Chaiwat Thirapantu

As a country in transition, Thailand's rapid economic development has been accompanied by social, political and infrastructure problems that come to a head in Bangkok, its large and sprawling capital. Chaiwat Thirapantu organized the Bangkok Forum as a way for citizens to reclaim and reinvent their city, and to increase their participation in decisions both large and small that profoundly affect their lives and living environment.

The Bangkok Forum was established in 1994 to develop new public institutions and to encourage a sense of solidarity and purpose among Bangkok's citizens. Through public discussions, political education, and public activities, the Bangkok Forum motivates individuals and groups toward increased civic involvement and responsibility. The Forum seeks to redefine and restructure existing civic institutions, such as political parties and city agencies that currently do not encourage access to information or public participation in their decision-making. It strives, therefore, to act as a catalyst that cuts across organizational lines and helps Bangkok's citizens to cope directly with their common problems through active public participation. Drawing from disparate groups of people and occupations, the Bangkok Forum attracts those who want to discuss political, social, and economic issues; study approaches that have been tried in various parts of the world; and devise action plans that are best suited to Bangkok. The Forum's ideas are then presented to the media for wider dissemination and comment and to government itself in ways that increase the likelihood of their implementation.

Bangkok's problems are symbolic of the great sacrifice in quality of life in Thailand in the country's rush toward industrialization. Nothing in its history could have prepared Thailand to cope with the massive upheaval caused by the nature and pace of economic development during the past thirty years. As Thailand continues to transform from an agrarian to an industrial society, large numbers of people who live in rural poverty seek economic opportunity in the country's urban areas, resulting in a mass migration of people to Bangkok. The lack of provision for city planning and the city administration's apparent inability to serve the public interest have led to Bangkok's rapid deterioration. Problems such as heavy traffic, pollution, lack of physical and social infrastructure such as roads, public transport, parks, adequate schools and libraries, have all contributed to the declining quality of life for the ten million people who live in Bangkok.

Culturally and socially, however, most Thais are still organized as though they live in small farming communities. They pay much attention to relationships within the family circle and their work and social contacts. But relationships within the larger society are normally not as valued because they are not expected to be as useful or reliable as close, familial ties. Thus, Thailand has not experienced the evolution of public consciousness and participation that is found in countries whose industrialization and political development processes have taken place over hundreds of years. As a result, the people of Thailand have not yet developed a strong sense of civic mindedness and civic responsibility, let alone created political and civic structures that are responsive to the people's needs and aspirations.

The strength of the control and secretiveness that are typical of Thai public institutions reinforces the lack of interest in civic life. Government ministries and city administrations tend to work like disparate personal fiefdoms, each one ruled over by a strong personality. Ideally, these institutions should be cooperating to solve problems for the public good.

In order to change these attitudes and behaviors, a new model of civic involvement must be created. Since the government never consults with the people, and since decision making is cloaked in secrecy, the Thai people must take the initiative to lobby government and voice their interests and rights.

The Bangkok Forum has identified two concrete goals: the first is to press for structural change within the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the second is to help raise community spirit. The guiding vision is to make Bangkok a better place for its citizens to live.

To achieve the first goal, in-depth studies of how several other large cities have been organized are being conducted. Representatives, such as city and traffic planners from Seoul, Korea and other capitals have been invited to speak at the Forum and present strategies and lessons learned. The Authority itself is being lobbied directly to allow more community involvement in public policy. Brainstorming sessions with community groups that represent diverse interests are reaching a consensus on how they can work together to achieve common goals.

To help inspire civic-mindedness and civic responsibility among citizens, the Forum is currently lobbying to make the property of certain government agencies that are moving out of town available for public use, rather than allowing the property to be sold privately. The Forum plans to use these vacated spaces, already publicly owned, for community centers where people can meet, attend educational programs, organize theater groups, and have facilities for children to engage in sports and other activities.

The Bangkok Forum is also networking with other urban reform groups in Thailand's other major cities. By sharing information and action plans, they are beginning the real work of decentralization, which requires an informed public and awareness of the activities of the current government.

Using community centers for people to meet and discuss issues as well as enjoy recreation facilities helps instill community spirit. In the past, and in some village areas to the present day, Buddhist temples facilitated community building. In Bangkok, however, a new model for gathering people together is needed, such as the series of street festivals that are planned to help stimulate public involvement and generate hope for a more positive civic experience. The fundraising for these activities is shared by a number of groups in a way that in itself, facilitates cooperation and shared responsibility.

Since he was a young man, Chaiwat has pursued the idea of building a fair and liberal society. Politics has always fascinated him, and he has written for a political weekly magazine, worked for a political party, and lectured widely within the trade union movement. His experiences with these activities have motivated him to work with grassroots based community action groups to bring about positive change rather than through a single focus special interest group.

Chaiwat is the author of Chaos Theory and the Catastrophic Bifurcation of Siamese Society, a book that received a lot of attention for its application of a natural science theory to the upheaval of Thai society. Chaiwat also credits his experience of studying and working in Germany for over ten years with helping him see new avenues for reformulating his fellow citizens' approach to their rapidly changing environment.