Limiting land ownership? Not a chance

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Limiting land ownership? Not a chance
By Suthichai Yoon
The Nation
2011-03-03

It's a bold and admirable move, but a populist government won't have the audacity to put it into practice: putting a 50-rai limit on land ownership to launch the country's land reform programme.

The proposal presumably would help to bridge the rich-poor gap and would eventually reverse the dangerous trend of a handful of wealthy and influential families owning the majority of land in the country.

Will the Abhisit government adopt this unprecedented proposed "reform agenda" submitted by a committee headed by former Premeir Anand Panyarachun?

It will most likely end up as an "important long-term objective" that will never get executed.

The Cabinet did "acknowledge" the proposed idea on February 15. Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva then assigned Prime Minister's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoei to consult with concerned ministers and submit a set of measures to the Cabinet within two weeks.

Does this mean the government is finally serious about land reform? Not really. It simply means that the various "reform committees" set up by this government to show that it's serious about social change are doing what they are supposed to do. Now it will be up to the government to pretend to be ready to do what it is supposed to - which means that politicians will try to wriggle out of a trap of their own making.

The official papers submitted by the Anand panel offer some very specific solutions to a long-entrenched problem, both immediate and long-term in nature.

Of particular interest is the part of the proposal specifiying that the large number of poor people being charged with land transgressions should be offered fair trials - and that the government should take immediate action to enable them to have access to land for agricultural cultivation instead of falling victim to loan sharks, speculators and landlords.

Long-term proposed solutions include putting a ceiling on the size of land for agriculture per household - to prevent poor families, particularly those in the provinces, from being edged out by individuals or businesses intent upon "hoarding" farmland to pursue their own interests. At present, the law can't prevent this dangerous trend, which has already reached an advanced stage.

It is also crucial that information about land ownership be made public for open and transparent scrutiny. The committee's report calls for all data related to land ownership around the country be made available to members of the public, so that any violations can be investigated, if not by government agencies, then at least by non-government organisations.

It is also proposed that a Land Bank Fund be set up to buy land that would then be given to landless farmers. That would be a state initiative to help elevate the disadvantaged so that they can stand on their own feet. These people have for years been left to fight for their own survival against almost impossible odds. They have struggled against overwhelming state power and imposing private landowners.

Another interesting suggestion to ensure a move toward a more equitable society is to implement land taxes on a progressive scale - meaning a higher tax burden for landowners once they overstep the ceiling stipulated by law. If this idea is taken up, part of the proceeds could be directed toward the special fund to set up the Land Bank for the poor.

Even if nobody expects the government to take the plunge and seriously implement the crux of the proposed land reform scheme, a concrete move to make available all information regarding land ownership in this country - a full list of who owns how many rai of land, at what price, and allowing the public to raise questions about their acquisitions - would be considered a small step in the right direction.

But I doubt that they will have the political courage to even undertake that minor initiative. It would hit politicians and their cronies in business circles where it hurts the most.