DOES THAILAND NEED USAID?

       The US government agency has grandplans to speed the country's democratisation process, but many question whether such change can come from the outside By Achara Ashayagachat
       Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will be in the United States this week to attend the United Nations General Assembly. While there he will meet with US President Barack Obama, and it's a safe bet that a chief topic will be Thailand's ongoing democratisation process, which under Mr Obama has seen a renewed US interest, largely through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
       Despite the delayed vetting process for its top administrator back home in Washington, USAID in Thailand has been moving forward at a steady pace to implement the Obama administration's policy of "soft and smart" power engagement in the region through strengthening the country's constitutionally mandated independent agencies, as well as civil society organisations nationwide, particularly in the deep South .
       USAID's revived role in Thailand which has seen a shift of emphasis from the conventional economic and social development issues to the advocacy of democratisation - should in principle be welcomed, given that Thailand has experienced a derailing of the democratic process in recent years.
       However, the heightened US presence through the non-military aid agency is causing concern, even worry, in some quarters, especially in regard to the sensitive South.
       From a security point of view, any imagined involvement or linkage of other sovereign states or even international organisations like the United Nations is officially regarded as not conducive to stabilisation of the turbulent region. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban's recent denial of the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) plan to set up an office to monitor the southern situation is clear evidence of this. The UNDSS reportedly deployed its officials to talk to the southern army chief, governors of the three southern border provinces and academics in the deep South to determine the status of the conflict situation.
       The southern problem is strongly deemed as as internal affair, and help from outside must be by invitation only.This has been the baseline of the Thai government all along.
       Yet, an exception seems to have been made for the US and USAID. In fact,USAID has no formal agreement with the Thai government at all.
       Since moving its regional office from Phnom Penh to Bangkok in 2003, USAID has reshaped itself, especially in light of the Sept 19,2006 coup, to direct support to citizen engagement and peace building in Thailand.
       Prior to this, in recent years the agency had been more associated with its sponsorship of bilateral and regional projects on HIV/Aids - including educational support of sex workers - refugee advocacy and humanitarian support along the Thai-Burma border, and flu and malaria monitoring along the ThaiCambodia border.
       Now it seems USAID is more occupied with planting a firm foot in Thailand's socio-political foundations.According to its mission director, Olivier Carduner, USAID, through consultations with Thai academics, has found its targets. These are; independent agen-cies created by the 1997 constitution but which have somehow been crippled;civil society organisations (CSOs) which have been flourishing since the 1992 "Black May" incident; and community and grass-roots media, which are considered a key factor in maintaining a functioning check and balance system for Thai democracy.
       Mr Carduner said USAID is calling for proposal bids involving these three sectors by American firms. He said contractors could sub-contract their projects to other entities, but American citizens must be involved in the subcontracting as well. With an annual budget of US$15.5 million (523 million baht) and a timeline of three to five years, by the end of this year USAID should identify the contractors and subcontractors, and by early next year work could begin.
       So what exactly does this work entail?Contractors are required to "create networks between independent agencies such as the National Human Rights Commission, Election Commission, and National Anti-Corruption Commission;civil society leaders, academics and other civic leaders advancing democratic policy reform and conflict mitigation in the deep South".
       Sunai Phasuk, a representative for Human Rights Watch, said the USAID grand presence has caused a stir among NGOs.
       Mr Sunai is among a small group of activists who are sensing a "gold rush"phenomenon in the months, if not weeks, to come as businesses and corporations enter the scene in the name of development and democracy.
       "Given the sensitivity of the issues and the areas of work in the southern Muslim-dominated provinces, if it is not well-managed it will compromise the already fragile stability in the region," said Mr Sunai.
       He also said if the screening process of the contractors is not done thoroughly, there might be redundancy with existing works under the responsibility of other NGOs, instead of complimenting or fostering the on-the-ground players.
       Some activists are concerned about possible dictation and conditionality that contractors might impose upon sub-contractors, which might not fit into the Thai context.
       A European diplomat shared a similar concern:"We are happy that the US has given both concrete attention and a budget toward a southern solution,but we do not think the way they are doing it is encouraging."
       He implied that a US presence in the South could attract an international militant Islamic presence that is not currently operating there.
       "Outsiders such as the US, the EU or UN should not be a focus and divert attention from real solutions such as fixing justice and impunity problems,"he said.
       Others have expressed concerns about support in the form of grants to the three independent agencies, and also wonder if government authorities would be sidelined as the US engages more with the CSOs.
       Michael Montesano, a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore,posed a more theoretical and intellectual question.
       "How, in 2009, can Bangkok tolerate USAID involvement in Thai domestic affairs that recalls the activities of the former US Operations Mission during the height of the Cold War?" wrote Mr Montesano in a recent article for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper.He reflected that the answer may perhaps be that it is in the interests of certain elite groups, such as those backing the current government, who have long preferred the CSOs that USAID hopes to foster to the less predictable politics of the masses, with their red and yellow movements.
       Especially, Mr Montesano continued,if they are under the leadership or patronage of elite-oriented figures, CSOs would pose no systemic challenge to the status quo.
       His comments are supported by the fact that USAID is collaborating with the Political Development Council,created out of the 2007 Constitution and chaired by Suchit Bunbongkarn.
       Yet, USAID's plans for Thailand appear to be justified by a national survey released by the Asia Foundation this month that revealed the Thai people do not seem to think that CSOs and the media have a significant role in Thailand, and that the political efficacy of the Thai voters is inadequate given their significant interest and participation in the process of democratisation.
       So it seems we need all the help USAID is willing to give, doesn't it? On the other hand, will USAID's plans to change Thailand's politics work? These questions remain open.
       According to Mr Carduner, USAID is interested in mounting a democratisation effort in Thailand that mirrors its successful undertakings elsewhere in recent years, such as in Indonesia and the southern Philippines. USAID also believes it should lay some groundwork in the South before the rehabilitation and reconstruction in the postconflict phase arrives.
       Mr Carduner concluded confidently that there is an adequate degree of trust for the US agency among the Thai senior leadership in many quarters."After all, we are not imposing any master plan or instant solution. It will be an incremental process based on opportunities and options proposed and involved in by the folks down there," the USAID mission director said.