transfers authority of administration to the lower level and has a different feature. The first is decentralization or devolution that absolutely transfers the power and authority to the local for self-government. The second is deconcentration or administrative decentralization that transfers responsibility to the sub-unit of government. The third is a feature of coordination between government and private agency or any organizations, which is not the government. Another feature is the special form of self-government or parastatus bodies in the local (Gaudiosoc. 2002:416). All features have the forms of self-authority in administration and/or management, especially, planning and decision making at least in five main functions including economy, social, politics, environment and infrastructure.
According to decentralization, Thai-government has transferred authority to the local that totalled 76 Province Administrative Organizations (PAOs) and 6,616 sub-districts or Tambon Administrative Organizations (TAOs)(Nelson.2002: 460). In addition, it has the form of Municipalities, special form; Bangkok Municipal Administrative organization, and special forms; Pattaya City and Sanitary Districts (SD). However, the autonomy and self-management for driving development in the five main functions are not yet complete because the most are inability to solve the key socio-economic and political problems.
Development in the five main functions has many stakeholders to which concern the community, officer and interest group (i.e. NGOs, private-organization, local businesses, local politician, government agency and the central policy). They concern and participate in activities of planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (ASISP-AP: 2002:11-13). However, consistency of integral development between a region and a local, especially the community should be strong participated in decision-making and recommended to pick up operation. This means, the community must have strengthening in the political capacity and capacity of administration namely efficient managing social capital, community properties, local resources and learning innovation. Importantly, local organization and local institute must have the role to participate with partner at the local level, i.e. government and private organization.
For those mentions, the question could be raise, what is the element of strengthening people, which underlines the development approach base on sufficiency economy in politics and administration? How does tendency to promote the participation in political, learning innovation, basic right of participation in managing capital, community property and social capital? How does coordination among organization, group and/or personal partnership? What is the measurement and indicator of policy of strengthening people in political and administration?
Policy and Act of Decentralization
Many policy’s issues of decentralization stipulate the master plan for transferring responsibilities, developing system of accountability, quality of service improvement and preparing the plan for transferring responsibility to the local. These are determined under constitution 1997 for local autonomy to covers the six main functions including infrastructure, quality of life, social order, planning investment, natural resource management and cultural and indigenous conservation. Local government has received 245 missions from 55 divisions and 11 departments in order to Act of decentralization 2000 (Nelson. 2002:470-471). Underlining framework of an operation, it divides to transfer the three types of administrative power to local government. Some is overlap its functions in the local between the central and the local areas. Local governments can operate itself if they have more capability. This case, the central government may operate or cooperate with the local government, another case may maintains some of power and the local must cooperate with such as a mega project. Many missions need a power to operate between the local and any organization, particularly a purchasing service from the private sectors, the unit of government, the sub-unit of governments and/or the other local governments. All of transferring processes have started since year 2003, but it is not also yet success and has still many problems.
Decentralizing a power and a function to the local governments could not respond in completely their needs. Many problems occurred after the processes were operated. In order to the budget plan and the training program, these are the new public management to increase a capacity of administration under the local process planning. It has a feature of intervention from the central to the local, more control administrative local and more intervene the policy of local administrative organization (Neson.2002:486-490). This also causes the many problems in operational plan and has the many weak points in the operational processes such as unclear accountability, inappropriate approach of evaluation, and unclear indicator of operational management. Finally, there has the problem between the central and the local, which overlaps the power and responsibility of service that affects a quality of service in the local area (Dirak.2002:519; Damrong.2002:67). New alternative of decentralization therefore, driven through operational processes underlining sufficiency economy approach, to solve its problems and to promote the strengthening people in the political and administration for achievement goal of decentralization, and creation for balancing with run alongside that of socio-economy, ecology and environmental conservation.
Policy of Sufficiency Economy
Sufficiency economy is the concept from philosophy of sufficiency economy that was remarked by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the king of Thailand, who proposed the new alternative development approach. It is the principle of a middle path of human being to give the Thai government for implementation. This proposal remarked from causes of the failing development in capitalism that affects the politics and the local administration has more self-interest and inability to solve the key socio-economic problems. This concept consists with the long vision and emphasizes the people-centred that has the aim to involve between the human resource, socio-economy and environment with balancing development. It was contained in many policy of development including the 8th, 9th and 10th Economic and Social Development Plan, policy of poverty alleviation, policy of political and administrative development.
