Role Sharing and Collaboration between Governments andNGOs for National Development in Thailand

Dr. Chindalak Vadhanasindhu
Associate Professor and Dean
School of Public Administration
National Institute of Development Administration
ThailandThe first non-governmental organization (NGO) was established in Thailand for morethan 100 years. Apart from the original Thai Red Cross Society, there were many registeredcharitable foundations and associations. Concerning the national development, NGO started
their roles about four decades (since 1960s) and at present they play very important roles and try
to collaborate with the government sector.
This paper will present the activities of the Thai NGOs, especially their roles andcollaboration with the government sector concerning the national development policy andpractice. The paper is categorized into 5 parts:
1. Background of the Thai NGOs
2. Characteristics of the Thai NGOs
3. The First Thai Development-Oriented NGO
4. Role Sharing and Collaboration with Government
5. A Case study and a Profile of Successful NGO

Background of the Thai NGOs
NGOs in Thailand have constantly developed their roles and operational directions,especially during the previous decades. Valuable experiences derived from their work andlearning process with participation from the local people – the majority of whom are rural andurban disadvantaged groups – have enriched their situational analysis ability, enabling them toutilize systematic, holistic and more comprehensive approaches to the process. This skill is
extremely essential in current social situation, which has become more and more complex.
Thai NGOs advocate the sufferings of the people- the causes as well as the prevention
and the solution of problem through local potentiality and wisdom. This enhances extensive
public awareness and people participation. In many cases, the efforts have significant impact onnational policies as stated in the national economic and social development plans(Phuavongphatya, 1995).
Although the government in recent years has recognized and accepted the role of NGOs
and has requested more NGO participation in development process. There still existing conflicts
in development concepts and working strategies. Time and efforts are required in order to reachmutual understanding, which will result in effective cooperation in the future.

Thai people have known and received some services from the work of NGOs. Some
NGOs are highly appreciated and very popular throughout the country, they are accepted as
charitable organization. Most of them initially organized as relief agencies, providing
immediate assistance to any needed circumstances such as disastrous aids. Out of these, very
few Thais know what NGOs are.
During the 1980s, there were a lot of questions concerned with social justice within thenational development policy, the situation forced the government made major changes toconcentrate on the poorest areas development especially at the rural areas. And the government
gave more attention to the role of NGO in social development. At the same time numbers ofinternational NGOs came to Thailand to work with the Indo-China refugee, these events broughta more involvement of Thai NGOs to play either charity or development oriented programs.
In short national development policy over the past four decades have pushed the country
to increase dependence on world market while economic growth is its’ prime priority. At
present, not less than 20 million people from the whole (60) are still under poverty line.
National resources have been used unwisely, which made pollution and environment to a very
dangerous situation.
However, they have much more efforts in straightening people organization for people’s
sustainable development. These NGOs are seen as progressive social action groups.
♦ Most of them are run by committed people from various backgrounds who express
social development form the humanitarian or social justice concept.
♦ They are democratic broad minded, searching new alternatives out of bureaucratic
administration for a proper development approach.
♦ Their main target groups are deprived sectors of the society. These NGOs put theirefforts raising the awareness and develop strength in solving their problems.

These NGOs mainly practice development approach with the target group, in many cases
they cannot leave out of relief services. General speaking their works can be seen in four roles.
1. Encouraging the strength of community institutions. The main idea is to facilitatetarget groups to analyze and solve their own problems with proper methodology. To
do this role NGOs emphasize on pulling the target groups ability to use within their
obstacles. In the future the NGOS hope to have strong people’s organization to workby themselves.

2. Educating the public about social problems This work is form facts, data,
information collected from their task. NGOs often distribute these realities throughvarious mass media including meetings or seminars. These presentations in manycases wake society up to a more participation or stimulate the government setting up
a working mechanism on the raised issues.
3. Providing direct assistance. Thailand is the same as any society where numbers ofunderprivileged or handicapped groups are existing. NGOs often have to work to
alleviate directly the hardships of the concerned ones by giving needed helps. Such
activities themselves are only services. They are valuable source. They may be agood area of future self help. They can also play educational roles to the public onsocial problems.
4. Coordination of networking development role. This is another important role trying
to strengthen the NGO movement itself for a better coordination and improving thequality of its work (Poomkacha, 1995).

