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ดุลพาห

Local administration, which stems from the decentralization principle,
is important for the administration of government for the following reasons. 39

First, local administration is the foundation of a democratic system. It is an
institution that teaches the people politics and administration. It allows the people

to become familiar with invoking their own rights and realizing their own duties as
a citizen, which fosters faith in democracy. Second, local administration shares the

burden of the government. Next, local administration allows the people to learn to
govern themselves and gives them the opportunity for political involvement, which

provides a sense of ownership and responsibility to his/her community. This will
encourage the people in the community to become aware of the problems and

obstacles and work together to overcome them. Fourth, local administration can
effectively respond to the needs of the local people in the area. Fifth, local

administration builds future political leaders. Last but not least, local
administration is in line with the idea of self-reliance rural development.

One obvious interconnectedness between administrative procedural law
and central and local administration is that the use of authority in a hierarchical

system is closely related to both forms of administration, that is, centralization and
decentralization. Such relation influences various forms of administration, as follows.

(1) Hierarchical power means the power which a superior officer uses
to command his subordinates to comply with the decisions made or policies. One

example is when the Permanent Secretary uses the hierarchical power to ensure
that all subordinates in the Ministry follow his commands and/or directives.

The commander can issue any order as he deems appropriate and can always
revoke any order or act issued by his/her subordinates. However, such use of

power shall be in accordance with the law.

39. Kowit Puang-ngam, Local Administration in Thailand: Principles and Future Prospects, Winyoochon
Publishing, at 33.

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