Legislative Intervention in Thailand's Development Process: A Case Study

Abstract

T hailand's national elections in February 1969, the country's first in eleven years, introduced a group of politicians dependent on electoral constituencies for their political support. During the 1,009 days of its existence before the military coup d'etat of 1971,' ithe House of Representatives showed a potential to help shape government policies and programs, surprising its critics by questioning executive decisions on issues of taxation, the national budget, foreign policy, and government organization. Many Members of Parliament (MPs) played important roles in determining the shape and direction of government projects in rural areas. This case study documents an instance of legislative intervention in the development process in one tambon of Northeast Thailand, one of a multitude of incidents which finally compelled the military elite to resume absolute control over the political process. Table I lists some terminology concerning the rural Thai government structure. In early 1968, a kamnan used his influence to convince a tambon development committee that a proposed tambon development center (TDC) ought to be located in his own village rather than in another village which had originally been slated to get it. Three days after the 1969 election, 248 villagers petitioned the Governor to shift the project back to its original location. They also called on their elected representative for assistance. During the subsequent 21 months, the MP worked alongside these villagers in support of their claim. Events surrounding the location of this development project cast doubt on some of the major principles of development administration and on methods of program implementation which have traditionally been espoused by the Thai government. The episode illustrates problems of village and tambon leadership in the development process and, more significantly, provides important evidence on the specifics of legislative-bureaucratic interaction during Thailand's most recent unsuccessful try at representative