BANGKOK, THAILAND - Media OutReach - 14 June 2023 - Mr. Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, secretary-general of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), delivered a lecture on "Open Data: Anti-Corruption Weaponry in Digital Age" at the PPTV FORUM 2023,onMay 25, 2023. Taking up the theme of Open Government: Game Changer in Fight against Corruption, the event was held at Movenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok. Kasemmongkol said that the promotion of transparency and open government data are the core of good governance or good public management. Both the United Nations and the World Bank have recognized this promotion as key to successful development efforts in many nations around the world. Such principles are also enshrined in Sections 76 and 164 of Thailand's Constitution. Section 76 stipulates that the state must promote the development of morality and transparency in accordance with the principles of good public management among all types of state organizations so as to deliver maximum benefits to people via state functions and services that uphold equality, quality, efficiency and transparency. People therefore are direct beneficiaries. Section 164, meanwhile, states that the government must ensure and arrange for good public management. Therefore, the promotion of transparency via open government data and ethical state operations have had utmost importance. Good governance or good public management has six pillars namely 1) Rule of Law; 2) Transparency & Data Disclosure that is being discussed today; 3) Morality; 4) Public Participation in State Operations; 5) Responsibility; and 6) Cost-efficient & Time-Efficient State Operations. Regarding the NACC Board's and the government's policies on the promotion of good governance and anti-corruption in the public sector, multidimensional guidelines have been laid down as follows: 1. The promotion is enshrined in the constitution; 2. The promotion is enshrined in the Anti-Corruption Act and many laws on the administration of state affairs; and 3. The promotion is a part of national strategies, master plans, and action plans of each government agency. The NACC Board and the government have issued many measures to enhance the integrity of state officials. Nowadays, state officials' corruption risk is significantly lower than in the past. Even if corrupt practices are undetected in the beginning, investigations can be launched retroactively. One of the anti-corruption measures used by the NACC and the government is the promotion of transparency. There are many tools for the promotion such as information laws and legislations that upgrade digital-government operations. Kasemmongkol said that people needed to physically go to government agencies to receive their services in the past. Officials also had the right to call in people and have face-to-face meetings involved talks. Negotiations for bribes may emerge during such meetings. So, if our bureaucratic system has reduced face-to-face meetings between people and state officials, or if we use other means of contacts, the risk of bribery talks will be lower. The new way of contacts can also save state budget as well as people's money. Several countries have already developed digital systems to facilitate state operations or digitalized state services. The development of digital-government operations starts by integrating systems for enhanced efficiency or service delivery in the way that reduces the exercising of state officials' judgements, curbs the risk of corruption, and promotes greater government-data disclosure for better transparency. The NACC, in collaboration with the government, has already pushed for several relevant laws for the development of state operations and good governance. Moreover, the NACC has launched the Integrity and Transparency Assessment (ITA) as a key tool. On laws related to the promotion of transparency and good governance in the public sector, the Act on Management of State Affairs by Electronic Means B.E. 2565 stipulates that to seek an approval, a permit, a tax refund, a certificate, a registration, a construction permit or the likes, people no longer have to queue up physically at government agencies. They can just file requests electronically. After this act came into force and related systems sprang into operations, people can just contact authorities online. They do not have to travel to government agencies. Such approach saves people's time in contacting government agencies. There is no need for face-to-face contact, which may lead to negotiations for bribes. Several other laws have also been introduced to increase bureaucracy's efficiency and to prevent bribery. For example, the Licensing Facilitation Act B.E. 2558 requires that each government agency specify clearly how long it will take to respond to each request. In the past, people had waited really long to get response because there was no clear timeframe. Traders, entrepreneurs, and people who...