Income Gap Grows Wider in Thailand by Phairath Khampha 27 July 2002 The more Thailand becomes developed, the wider the gap between the rich and the poor. This inequality in Thai society was highlighted in a recent research paper written by Assoc Prof Pranee Innakorn of Thammasat University, according to whom Thailand recorded an average growth of 7.6% between 1960 and 1996. But in 2000, the richest Thai families earned 15 times more income than the poorest families as the country's economic and political elite further increased corrupt activities to steal more and more of the country's wealth. It was this behaviour on the part of the rich that led to the country's economic crisis in July 1997, as wealth was being stolen faster from society than it was being created. The gap between the rich and poor in Thailand was now much bigger than in any developed country. In Japan, for example, the richest families earn about four times more than the poorest families. Why Thailand failed to create a fair distribution of income? All national development plans and platforms of Thai governments were supposedly aimed at eradicating poverty. So politicians were more concerned about tackling poverty than ensuring a fair distribution of income. Civil servants, academics and politicians believe in the trickle-down theory--when there are more rich people, they say, the poor would reap benefits as well. But in a country where almost all government officials and the political and economic elite are extremely corrupt and dishonest, the opposite is true. The first three national economic and social development plans of Thailand played a big role in widening the gap between the rich and poor. Under the plans, natural resources were exploited, causing rural people to migrate to cities. The mass migration bred family problems, prostitution and drug addiction. The rich enriched themselves on the natural resources, leaving little for the majority of the country's population. Although on paper Thailand is now wealthier, most of the wealth is even more concentrate din the hands of the few than it was 10 or 20 years before. Consequently, although growth figures, maeasured per capita, would suggest everyone is getting wealthier, the reality is that the statistics do not properly measure where the wealth is going. In fact, most of it is going to a few families while less is going to the majority of Thailand's population. Therefore the nation, as a whole, is becoming further impoverished. Under certain dictatorial governments, social inequality was a taboo subject. People who talked about it were branded as communists. Indeed, politicians also played a part in promoting social inequality. They are concerned only about getting elected and fabulously enriching themselves through abuses of their office. The Thaksin government declared war on poverty, but its development plans were not different from those adopted by its predecessors. Populist policies were implemented, but they were not providing a long-term solution to the problem.