Yossakorn Insists Corruption Can't Be Fixed in 100 Years—Must Push Thailand Toward High Income, Believing Wealthy People Won't Cheat

Deputy Prime Minister and Higher Education Minister Yossakorn Wongswaddi delivered a keynote speech at Chiang Mai University's 2026 administrators' seminar on May 23, outlining the ministry's policy direction. Rather than pursuing new strategies, Yossakorn stressed the need to fill existing gaps and foster collaborative governance, positioning the ministry as a science-focused mini-cabinet equipped with world-class knowledge and personnel capable of creating sandbox pilot programs to address the nation's major challenges across multiple dimensions.

The core mission involves linking research with the economy, foreign affairs, security, disaster management, and public administration to achieve results that responsible agencies can scale up. Yossakorn's paramount objective is pushing Thailand toward high-income status through a new economic engine, which he argues is the foundation for sustainably solving entrenched social problems.

"I set the goal for Thailand to become a high-income country, and people might laugh, but everything comes down to making a living," Yossakorn said. "On corruption, even fixing it for 100 years won't solve it completely. But if we ensure people have enough money, who would want to commit corruption? It's basic human nature—if we trust our people, they won't cheat anyway. Therefore, we need a new economic structure with new economic engines to be the nation's salvation."

Yossakorn highlighted the World Bank's framework for developing an innovation ecosystem by balancing three pillars—education, research, and innovation—growing proportionally. Losing any single pillar would stall the economic wheel. He called for outdated disciplines to be abandoned by educational institutions, instead focusing on upskilling and reskilling workers to keep pace with new technologies.

Yossakorn urged researchers to leave their labs and build networks, reorienting research to meet market demands and investor needs while prioritizing intellectual property creation with real economic value. He also advocated for universities to redesign education management around user experience, expanding programs across all life stages from infants' first 100 days through elderly palliative care.

Chiang Mai University's Science and Technology Park exemplifies one of Thailand's finest startup incubation ecosystems and serves as the nation's innovation training hub. "Chiang Mai isn't remote—it's a hub connecting India and China, and Thailand's biodiversity strength serves as crucial source material for medical industry advancement and promoting Nature Positive concepts," Yossakorn concluded.