Page 65 - kpi21190

65

๏ And fourth to empower people and promote social, economic and political
inclusion of all; Empower and Inclusion. Two key words that appear in
the fourth target of Goal 10 of the SDGs, highlighting how a stronger
engagement of people can positively impact inequalities, and thereby
revealing another dimension of the relation between inequality and
democracy.

Empowerment of individuals and their inclusion and participation in decisions,
processes and activities affecting their social and economic well-being are explicitly
presented as a means to addressing inequalities. But empowerment and inclusion
have not only social and economic dimensions, they also have a political dimension.
Empowering all people and ensuring their participation into politics and political
systems means widening and deepening democracy. This requires formulation of
various laws and development of democratic institutions as well as to abolish
discriminatory laws and practices.

Translated in political terms, one can argue that democracy would therefore
be the most appropriate system of government to institutionalize and sustain efforts
to reducing inequalities as it is both based on the concepts of people participation
and civic empowerment and reinforces them. In Thailand, the April 2019 elections
of the new Parliament has strengthened democracy and allows the expression of
people’s aspirations through their representation in legislative debates. The fulfilment
of their rights, a better and more equal distribution of wealth but also of access to
services and resources would undoubtedly be included in these aspirations. The
more transparent, inclusive, accountable the institutions not only of Parliament but
of governance are, the more likely and sustainably, inequalities can be addressed
and reduced. The role of Parliament in deciding how the Government spends
taxpayers money through the voting of the budget and in holding the executive
branch accountable is also critical in the efforts for a more inclusive society. These
issues are those contained in Goal 16 of the SDGs; a goal that aims to promote
peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to
justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It is on this last point that I would like to make an Keynote Speaker
additional argument which I believe is very relevant for Thailand in its efforts to
both reduce inequalities and strengthen its democracy: institutions at all levels. All
Levels. Many would agree that Thailand, despite several legislation to create and
institutionalize local governments, remains a centralized state. A Decentralization Act
was passed in 1999 setting out a process to decentralize some budget to local
administrative organizations. It aimed that 35 percent of total government budget
would be transferred to sub-district administrations.