Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda has urged a corruption court be set up to accelerate graft-related cases which he says usually take too long.
"We'll point a finger at them and tell them to their faces: 'You may be rich but you cheat from others'," says Gen Prem at the National Defence College on Monday. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)
"The thing I hate the most is corruption. Poverty and graft are Thailand's two major illnesses. It's everyone's duty to tackle it," Gen Prem said at the National Defence College on Monday.
Thais tend to take for granted the need to tackle corruption, thinking it's none of their business or why adding enemies.
"What kind of idea is that? Of course, we can't force them to stop thinking the way they do because there's no law against it. But it's wrong because it's their civic duty to be responsible for the country.
"To deal with corrupt people and act as a good citizen, we must first make a vow never to be corrupt, and keep it. I fully support exposure of such evil men. It doesn't matter how respectable they are, we must never wai or bow to them. We must show them our disgust and keep our distance. Avoid them like a plague. We'll point a finger at them and tell them to their faces: 'You may be rich but you cheat from others'," said Gen Prem.
"I once asked people [in charge of a corruption case] why this case took so long. They told me there were several lengthy procedures to follow. I told them the process could be streamlined but there was no one to do it. We can speed them up but again there's no one to do it. We have many courts - constitutional, justice and tax courts. Wouldn't it be nice if we have a corruption court to exclusively handle graft cases? Let's do it," he said.
A former chivalry officer, the statesman also suggested enforcing the law on corrupt people in the chivalry soldiers' manner - swift, severe and absolute.
"We must deal with corrupt people because they are the enemies of the state. We need to focus, monitor and sweep them off our land. The only way to deal with corrupt men is to punish them. I urge all Thais to do their duty. Don't take them for granted and always keep a watch on people close to you to cure them of the disease," the 95-year-old former prime minister said.
Gen Prem, who served as prime minister from 1980-88, remains an influential political figure. His move is closely watched for clues of the establishment's position.