According to the framework of policy, Thai government laid their policy into the operational plan in the various fields. There has a detail and activity to involve the processes of sustainable development and to create balancing among development of politics, environment, natural resource and socio-economy for poverty alleviation. The processes bake down into the specific sectors such as human resource development, strengthening local institute by good governance, educational reform, natural resource management, environmental management and the community economic development. These processes operate under the circumstance of individuals, families, groups, institutes, governmental organizations (GOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and get their all sectors to integral development at both micro and macro.
An implementation followed those policies did not to be achieve and clear yet. Due to lack of good system of partnership and did not respond their goals. For example, the NGOs and GOs more responded to supportive organization than the policy of their government (Papasarakang.2004:68-69). It is an issue may be interested to raise some questions “Is the NGOs and GOs supportive local development, entrancing local problems and good relationship with local organizational administration, and How are they responding the local?” The answer is no enough, both GOs and NGOs still held with unbalancing development base on mainstream economy without real understand the sufficiency economy approach at all level. These questions led the proposal and development approach to solve those problems. Such as the debate in seminar of TDRI, “A Tried Promotion” for finding appropriate development approach under modernize in line with force of globalization (Allison and Suwanrak.2006:6-7). This presented the strategy of development from sufficiency economy approach, to develop the industrial and service sectors, emphasizes to balance of development and aims to make the immunity, wisdom, and prudence to consider in any risk. The conference of academy “Sufficiency Economy: Participative learning, Networking and Distribution”, in December 23- 27, 2006 at the cultural hall Kasetsat University Thailand, had aim to exchange and distribute the result of study to apply for human being and for sustainable development. This movement may be state that the sufficiency economy just beginning to start and is going on finding to appropriate strategy. It necessarily must more than to be done for applicability with strategic plan of development. Especially, the strengthening people in both politics and administration at the local must has completely decentralization to sustainable development all sectors at the grass-roots society.
Policy of strengthening People promotion
Decentralization to sustainable development at the grass-root society means the people in the grass-root must to become stronger. Promotion of strengthening people thus, contained in many sections under Constitution 1997. It involves the politics and administration of civil society. The section 5 of constitution states the decentralize power to the local that supports the participation of local people in political and administrative activities including decision-making of local policy, local and community planning and accountability to the government both at the nation and the local. Statement of section 75 under the issue of right protection determines the reform of bureaucratic system to respond the people’s needs. In order to the stipulation of section 89 “the state shall establish the National Economic and Social Advisory Council”, which has a duty; to advices and recommends about economic and social problems to the cabinet; to approve the laws and development plans before the proclamation of parliament. These duties necessarily coordinates with the local groups, organizations, networks and the local individual who know-well and understand about problems in their local and has a capacity to collect and transmit the information for the public utilities.
Although, Constitution 1997 was cancelled by the Security Council of the United Nation , which revolutionized on September 19 2006, but the policy of strengthening people has been continuing. For example, Section 78[3] of Constitution 2007 stipulated the bureaucratic policy to support local administrative organizations in their activities and participation to operate as the basic of state policy to respond their people. Section 78[7] stipulates that makes a plan of political development and establish the political council, which is autonomy and has a duty to monitor the implementation of those policy. Section 89[1-5] mandated the policy to support the participation of people in determining policy, economic and social planning, making public service, accountable power of government at all level, building political development fund in civil society for public activities, networking in any form, and educational support about political development.
The draft of master plan for political development 2007 wrote the process of people’s participation and brake-down into the six strategies as follower (Secretary Office of Prime Minister, 2007:34-36). First, liberal and right protection to support strengthening people, It is the power of citizen and community right, human right, freedom of media, mechanical public consultation and mechanical exit and voice. Second, supporting cultural politics in democratic form and political participation, raise a civic education, to promote the deliberative democracy and liberative democracy. Third, moral and ethic of leader and politician that is, separate capital from the politics, prevent the conflict from self-interest and promote the development of political recruitment. Fourth, good governance in politics and administration is to support the political institutionalization, establish the effective checks and balances, promote the political accountability, the rule of law, political legitimacy, politics and administration in public interest and political and administrative transparency. Fifth, promotion of conflict management and unanimity that is internal security, nonviolent conflict management, political toleration in all society and capacity to balance of conformity and diversity. Sixth, decentralization and create the equity in the resource and natural resource management, it is the promotion to realize the local ownership, resource management fairness, local devolution and strengthen the local networking.
