|
|
| |
Key points made during interview with Tithiphan Chuerboonchai
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University
|
Initiative and Commitment
to Learning
| - |
While a Dean at Chulalongkorn’s
Faculty of Law, Surakiart vigorously advocated for
the creation of an international LLM program, and
even used his personal resources to garner the momentum
to see this idea implemented. Indeed, his efforts
led to a program that runs in partnership with two
Canadian universities and one Japanese university,
each of which send two faculty to teach the courses
in the program and bring an international perspective
to the program at Chulalongkorn University. The
program is now widely recognized in Asia and serves
as a model for other such partnerships that involve
Asian universities. |
Clarity of Thought
| - |
Surakiart knows how to frame complex issues very
clearly, and how to make progress rather than allow
himself to be overwhelmed by the scale of a particular
project. In the late 1980s, the Thai government
decided to commission Chulalongkorn University when
it saw the need for legal reform, particularly to
spur development. This was an issue that Surakiart
was deeply committed to, and though it was hard
to see exactly where to start, Surakiart saw how
to divide the work among participating faculty,
and together, we were able to come up with strong
results that were later used by the institute on
development directly in charge of seeing legal reform
through. |
Serious Intellectual
| - |
Surakiart has often been called upon by successive
governments to advise on a variety of complex issues,
ranging from international trade law to intellectual
property – and he has always risen to the
challenges posed to him. Successive governments
have often relied on his preparatory policy and
legal work, whether in the context of trade negotiations
with the European Union, of the need for legislation
to better address the petrochemical industry, or
the need to integrate intellectual property protection
for software in Thai legislation. Surakiart’s
opinion has been very influential in guiding Thai
policy for a broad range of issues. |
Commitment to Social Issues
| - |
Since our student days, Surakiart’s commitment
was to alleviate poverty, to foster development,
and to find the means to improve the quality of
life of citizens – a commitment he has long
lived by and defended. I have always been impressed
by his mastery of current issues of concern, by
his well-reasoned opinions on a variety of matters,
and by his determination to persuade others and
his openness to hear views that differ from his
own. |
Commitment to Excellence
| - |
Among Surakiart’s greatest achievements
was to give the Faculty of Law at Chulalongkorn
University a renewed sense of pride in its teaching
and its potential – he was instrumental in
securing public funding for a new building that
would house a variety of legal research centers
and provide them the resources for their work. His
contributions as Dean were inspiring, and his ability
to persuade successive Thai governments with very
different political agendas to support his initiatives
show a versatility in helping politicians see common
ground, working toward a goal for the benefit of
the common interest, for all Thais. He was able
to do this, I think, by putting forth concrete proposals
and pitching the law faculty as the principal law
center in Thailand, and he was ultimately successful. |
Personal/UN Candidacy
| - |
Surakiart is as compassionate and selfless as
he is wise and determined – he has always
been down to earth in spite of being recognized
in Thailand as a brilliant academic and an influential
political figure, while being decisive and undeterred
in the face of decisions that might have negative
repercussions for him personally. I believe this
trait is invaluable in a Secretary General due to
the importance, above the complex administrative,
diplomatic and political responsibilities, for the
person assuming that role to reach out to people.
Few people I have encountered in my career as an
academic display the humility he does, and have
the natural ability to genuinely relate to and to
understand people of diverse backgrounds. But his
compassion should not be mistaken for weakness.
Surakiart is very decisive and has time and time
again made very unpopular decisions because he believed
that they were necessary given the circumstances,
whether to uphold the image of our faculty of law
or to further our country’s financial stability.
|
Contact: Tithiphan Chuerboonchai
Dean
Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University
Phyathai Road, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2218-2042
Fax: +66 (0) 2218-2018
E-mail: Tithiphan.C@chula.ac.th
|
|
|
|
