LOCAL POLITICIANS IN THE BUREAUCRATIC SYSTEM

Abstract

The article aimed to present form and structure of government of Thailand, principles and concepts of decentralization, local politicians, roles and duties of local politicians, and local political problems and solutions. This is because local administrative organizations are the administrative units that form the basis of democratic governance with the principle of decentralization. It is where local politicians have the opportunity to present their own development policies and discussion in the local council which is similar to the national council for the purpose of enabling the locality to be self-governing to alleviate the burden of the central government. But at present, the local government still faces problems with administrative structure. There are overlapping administrative powers and budget problems that still rely on central government assistance, which tends to increase in the future. In addition, local politicians have to wait for the policy orders from the state and do not have full freedom of self-government. Such problems have made local development in Thailand not as successful as it should be. If problems have been solved, it will bring great benefits to the local people enabling local development to be self-reliant.