Reform, a just society 'top goals'

PRIME MINISTER Prayuth Chan-ocha says in his policy statement, due to be announced in the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) tomorrow, that his government’s major goals are to create a society where there is reform and justice, with no corruption.
“We now have to create an atmosphere and environment suitable for unity and reconciliation that we lacked in the past. This is not easy to achieve. There are still many problems and obstacles ahead,” he says in the statement.
He also says his government will maintain financial and monetary discipline, and will not resort to budgetary overspending in order to win support from the public.
 Unlike an elected administration consisting of politicians who always think about getting re-elected, his government has no need for populist policies, he says.
Regarding unity within his government, Prayuth gives an assurance that his Cabinet members will work together smoothly and have no need to compete against one another, unlike in an administration consisting of ministers from different coalition parties.
The prime minister will represent his Cabinet in declaring the government’s policies before the NLA tomorrow. The session will be televised live, Deputy Premier Wissanu Kreangam said yesterday.
Copies of the 23-page policy statement have been distributed to NLA members in preparation for the policy announcement. A copy of the document was also obtained by The Nation.
The government’s policy statement covers 11 areas –protection of the monarchy, national security and foreign affairs, education, economy, public health, the fight against corruption, and laws and judicial procedure.
Protecting and upholding the monarchy is the first item covered in the policy statement. Prayuth says it is his government’s “utmost important duty” to protect the monarchy, which he says has been threatened and insulted by people with ill intentions.
In order to promote unity and reconciliation in the country, the government plans to get rid of the major causes that led to conflict and division. These include economic inequality, power abuse, corruption and unfair practices.
“The government promises to use our perseverance, tolerance, knowledge, honesty and integrity in an attempt to overcome all the problems and obstacles so that we can achieve the desired goals,” he says.
“I have repeated several times about doing this first, seriously and immediately,” the prime minister says.
As the selection of National Reform Council (NRC) members will not be completed until early next month, the government will start working on reform immediately in certain areas that require urgent action.
These include education, quality of life, social inequality, low agricultural prices, and corruption, according to Prayuth’s policy statement.
“This is to prevent loss of opportunities and further damage to the people involved,” he says in the statement.
The premier also calls for cooperation from the public and the NLA to help the government achieve its goals.
“We urge you to cooperate and help us, share your views and thoughts, and take action so that our country will see a return of peace and beauty, and move forward in a stable way,” Prayuth says in concluding his policy statement.
On economic affairs, the government’s policy is broken down in the policy statement into three phases, as it aims for continuity and sustainability of economic expansion.
This comes as the country still encounters insufficient tax collection, mounting public debts, energy wastefulness, and a water-shortage problem in the agricultural sector.
In the short term, the government will escalate disbursement of the fiscal 2014 investment budget and press ahead with economic-stimulus measures for the fiscal 2015 budget, as it seeks to spur the launch of potential projects and balance farmers’ incomes and production costs.
As for the next stage, the government will focus more on directing monetary and fiscal policy in the same direction, to help accelerate the recovery of the economy.
In the long run, the government aims to develop all transportation modes – water, air, rail and road – to support the nation’s logistics, strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises, and enhance the digital economy, the policy statement says.
On education, the government will change the budget-allocation policy, from providing a per-head subsidy to schools and universities, to new criteria focused on suitability to match the areas in which institutions are located and the make-up of students in each area.
The government will also promote the decentralisation of education management to local administrative bodies – and further to communities, private operators or members of the general public, while giving them greater independence through granting them authority as legal entities.
As to its policy on Asean, the government will put foreign policy into the security context, enhancing Thailand’s in building up the Asean Political and Security Community, which will become effective by the end of next year.
Security covers both conventional and non-traditional threats, the government says in the statement. It will, therefore, build up the country’s military capacity for sovereignty and national-interest protection, as well as joining other nations in tackling disaster relief.
The government has a policy for the deep South, but will continue applying the grand strategy granted years ago by His Majesty the King – that is, to understand, reach out to and develop areas and people in the predominantly Muslim region.