As far as I am aware, in order to becoming a practising doctor in Thailand, you first need a licence from the Medical Council of Thailand. Policemen and teachers likewise must be licensed before starting work, and at one point you even had to be qualified in order to read the news on TV.
It’s not what you know, but who, that matters when seeking promotion in Thailand. Just ask (clockwise from above) Tida Tawornseth, Duang Yubamrung and Yaowaret Shinawatra.
While I may not agree with the standards by which we measure the competency of some of these "professionals," I am happy that we at least have standards. I think. To be honest, I don't even know if I believe that.
Regardless, there are some cases where knowledge and experience are as important as hair colour. And that is one of the main reasons why Thailand is in such a mess.
While working at Chester's Grill or stacking shelves at the supermarket, you probably don't need a long line of letters after your name. And if you want to be a politician in the field of say, agriculture, you might want to think about learning a thing or two about crop management or rice subsidies.
I say you "might" want to think about that, because here in the Land of Nepotism it doesn't really matter either way. In a country where job titles are handed out as a reward for loyalty, you can spend your whole life working as PR executive and suddenly find yourself promoted to deputy minister of energy. It doesn't matter that you don't know what you're doing; you've earned your reward.
To be fair, in some cases it doesn't really matter; no one knows what a secretary to the PM's office does anyway. But on occasion, these kinds of "payment positions" can do some real harm.
For example, let's take a look at Education Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvech's appointment of several red-shirt leaders to a special sub-committee under the Education Council.
First up, we have one-time communist and current chairwoman of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, Tida Tawornseth. Why should this esteemed political figure be posted to oversee decisions regarding education policy in Thailand?
Well, despite a spell teaching pharmaceutics at Mahidol University, Mrs Tida has no background working in educational reform at the political level in Thailand. When asked about the appointments in an interview with Post TV, Mr Suchart avoided a direct answer and defended her appointment by saying "If Natthawut [Saikuar] can be the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, why can't [Tida] be in this committee?'
Other appointees include Udomkiat Panmee and Yaowaret Shinawatra (Prime Minister Yingluck's sister). These two individuals are virtually unknown in the political sphere but I can tell you that they have not been working tirelessly to improve Thailand's education system for the past 10 years.
Mr Udomkiat is a practising lawyer, which could be useful for when schools need to do some lawyering. However, he is currently one of the UDD's lawyers, implying that his expertise lie in civil and/or criminal law rather than education law, so it will be interesting to see how helpful he is.
Mrs Yaowaret is also on the committee. She is most notable for being Mother of the Year 2012, proving that she cares about kids. Well, her own at least. But again there is nothing to suggest she has been handed the position based on relevant expertise.
At best these appointments are nothing but trophy titles set up to make people feel important. Little harm will be done, because little work will be done. We will just remain the same level of terrible we have always been. The only harm there is will be to progress.
At worst, this is part of an effort to further political agendas by placing sympathisers in positions of influence. I'm not saying that is the case, that would be pure speculation, but even if you're not a conspiracy theorist, it's not beyond the realms of possibility.
I wish I could say that this was a one-time thing, or even that I am being politically biased and singling out the red shirts. But it's not, and I'm not. This happens all the time, with the yellow shirts too, with the Democrats and in private companies all over Thailand.
The fact is this is what we do.
We put personal connections and favours ahead of talent. And what's worse is, even when we get it right, we get it horribly wrong.
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung's son Duang was discharged from the army in 2002 for desertion after he fled to Malaysia in 2001 following accusations that he shot dead a police officer. He was later acquitted of murder by the Criminal Court on the grounds of insufficient evidence and conflicting witness accounts. Lt Duang later was reinstated to the army.
On Aug 1, Duang was transferred to the Royal Thai Police Force under the position of Pol Lt, deputy inspector of the bureau's training centre, where among other duties he will teach shooting. No doubt Pol Lt Duang is well suited to the role, but was the move worth the controversy? What are we to do when the people who are right for the job, are the people who are not right for the job?
Arglit Boonyai is Multimedia Editor, Bangkok Post.