A study on the status of sub-district leaders and citizenship in a democratic system

Abstract

This article examines the role of sub-district leaders in strengthening communities and promoting citizenship within Thailand’s democratic system. It emphasizes the importance of governance and decentralization as key mechanisms for enhancing local administrative efficiency and increasing public participation. Sub-district leaders play a crucial role in community management, infrastructure development, resource management, and promoting transparency. This group includes the Chief Executive of the Sub-district Administrative Organization, the Mayor, the Sub-district Headman, Village Headmen, and various volunteers such as Village Health Volunteers (VHVs), Social Development and Human Security Volunteers (SDHSVs), and Civil Defense Volunteers (CDVs). These leaders contribute significantly to encouraging public engagement in the local development process. However, sub-district administration faces several challenges, including power centralization, the lack of mechanisms to facilitate public participation, inequality in resource allocation, and insufficient capacity development for local leaders. Solutions to these issues include appropriate decentralization, leadership skill development, fair resource distribution, and increased public involvement in local governance. The study concludes that sub-district leaders are essential to grassroots democratic development. If their capacity is enhanced and public participation is encouraged, local governance will become more efficient and serve as a strong foundation for Thailand’s democracy in the long term.