In accordant with the main concept of policy to promote strengthening people, it may involve with many elements including the participation of politics, political culture, moral administration and local and community self-management. All these must have the political virtue and/or social capital in its element, especially a capacity of local and community self-management to manage efficiently a resource, natural resource and property under trusting. The local and community must be authority in their management and able to create an innovation from learning and networking, which consist with the concept of political development base on sufficiency economy (Anontakul.2000:8). The basic of development particularly networking to strengthen the civil society will connect an aim of learning to establish sustainable development from participation of all part. The community base building and strengthening network could be open widely alternative solution and widely operative public activities in the local. It could be lead; to the local planning processes; to create the provincial vision and pressurizing policy (Sukotai Thamatirat.2002:303).
The policy, Act and plan of the central government, therefore, are the first elements to respond people’s right to participation in politics and administration. The plan implements in line of bureaucratic system alongside with the sector wide approach (SWAP; see in, Supat Papasarakan, Some concept of Street Level.www.rotoratuk.blogspot. com) is integral development sectors into the approach of promotion in strengthening people.
Besides considering the policy, Act and plan, can consider from the concept, proposal, theory and the lessening from experience to confirmation underline these approach.
Concept of Sufficiency Economy
The concept of sufficiency economy have influenced from the Buddhist that has for a long time national religion of Thailand. Nevertheless, this concept not only applied in the context of Buddhism, but also can widely apply with the context of another religion. The concept developed from philosophy of sufficiency economy of King Rama 9 of Thailand and held this concept to an approach of economy and social development at the nation. Sufficiency means moderation, reasonableness, and due consideration in all modes of conduct, as well as the need for sufficient protection from internal and external effect. The application of knowledge with due consideration and prudence is essential to achieve this. In particular, great care is needed in the utilization of untested theories and methodologies for planning and implementation. In alongside, it is essential to strengthen the moral fibre of the nation, so that everyone, particularly political and public officials, technocrats, academic, entrepreneurs at all levels, adheres primarily to the principle of honesty and integrity. In addition, a way of life based on patience, perseverance, diligence, wisdom and prudence is indispensable to create balance and be able to cope appropriately with critical challenges arising from extensive and rapid socio-economic, environmental, and cultural changes in the world.” (Isarangkul Na Ayuthaya and Pootrakool. 2002: 5-6; TDRI. 1999: 6).
Various way of this concept, are involved the many paradigms, specially the lessening of experience from the process of strengthening people in politics and administration. In particular to diverse activities of people to participate in planning, networking, institution, local wheels, policy, act and master plan of political development among the context of organization of partnership, bureaucratic system, local environment, community and people’s needs. The most are mention about the key socio-economic and environmental bases on a living quality whereas it argues the failing of mainstream economy, which effects to social behavior and social value inculcate to self-interest, neglect the ethic and moral that causes to damage a widely natural resource (Calkin.2006:1-4). The concept tries to present the new alternative approach of development to solve these problems then applies the first in the sector of agriculture and farming (call new theory), forward to the community enterprise, society and natural resource management in a particular way and promise a support to develop the strengthening people in politics and administration.
Trusting an idea from this concept is the way to achievement such the statement of Anuntakul (2003:136). ‘In accordance with developing the politics and administration base on sufficiency economy, it is the mechanism of development to be strengthen the nation, because it holds principle of people by people, participation of people, developing base on geo-politics, sustainability, empowerment, social capital, and the project of development with quality management’. There is conceptualized as beyond economy as takes in to account other non-economic variables and encompasses social factors and values in its appropriate to understand economic behaviour. It is a holistic approach to understand society, which is transcends the economic field and boundaries of different field altogether and covers social as well as spiritual dimension. Sufficient society must have an equity and values tradition, culture, Thai life style, and local wisdom, has a vision for the future, and lives in tune with the environment. It is also the means, ends, ideology as well as a technique in leading the people’s life style (TDRI. 1999: 12).
