Thailand's parliamentarians demand some respect

Sep 24, 2009, 9:28 GMT

   Bangkok - The Thai Parliament Thursday ordered all civil servants to show some respect to house representatives by waiing them - the traditional Thai palms-together greeting - and helping them more with their workload.

   The order, issued by the Secretariat of the House of Representatives, was in response to numerous complaints from members of parliament that appointed officials showed little respect to their elected counterparts and were generally unhelpful, one official said.

   'The order is a funny one,' said the bureaucrat, who asked to remain anonymous. 'In reality, government employees in Parliament are willing to help the members of parliament with their papers and duties but sometimes we are busy too with our own work.'

   Thai bureaucrats tend to stay on the job longer than elected members of parliament and senators.

   Since 1932, when Thailand opted for a democratic system under a constitutional monarchy, the country has had 18 successful coups, held 23 elections and had 27 different prime ministers. The average term in office for a Thai prime minister is 2.8 years, and getting shorter.

   Thailand has had three prime ministers since the last election of December 23, 2007, including Samak Sundaravej, Somchai Wonmgsawat and the current Abhisit Vejjajiva.