NACC: Eliminating Conflicts of Interest Stops the Root Cause of Corruption
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has revealed that conflicts of interest are the root cause of corruption. The NACC recommends clear guidelines to reduce corruption risks by distinguishing between personal, professional, and public matters. Along with adherence to ethical standards, this approach promotes sustainable corruption reduction.
Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, NACC Secretary-General, and Spokesman, stated that conflicts of interest arise when personal benefits clash with public interest. This occurs when individuals fail to separate their roles from their public duties, leading to accusations of corruption or criminal penalties. Conflicts of interest can take seven forms:
- Accepting Benefits: This includes any advantages such as assets, gifts, discounts, entertainment, services, training, or similar benefits. These benefits may influence the decisions of public officials in carrying out their duties.
- Self-Dealing or Contractual Conflicts: Public officials, particularly decision-makers, may have a vested interest in contracts involving their affiliated agency. They could own or have a stake in the company that holds the contract, or it may belong to a family member. This results in conflicting roles, effectively making them both buyer and seller.
- Post-Employment Conflicts: This occurs when public officials resign from their positions and later work for private companies in the same sector or with connections to their former government agency. They may use their previous influence or relationships to benefit the company and themselves.
- Outside Employment or Moonlighting: Public officials may establish competing businesses or accept consulting jobs on projects, leveraging their government positions to assure clients that their projects will face no obstacles within the agency they belong to.
- Insider Information: Public officials may misuse confidential information obtained from their role to benefit themselves or their associates, either by selling the information or personally profiting from it.
- Misuse of Government/Employer Property for Personal Gain: This occurs when public officials use government assets, which are meant for public purposes, for their benefit or that of their associates. This includes assigning subordinates to handle personal tasks.
- Political Conflicts: Senior officials or politicians may approve projects in their hometowns or use public funds to campaign.
To address these issues, public officials must follow good governance principles and avoid practices that create conflicts of interest. The NACC has introduced measures to mitigate the risk of corruption due to conflicts of interest, including a "No Gift Policy," which limits the value of gifts accepted by public officials to no more than 3,000 baht. This measure aims to close the loophole that allows for gift-giving that can lead to corruption. Public officials must always act with integrity, transparency, and a commitment to serving the nation.
