Page 12 - Rights beautiful : collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik

Rights Beautiful Collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik

all along. For, as the Thai NHRC’s own experiences can tell, effective
human rights protection and promotion depends in the final analysis
on the society’s capacity to defend itself. And this, I am sure, is true of
all the others. Otherwise, human rights institutions, so-called, would
end up turning into an exclusive politics of elitism that serves no useful
and positive purpose in terms of human progress.
So I would urge this forum, if I may, that this vital part of the
concept paper be put on the agenda of action. To get the ball rolling, the
national human rights commissions, academic communities, and civil
society groups are to be mobilized into networking. Mind you, this is not
just for the purpose of facilitating contacts or exchange of ideas and
experiences for their own sake, but for real, concrete and relevant action.
One would rather not to go into lists of activities involved here. But, to serve
as the basis for human rights capacity building, a certain common
groundwork could very well be looked into here, taking into account the
perceived common needs of the Southeast Asian peoples.
First and foremost, promote freedom of thought and expression.
This may sound commonplace enough! And of course we can take it for
granted for the middle classes and those in the modern sector. But, believe
me, it is so vitally important in the context of our Southeast Asia where
traditional authoritarianism prevails, especially among poor and marginalized
people in both urban and rural areas. More often than not, they have been
deprived of appropriate means of livelihood and self-development, as a
result of the so-called economic development in which Western-styled
industrialization takes the topmost priority. All this is well known and comes
to be recognized by the international economic and financial institutions
like the World Bank and the IMF. There is so much talk about poverty
eradication and sustainable development lately, whatever that means. But
that is about all. From the standpoint of establishments, the solution could
at best be seen in the manner of welfare, or lately “social safety net” in the
World Bank’s jargon with holier-than-thou posture. All of which is in defense

6 OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF THAILAND