An application of philosophy of sufficiency economy at the nation level is more diversity and more balanced development strategy. It puts this toward practice calls new theory or Tit-Sa-Dee-Mai to use in agricultural sectors that applies into practice through the process of empowerment in a community, and implement the self-reliance at the community level base on sufficiency economy. In accordance with decentralization policy, this application aims to strengthen people’s participation and capacity building in management (Pibool sravut.2001:Web Site). For instance, community members who are sufficiency being at the household can be organize a consultative meeting to share an understanding and learning experience. They share its benefit and application for community in the process of preparation. The members of community jointly together explore information and data in order to situation and background of community such as natural resource, public utilities, service available, household income, and household expenditure etc. These may involve with experience of community’s member and some get from community committee with cooperation of all villagers, and government agency (Piboolsravut. 2001; NESDB. 2004: Web Site). There put the process on a project of community development that contains many activities such as information, data, learning strengthening and weaknesses in their community. These have a form of joint-vision to develop of own community and has to capacity of range is reduce an expenditure on food by producing more consuming crops within the village. An application from practice can build an experience to self-reliance and the capacity of setting up a saving fund of village for member’s loan. The people may visit the other community learning from experience of external sources throughout the process of preparing community development, and learning experience from whom that succeeded rather than listening from government officials or the expert officers. The processes are recommended that should be supported by organizations of development both government and non-government, which has change their roles from directing development forward to facilitating and supporting community in planning and implementation of community programs and projects (NESDB. 2004: Web Site).
The networking on sustainable agricultural development is similarly, such as the network on chemical free of agriculture, the network on health assembly, the network on self sufficiency economy, the foundation of natural agriculture, or farmers’ network under supervision of the bank of agriculture and agricultural cooperatives (Verakan. 2004 : 11-14). The most are share of a goal and ideology on the Buddhist practice. It is a core teaching to link people together with the ideology on self-reliance and freedom of network. A Network links loosely together to solve a problem regarding participation of its member that is an innovation of society, a social movement to develop abilities of solving problem to conduct cooperation as improve a quality of life. This has its roots in community development within a geographical area and cultural boundary. A recommendation to consider a networking that should come from the aspect of a change in paradigms, leaders and members’ ability of analyzing the situation. It may incorporate in each other that can happen from the same experience, practices and sharing though with the others, learning process, mutual planning and development to joint activities of organizations and networking, participation policies at the local and the nation and cooperation among several organizations, namely the consumer’s organizations. The other network may link together to promote certain policy changes for their particular professional. For example the network to subcontract directly from the city for develop the enterprise activities in their community, the networks planning for economic and financial development for their poor member and the networks of the similar professional or job including the cooperatives of community handicraft (Baimuang. 2006: Web Site).
Significance of strengthening people base on sufficiency economy has not need an only socio-economy. It covers in all sectors and emphasize a moral, ethic, equity, fairness and transparency. These are principle of good governance that supports the social movement, and the processes of participation in politics and administration. The people in society can operate a living activity among individual, family, community and local. Therefore, the concept of trusts to participation process with networking people to be pressure the policy of administration and management. Any pressures with political process will fulfill the sustainable development base on sufficiency economy approach.
In term of politics and administration, strengthening people are development approach in line of geo-politic, empowerment, social capital and project management (Anuntakul.2003:136). It has significance of basing potential people on development to capacity of empowerment. This approach applicates to the concept of prestige, right, liberty and human integrity that founds from studies in civil movement and moving democracy of Thai society. These studies analyzed under theory of civil society in the changing of Thai political history since revolution in 1932(B.D. 2475) to the situation from October 14 1973(B.D.2516) to 2004 (B.D.2547). A finding reflects the capacity of power and acountability of people in particular to develop the strength and diversity of role among social, politicals and campaigning in any activities e.i. environment (Thongchai.2005:35; Phonpichaya. 2006:1-21). The power of people has a form of networking and partnership to movement with the major goal including leader ethic and moral, democracy and social equity and acountability to the government and the private sector. More over, the concept of decentralization that was influenced from a changing in paradigm of the social world, led to the concept of a reducing power of government, instead to increase more people’s role of activity in administration.
Pierr and Peter (2000 citing Phong phanit.2006:1-21) presented the components of transferring through the process of decentralization are following, to control and account an investment, environment and human right, to reduce the operational process of government and increase the local autonomy, to transfer some activity of civil society that may be supported by internaltional or national organizations. These depend on an instruction such as public order, acts and laws, especially the instruction of constitution. As well as above, the study of Eisaraphakdee (2005:1-17) ‘to the unanimity society’, presented the unanimity base on equity between male and female, showed the supportive role of female through the public laws, namely orders, acts, and constitution, in efficienly constrained to make the strong women groups, both informal and formal network to movement in equity and human right. This led the integral group to oversee the social security of member. It is not differently as before, the concept of networking aims to the local administration and operative accountability of government and the private sector that will be affect their local or their community.
