Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...
Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...
Conflict, Legitimacy and Government Reform: Equitable Allocation of ...
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<strong>Conflict</strong>, <strong>Legitimacy</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Government</strong> <strong>Reform</strong>: <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Allocation</strong> <strong>of</strong> Resources in Thai Society<br />
Principles <strong>and</strong> Rationales<br />
Over the years there have been ongoing<br />
conflicts in Thai society. Political crises<br />
have disrupted the democratic system.<br />
Groups with opposing political views clash, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
with all sides citing civil rights <strong>and</strong> personal<br />
freedoms to legitimize their acts. People disobey<br />
laws they deem unethical, using only their<br />
personal notions as a guide. The result has been<br />
polarization <strong>and</strong> deep rifts among Thai people.<br />
Unrest continues in the southernmost provinces,<br />
causing loss <strong>of</strong> life <strong>and</strong> damage to property. All<br />
over the country, local communities <strong>and</strong> state<br />
agencies battle over allocation <strong>of</strong> natural resources.<br />
All these conflicts have taken a heavy toll on Thai<br />
society, the economy <strong>and</strong> politics, <strong>and</strong> thus have<br />
inevitably affected Thai people’s lives.<br />
<strong>Conflict</strong>s that have escalated into violence are<br />
just a tip <strong>of</strong> the iceberg, revealing a larger mass <strong>of</strong><br />
lingering <strong>and</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>oundly intertwined systemic<br />
problems such as corruption, abuse <strong>of</strong> political<br />
power, misconduct <strong>of</strong> public <strong>of</strong>ficials, unfair<br />
allocation <strong>of</strong> resources, unequal access to<br />
education opportunities, elections intimately<br />
linked to the patronage system, militar y<br />
intervention in political crises <strong>and</strong> so forth.<br />
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