(A refreshing break from the mind-numbing slog of Prez Politics. – promoted by JDRyan)

[Cross posted on BureaucracyBlog.com]

Here’s a great story for anyone tired of the talking heads and screaming commercials and internet flash predominating on news outlets covering U.S. politics these days.

In Thailand there are governmental and corporate bureaucracies to fight when it comes to projects like huge dams and coal fired power plants that would be a windfall for bureaucrats and stockholders, but devastate untold numbers of lives and homes, as well as the natural environment.

At the forefront of Thailand’s grassroots activism against corporate and bureaucratic greed are six women, profiled in an article in the Bangkok Post by Vasana Chinvarakorn  While being careful to say at several points that there are of course men who are activists, too, the article quotes Penchom Saetang:

“We have observed an intriguing aspect of grassroots movements here-the strength and dedication of the women involved with them. We don’t mean that men are not as active, but we’ve seen a difference, especially in the approaches and strategies used by men and women. While working with villagers to stop the Thai-Singapore industrial estate project at Pluak Daeng, we became aware that it was mostly the ‘aunties’ who worked tirelessly for the campaigns. A question then arose: ‘Why the women?’ And mostly of the older generations?”

In describing the collection of stories Penchom and two researchers, Sopida Werakultawan and Sukran Rojanapaiwong, have gathered in a project studying the work of the six women leaders, Vasana writes,

They reflect how a person can have a bigger heart than suggested by their physical size, ingenuity to overcome any hurdle and a drive that defies belief.

The stories as related in the article include Dawan, a villager who eventually uncovered massive government corruption, having started out by educating herself about wastewater treatment to the point of stumping the highly educated government “experts” on televised broadcasts. There are stories of smear campaigns to taint the women morally as a way of trying to get them to back off their activism. That has led, however to more activism, as one of the women reports that “…the Pak Moon people now take turns visiting each other’s families to give them moral support and to dispel any doubts that might have arisen as a result of the rumour-mongering.”

All such activism is indicative of what Penchom calls, “Jit Satharana (the public mind), a mind that cannot tolerate injustice, is willing to make sacrifices and looks toward the welfare of future generations. And it has nothing to do with “political ambition, nor planning to become a public figure’.”

What a concept.

May we all go forth and cultivate Jit Satharana and a drive that defies belief. And don’t dare underestimate older women while you’re about it.