The element of strengthening people may indicate from the capacity of participant in natural resource management of community. For example, the study of Macfadyenl,G. and other(2005) classified the archiving component of strengthening people in particular. The policy and laws that concern with community resource management and cultural community, geo-politic and geo-socio-economic have ability to adaptation to consist with the nature of community. It can encourage a driving process of managed participation in operational project, organization of government and private organization. Finally, it must have a clarity determining of duty and role in their community.
A weake point in some circumstance, under the assumption of representative system in Thai society, Puntasen (2007:1-7) and Pakdeevanit (2007:9; referring the concept of Beethan D. 1996:30-31), proposed the weak point of strengthhening people in Thai society. It has not a potential participant in the complex process of decision-making base on civil policy. The people has not yet understanding in the representative system, political representation and has no the political awareness. Strengthening in Thai society evolves from the type of patronage of sovereign centralization to bureaucratic democracy and develops to the politic business later. This occurs the feature of rural neglect, happening economic crisis and the feature of inequity in society. Rural occurs the form of politic influence from the local politician and the central politics that Puntasen(2007:7-15) calls ‘evil patronage’.
The concept of strengthening people of Puntasen means the conduct to balance between the government, society and the market. The government should have the role of sovereign, market and economic activities. Civil society should have the other role that the government could not have a function. Balancing an appropriate power will be functioning with greatly together in each sector. Civil society is also have self-reliance capacity as well as being prestige, new value of civil society in moderation, moral and long life learning for immunization building. These make a strong accountability to operate the market of government to occur the equity of civil economy. The unanimous approach of political and administrative strengthening people is the integral concept to adjust with local politics in Thai society underlining sufficiency economy approach that would occur the moral patronage. Local leader is so provided by local people without a conflict, unanimous form will come from the people participation and civil innovation. Conceptually, this assumption significant trust in the civil moral and moral government that can balance the power in appropriately.
In order to the issue of a moral government under principle of sufficiency economy in the context of administration, Pakdeevanit (2007:20) proposed the concept of ‘three rings, two conditions’, encompassing the moderation, reasonableness and immunization with the conditions of a knowledge and moral. Governors could take the principle of, the ten commandments,the good governance and the bureaucratic administration to public management. All these emphasize the responding needs, satisfaction in government’s service, human right, efficiency and effectiveness, reforming, consensus oriented, accountability, practicing virtue and ethic and moral among the politician in representative system and bureaucrat of the central, regional and local level (UNESCAP.2006; Pakdeevanit. 2007: 20;Papasarakang.2006: 1-22; Kawtep.1986). Referring the concept of Putman and Kymlicka(Citing Pakdeevanit.2007), the term of civil moral and civil ethic means the ‘social capital’ such as trusting an other people, and persisting participation in the justice’s process. It is developed to the ‘political virtue’ including mutual respect, exhibiting needs, accounting and assessing public management, monitoring from mass media and exhibiting clearly purpose in participation to debate and to criticize the public problem.
Strengthening people also appeared many types of unit namely interest group, pressure group and etc. The character considers from the material of civil society that is mechanically lead to the civil networking. It is the phenomena from the lower to the upper and is the original form of civil society to connect the network base on trusting, providing a well feeling, favouring together to do the following norm in type of advance activities (Bourdieu and Coleman.1980 citing Paul Bullen and Jenny Onyx: web Site). In the same way, Stephen and other(2002:5), Putnam (1995 citing Stephen and other:10), Kawachi et,al (1997citing stephen and other:10), world Bank, OECD(2001 citing stephen and other:10) and Mac Gilliveray(2002 citing Stephen and other:10), define the meaning like those that concerns with the networking, norm, relation, value, formal and informal form of social interaction and cooperating in both the quality and the quantity.
Measurements and Indicators of Social Capital in Line of Politics and Administration
Encompassing the context of Thai society, strengthening people have four elements of social capital, which is follower (ONESAC.2007; Web Site). (1) The human development to heal and intelligent; (2) Empowering people in community and appropriately functional institution such as family, temple (wat) and local administrative organization; (3) The way of live and the way of thinking, Thai value, trusting, proud in self history and old literature; and (4) Science and art of local living, local wisdom and local innovation. All these are the basis of principle and ideology to balance between human being and natural environment.
