Help out NGOs

The Prayut Chan-o-cha government apparently wants to curb civil society groups and NGOs with unwarranted regulations, such as restricting foreign donations to certain activities (BP, March 4). But we should promote — not curb — civil society, for NGOs can, and should, complement the work of state agencies. As former prime minister

Anand Panyarachun put it: “Civil society is (a) vital pillar (of democracy). An active civil society begins its engagement at the grassroots. Community forums, clubs, issue-focused activist groups, charities, cooperatives, unions, think tanks and associations fit under the broad umbrella of civil society. These groups are the participatory vehicles for sustaining grass-root democracy. Civil society provides an important source of information for intelligent debate on matters of public interest. Civil society also provides a mechanism whereby the collective views of citizens can shape and influence government policy. By bringing into the public domain arguments and information as a context for examining policy, a democratic government is forced to present counterarguments or to modify its position. Such exchange is healthy for democracy.”

For example, Thai public health volunteers greatly helped in surveillance and containing Covid-19. Another example is PollWatch, established by thenprime minister Khun Anand, consisting of 20,000 volunteers to curb vote-buying and encourage democratic consciousness in the lead-up to the March 1992 elections. In the US, Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been a key player in reducing US road fatalities due to drunk driving in half since its 1980 founding — an achievement that we have only dreamed about.

Help NGOs to strengthen Thai democracy. BURIN KANTABUTRA