Characteristics of the Thai NGOs

The Thai NGOs may be seen into two groups as follows:
1. A well established group
These NGOs have at least three factors through their program implementation. Firstly,
they have worked long enough in Thailand with the last 15-20 years. Secondly, they are secured
from the sources of financial support to continue their responsibilities. Thirdly, their leaders areeither from popular social image or strong professional background. Many international NGOs
working in Thailand are counted in the group.
2. An indigenous grassroots NGO
Most of them have grown up in the last decade. Yes they are beginning to make some
impact on public awareness and public opinion concerning social and development issues. And
they are emerging as a small force for social justice and social change in Thailand. They have
many limitations when compare to the first group including the capability and skills of the staff.
The areas of the strength are flexibility and the works are pretty much close to the badly neededgroups in the society. They are more concerned with people’s empowerment rather than material
development.

The Thai NGOs anyway may be grouped according to their field of interest as follows.
♦ Rural Development♦ Children and Youth Development♦ Education Development♦ Human Right♦ Coordination and Services to other NGOs
♦ Environment♦ Urban (Slum) Development/Basic Health Development♦ Consumer Protection♦ Appropriate Technology

From the study of the Public Welfare Department, more than 80% of Thai NGOs were
found after 1957. At present they are roughly 2,547 NGOs, not more than 375 (15%) aredevelopment oriented, the rest are either funding or charitable services NGOs.

Types of NGOs Allowed under Thai Government Regulations

There are five types of NGOs that are operated and registered in Thailand as follows:Type1) Foundation

Registrar

Law♦ Ministry of the Interior♦ Civil and Commercial Code♦ National Cultural♦ National Cultural Act

Commission2) Association♦ National Police Bureau♦ Civil and Commercial Code♦ National Cultural♦ National Cultural Act

Commission3) Trade/Industrial Council

4) Cremation Association♦ Ministry of Commerce♦ Civil and Commercial Code♦ Ministry of Industry♦ National Cultural Act♦ Department of Public♦ Cremation Welfare Act

Welfare5) Labor Union♦ Ministry of Labor♦ Labor Relations Act

The First Thai Development-Oriented NGOs (Suksawat, 1995)

An event in early 1967 was very important for the social development movement inThailand. As some of the national leaders at that time, including M.R. Chakthong Thongyai, theMinister of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Mr. Sanoh Nilakamhaeng, some leadingbusinessmen and Dr. Puay Ungphakorn, Governor of the Bank of Thailand, were granted apermission to bring Dr. Y.C. James Yen to receive an audience by, and present their thoughts onrural development to His Majesty the King. The original schedule for the audience was thirty
minutes. However, as the issues of discussion benefited rural areas, which the King was soconcerned, His Majesty discussed with them for nearly ninety minutes.
After the audience with His Majesty the King, this group of national leaders, who were
either member of the royal family, civil servant or businessman decided to set up a foundation tobe the first development-oriented NGO in Thailand called “Foundation for Thai Rural
Reconstruction Movement (TRRM)”.
In October 1969, His Majesty the King accepted the foundation to be under His
Patronage and asked how could he support the foundation, The foundation committee thenasked a fortune money of one baht.
For example, in the Mae Klong river basin development project, Dr. Puay tried tocoordiante with Thammasat and Mahidol Universities, so that academics and students from thetwo universities would be able to apply their academic knowledge to real practices in ruraldevelopment and they could be more “down to earth”. Development activities in this project
began in the vicinity of Yokkrabat temple, Yokkrabat sub-district, Ban Praew district of Samut
Sakhon province. If successful, rural development work in this project would be expanded to
Ratchaburi, Nakorn Prathom, and Karnchanaburi provinces to meet with the expansion from
Chao Phraya river basin in Suphanburi. This model would then be applied in other regions ofThailand.
This set of thoughts was based on clear studies of geographical and social settings to
make it simple for implementation, reduce risks and when it was successful, more difficult tasks
could be tackled.
Thammasat University’s Graduate Volunteer Services (GVS) was another brainchild of
Dr. Puay and his close colleagues to provide an opportunity for graduates from any university to
be a volunteer doing social work for a year, so that they would know more about the society andrural areas. It was also hoped that when these graduates became full-time wage earners in thegovernment, state enterprises or private businesses, at least they would understand “ordinary
people” more and work to serve their society with good quality and virtue. The Office ofGraduate Volunteer Service has maintained this function continuously until the present day.
Dr. Puay and TRRM Steering Committee’s development concepts based on the principleof human development were that of genius which went beyond time, particularly networking offield work, universities and intellectuals. This point made the extreme right-wing groups lookedat any do-gooders, including Dr. Puay and the TRRM group, at that time as leftists, even though
he was accepted in Europe and the US as an economic guru and frequently invited to give
special lectures by various universities until he was pass away.