An indicator of social capital covers the elements in accordance with the study of Putnam (2000) and Norris (2001). They surveyed the social capital in United State of America and United of Kingdom that founds the measurements and indicators for indicating social capital in line of politics and administration in the particular. The electoral vote is indicated by a number of electoral vote both local and national level. An attitude and a number of voluntary indicate a voluntary activity of social work. Meeting and association is indicated from degree and sequenec of friendliness, favouring together, visiting the other member in their network and their community, degree and sequence of exchanging and discussing between their member and neighbor. Trusting level is indicated by the attitude from trusting and respecting person. A concession in minority is indicated from the level of attitude, behaviour and activity such as a conflict and an influence among meeting. Trusting and proudly in the culture, tradition, local wisdom and the old literature indicates a social cohesion. Political virtue in Hangary, Germany and Russia, shown the relation between social capital and quality of government (Schafft and Brown.2000). Social capital can build the civil virtue, and to be indicated by the orientation of community interest, respecting the laws and order, and respecting in each other. It have a willingness to do more activities for development and makes the people to have experience of politics such as more understanding the political context and greatly attention in politics that is to cooperate with together and to pressure the policy and negotiation with the government in the public interest. The politician and the bureaucrat will cooperate closely with each other by more utilize a knowledge, skill and social resource for the public interest and the public service.
The above points an element of strengthening people in line of politics and administration encompassing the context of social capital or political virtue. However, it should consider the other elements which is mechanism of networking and effecting on the sustainable development.
Circumstance of Thai society, networking people is the connection with the network for supportive learning and sustainable development with participation of all parts. This could build community base and strongly networking organizations. This will occur the process of new alternative for solving the community’s problem that is to lead the local activities such as the local development planning, the provincial vision, and the process of pressurizing policy. These are civil movement, which is appropriately oriented to create potential for self-development. It is the local development towards the nation level base on cooperation of all parts i.e. government, institution, and private organization which connects to be civil society so call social network. The term of social network means ‘the networking, which is to take the trying and operating of each other to include systematically and concreately together’ (Jirarangsit.2006). A mission is jointly implemented by maintain the major mission of each group without lose their philosophy and their identity. A network may have a form of consortium as special activity or clearly relation of structure.
The form of network also has systematically cultural relation, power relation and exchanging knowledge with informal and formal structure for sustainable network. This closes between individual, group and networking organization for meeting and relationship, especially the opportunity of communication, information access and deciding together in any matters. In addition, the form has the character of the social tools in form of civil society that has the goal to solve critically the complex problem. Learning ability will be created to expand continually the processes and the concepts for the quality adaptation calls ‘a socially advantaged friendly’. This has the unity and widely networking that consists with strengthening community and strengthening network. These may divided to three forms as following (NESAC.2006). First, the networking separates by area, the form connects a group, organization, and network by having the area to be main factor in operation. It is the integral process of development at the targeting area. All parts are not separate sector and able to diversity into the level of structural administration such as village and sub-district, distric and province, regional and national and international i.e the network of UNDP. Second, the networking separates by issue, it uses any situations or any issues of activities to be cooperated by orientation and to emphasize the cooperative partner. The networking structure and activity have a similar interest without holding an operationally area for example, the network of the forested conservasion, the local wisdom, the village bank, the aged and human right in Northern, Southern and Eastern Thailand. Third, the Networking in the structural form of four sectors of Thai society, to be divided by mission, activity, and forming of interest group. For instance, A network of government, this more operation to advise than promotion in the civil leraning such as the network of university, community development, One Tambon One Product (OTOP) and Social investment Fun (SIF). A Business networking, the type of interesting connection is to reduce cost of producing and to increase the benefit. The private sector always operates under the cooperation in from of partnership both a widely productive form and a socially developed form. A non-govrenmental organization(NGO),this is importantly to social development in the field of human right such as the network of human right, East-Friend, North Regional NGOs, Labor, YMCA and etc. It is developed from international organization that supports the working and learning of people, to support the people organization and to manage the social problem. This part has a divese approach finding the new alternative in potential development of people for self-reliance. The distinguished role is the pressure to solve problem of social inferior. A gathering people are in any areas in form of individual, group and network, espaecially the community in the rural. These encompasses the culture, and cooperate with the other partner. Technological system is the tool to gather their network for solving problem, together learning and relaying from experience.
