Promises of a corruption-free Thailand: Will political parties deliver their election pledges?

For more than a century, corruption, graft, kickbacks, and bribery have been entrenched in the culture of Thailand. However, political parties in anticipation of the upcoming May 14 General Election are promising to eradicate these issues in their election pledges. But will they?

Mana Nimitmongkol, the secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT), said that despite the implementation of numerous anti-graft mechanisms in the country, corruption has not diminished.

According to Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Thailand is ranked 101st out of 180 countries. However, this marks a slight improvement from 2021, with Thailand climbing nine places in the ranking. Despite this, Thailand’s transparency score only increased by one point, Thai PBS reported.

Mana expressed disappointment that Thailand’s corruption situation has…