Role Sharing and Collaboration with Government (Suksawat, 1995)

In late 1984, the government of General Prem Tinsulanonda wanted rural development
NGOs to join together at regional and national levels. Regional seminars were organized in mid
1985, followed by a national one in December of the same year. Each region elected theircommittee, which sent representatives to a national committee, called “NGO Coordinating
Committee on Rural Development (NGO-Cord).” Regional committee was as follows:
1. NGO-CORD, Upper Northern Region
2. NGO-CORD, Lower Northern and Central Region
3. NGO-CORD, Upper Northeastern Region
4. NGO-CORD, Lower Northeastern Region
5. NGO-CORD, Southern Region
6. NGO-CORD, Bangkok Region

The government’s goal was that they would be able to see the shape of NGOs moreclearly and know where to make contacts. However, over the past eight years until 1993, thegovernment have not come up clearly the ways to help NGOs, while these NGOs worked with
virtually all groups of people in all geographical areas of the country from fisherfolk
communities to hill tribes, and from underneath the sea, river basins to uplands andmountainous areas more than 1,000 metres above sea level.
Some NGOs worked very hard day in, day out, deep down to family institution, looking
for popular wisdom and people’s scholar to create new alternatives for social development.
Another example of role sharing and collaboration was a speech of the Former Prime
Minister Anand Punyarachun, at the Siam Society Gala Dinner on 14 August 199(Farrington
and Lewis, 1993). The speech highlighted several difficulties currently faced by NGOs,
including registration and screening procedures that are lengthy and treat NGOs as politicallysuspect; the difficulties of attracting and retaining skilled personnel, and the threat of reduced
external funding as Thailand moves to 'middle-income' status.
The Prime Minister highlighted several NGO roles worthy of government support:
1. as communicators they have raised public awareness about e.g. the distribution offorests, and have secured a widespread ban on logging

2. as facilitators, NGOs mediate between government and people, and assist
communities to help themselves.
3. as providers of services NGOs can reach some areas with certain types of services
more cost-effectively than government.
4. NGOs innovate in the provision of services and the tackling of specific problems,and government should support and learn from this process
5. NGOs should be brought more into official development planning processes, toensure that grassroots views are heard.

The Prime Minister explained that he had already emphasized in a policy statement to
the National Assembly the need to support NGOs, and outlined the measures he intended totake:
1. streamlining of registration procedures, in particular the removal of security checks
on personnel
2. raising of the current limits on tax deductibility for corporate contributions to charity
3. government requirements that provincial authorities co-operate with NGOs in e.g.
the 6 million baht allocation for drinking water, environmental conservation andoccupational training
4. government funds in certain cases to match the contributions raised by NGOs fromsociety at large.

More widely, it was the government's intention to promote a spirit of voluntary work
among commercial companies, encouraging them to sponsor particular villages or NGOs, and toprovide specialist skills where these are beyond the reach of NGOs.

Other possibilities under consideration include the substitution of community service forcurrently compulsory military service, and the repayment of scholarships through voluntary
work with NGOs during vacations.

A Case Study and a Profile of Successful NGO
Case Study: Land of Virtue and Prosperity (Land of Dharma; Land of Gold)(Chintakanond, 1991)

Inspired by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Royal Address on his Coronation
Day, May 5, 1950, "We shall reign with righteousness (Dharma) for the happiness and welfareof the Thai people", the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand initiated the concept ofthe "Land of Dharma, Land of Gold" or "Land of Virtue and Prosperity" which espouses thatdevelopment should be carried out in balanced harmony, namely, moral development, social
development and economic development.

Moral development, however, should be given

special priority, since development should first take place in the mind of man.
The NCSWT presented this idea to the Government which in 1984 appointed a SubCommittee on National Ideology consisting of scholars, civil servants and knowledgeable
persons to draft the "Thai National Ideology" to serve as a guideline in the nation's economic,
social and political development. In 1985 the Government deemed it suitable and opportune to
implement the concept of "Land of Dharma, Land of Gold" to mark His Majesty the King's 40
Years of reign in 1986 and His Majesty's 60th birthday in 1987.
The teaching in all religions is relevant to moral development, the principle ofdemocracy in social development, mutual assistance and self-help are the basis in economic
development. Chart I demonstrates the concept of the "Land of Dharma, Land of Gold".

Chart ILand
Of Dharma,
Land
Of Gold

Moral development
The Promotion and Coordination Committee for the "Land of Dharma, Land of Gold" isresponsible for overseeing that programs and activities conform with policy, are consistent withthe objectives and meet established targets. It presents progress reports to the Prime Ministerand Cabinet and coordinated activities with Gos and NGOs, the Centre for the Promotion and
Coordination of the Land of Dhama, Land of Gold being the operating agency at the national
level. Similar centres have been established at the provincial and district levels to facilitate
implementation and coordination between Gos and NGOs (inclusive of the military). The
Tambon Council and the Village Committee are the operating agencies at these two levels.
Chart II explains the structure of operations.