The process of networking people is being as the nature and is supported by government or the other organization that needs the community organization to strengthen in self-development. The networking people, such as Eastern-highbrow, native fishery, assembly of poverty and etc, has the two levels of the process. The first is an increasing to strengthening and to adapt the learning for self-management. The second is the potential building of the network and expanding to the province, national and the global level.
Lesson from Experience in Thai society
The working process of network has many interest types(NESAC.2006:Web Site). It is an expanding from smaller to greater unit, and connects from a bit of issue to expand a diverse issue among the area, activities and the operative goal. This process expand from originally base to the new network, which helps their increasing knowledge and experience of together development and have the negotiable power with interest group. For instance, the radio group in Lumpang province has a capacity to coordinate with educational network, ceramic group, Tip-chang environmental group and community economic network and organizational people in thirteen districts (Ampor). All these are together establishment to organization of Lampang’s community that operates for activities of developed communication, learning promotion and activities of the moving people. The method of network is done with finding the key informant, such as the leader most likely ideologist, and finding the form of communication. This also is efficiently organization due to the information, budget, management and commitment are completely.
Altogether vision, commitment and meaning are prevent from interruption of activities,and movement of network. The members have an opportunity, to perceive about information, to create the inspiration, to share the goal and to have the important part of finding and developing the indentity and character of members that is the channel of presentation to the external.
An adaptation and a process of learning creation are occur when they have learning an experience. This will has stable and growing network. The interection and working together with group, partner, the other agency and the other network are create an understanding of nerworking. It have a learning experience in coordination and keeping interest on depending cost, knowledge, experience and cooperation. The process of network is also management that lead to efficiency of organization. Therefore, the networking is a strategy of strengthening people.
Any sectors in Thai society have trying to promote the networking strategy in strengthening people, and try to solve the problems, which are happening. There proposed the proposal of strengthening promotion for the political strength. The economic and social development must have to be done to strength under the assumption ‘better of people being come before’ (Krugtep Business Online.2007; web Site). The problems that are to be solved, especially the poverty as well as a lack of cooperation of government agency due to the problem of budgeting management to support the movement and the participation of people are the factor to relate directly strengthening development. In addition, an unfair, unmoral and inefficiency both bureaucratic academy and private organization are occurred, because the vision of development still use the capitalism in the basis of strategy. More over, It is incomplete factors of unanimity, for instance the lack of educational system and the learning historical vision are cause of incomplete to self-reliance and untruth of political understanding such as the contents of right and freedom of argument and a respect for another.
At the local level, sub-distric (Tambon administration organization; TAO) is an important organization in which creates capacities of civil society. It is the channel of exchanging knowledge, phenomenal analysis, and circumstance in management of local government and decentralization approach. The pressurizing policy and the reforming laws have to involve the local administrative organization. The form of working together between TAOs and the other TAO’s neworks to lead the people’s network collecting, namely the network of community forest, NGOs’ network and agricultural network (www.oknation.net). These make the people able to solve the problem in their community and have the capacity in the three level to support the resource management of community and to interest the process of participation. Further particular are the level of area, it has the target of potential development, supporting education to build the learning process. Level of public emphasizes an area of exchange in the various forms as well as the level of policy. It emphasizes a pressure to reform subodinate laws that is struggle to decentralization or affected people’s being such as the networking in Songkla province, southern Thailand
Conclusion
Strengthening people, the mechanism of decentralization, in addition to have the components of social capital that being encompasses with the context of Thai society. The central policy also supports this important mechanism. Due to it is the heart of strengthening to be driving potential of inner people to carry out a power to use to sustainable development. Supporting the network of organization is necessary because this organization can take the local resource such as social capital to mechanical management for learning and exchanging. Connecting and relation with partner both government and private sectors combining the local mechanism such as the temple(Wat), Tambon administrative organization(sub-district;TAOs), school and local media are the channel of supporting to build the civil moral and civil ethic, the understanding situations, laws and local wisdom for encouraging participation both in the type of area and in the type of activities. Especially,the critical issue to lead the collected data, presenting fact and information and problem analysis until they can find the way of solving problem toward a pressurizing policy, and to participate in the process of development planning at the level of community and the level of local. It is necessarily consider the context of structural administration. This may affect both negative and positive to the process of promotion of strengthening people. Importantly, the measurement for achievable indication at the implication of its strengthen in politics and administration base on sufficiency economy approach, will indicate the achievable implementation to follow as the political virtue or the social capital that can be raised the concept from experience,which have been accomplishes in the Thai society.
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