Chart II. Land of Dharma, Land of Gold
Office of thePrime Minister
Promotion and
Coordination Committee
Centre for
Promotion and Coordination
Provincial Centre

District Centre
Tambon Council
andVillage Committee

Researchand
Evaluation
Subcommitte

Training andDevelopment
Subcommittee

PublicRelations
Subcommittee

Ad HocSubcommittee
Nun’s Volunteer
Project

WorkingGroup

WorkingGroup

WorkingGroup

WorkingGroupNa Nok Kao Village, Sakon Nakorn province, for example, was interned into the "Landof Dharma, Land of Gold" programme in 1989. Six Ministries are involved in the project,
namely, the Interior, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Education, Public Health, Industries andCommerce.

On the private sector side, full cooperation was received from foundations,associations, and businessmen as well as priests.
Moral development aspects included:♦ Promoting harmony and unity, patriotism and a sense of responsibility♦ to one's community and nation,♦ Expounding the principle of democracy and respect of law,
♦ Abstinence from self-indulgence including gambling, consumption of
alcoholic beverages, etc.,♦ Observing religious teaching occasions,♦ Preserving local tradition and culture.

Economic development aspects involved supporting the self-help needs of thecommunity to improve its economic well-being. With the cooperation of GO's and NGO'svarious programs to improve production and marketing abilities were undertaken. Projects
aimed at increasing family and community economic stability and security such as Rice Banks,
Saving Cooperatives etc. were also implemented.
Social development aspects involved:♦ Encouraging villagers to express their ideas as a means of determining
their needs and as means of educating them about democracy. Gos assisted by
guiding the villagers to systematize their thoughts so as to render them applicable,♦ Setting up a committee to oversee village security and order as well as
pooling of equipment for use against fire and other unfortunate occurrences,♦ Establishing health and sanitation facilities, e.g. medicine fund, healthfund.

Under the "Land of Dharma, Land of Gold" Project, the village of Na Nok Kao has
upgraded itself not only in terms of economic well being but also in terms of a higher quality oflife which includes better social conditions and moral development.

A Profile of Successful NGO: The Population and Community Development

The Population and Community Development Association (PDA) was founded in 1974.
It is one of Thailand’s most well established and diverse non-government organizations.
Operating from Bangkok, 16 regional development centres and branch offices in rural Thailand,
PDA’s programs are based on the belief that local people are best suited to shape and sustain
their own development. PDA has pioneered grassroots growth marked by extensive villager
involvement not only as beneficiaries but also as planners, managers and leaders.
With over 25 years experience PDA looks forward with renewed commitment to respondto current social and economic dilemmas with the innovation and ingenuity that have marked its
achievements through the years.
PDA was first active in promoting family planning in urban and rural areas of Thailand,
where knowledge of and access to such services were scarce. PDA recruited and trained
respected members of local urban and rural neighborhood to distribute and provide information
on affordable contraceptives directly to their communities. Other campaigns were tailored to thehealth of specific target groups such as factory workers, hill tribe villagers and adolescents. In
total 12,000 volunteers plus several mobile health units distributed contraceptives to over
10,000 villages. Today PDA programs cover over one third of the country, helping to lower thenational population growth rate from 3.2% to 1%.
PDA programs now encompass integrated rural development, water resource
development, local institution building, medical and health services, population control and
AIDS care activities, income generation and occupational training, and forestry andenvironmental conservation.
The development of a nation can be achieved only when the quality of life for all Thai
people is improved to a satisfactory standard. PDA is not the sole contributor but believes thatthe community as a whole-in all sectors of society; private, public and non-profit can join
together in a new civil society movement. Today the Population and Community Development
Association is proud to have contributed to improving the standard and quality of life in
Thailand; however, they endeavor to continue their struggle in the rural areas, where thegovernment’s efforts require their support in the betterment of the country, both at the local andnational levels.

Bibliography

Chintakanond, Nareewan (1991) Government-NGO Cooperation in Social Development, New
York: United Nations.
Farrington, John and Lewis, David J. (1993) Non-Governmental Organizations and the State in
Asia, London: Routledge.
Phuavongphatya, Srisawong (1995) in Thai NGOs: The Continuing Struggle for Democracy,
Bangkok: Thai NGO Support Project.
Poomkacha, Dej (1995) in Thai NGOs: The Continuing Struggle for Democracy, Bangkok: Thai
NGO Support Projects.
Suksawat, Rueng. (1995) in Thai NGOs: The Continuing Struggle for Democracy, Bangkok:
Thai NGO Support Project.
Http://www.pda.or.th