Prayut vows to follow what's stated in the constitution
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PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday refused to be wrangled into a discussion about the "road map to democracy" and the suggestion that he might stay in power to carry out "reforms".
“Reform means to develop for the better. Reform is a continual process, not a one-job project. The reform should be preserved and continuously carried out; thus there’s no end to this,” he said.
Prayut insisted that he was prepared to pass his work on to the next elected government. He amplified his point by using the example of China’s 30-year reform, which enabled that country to become the world’s second-largest economy.
The prime minister affirmed that he would follow what is stated in the constitution.
“This government governs under a special situation and the task is to pass on our work in an orderly way to an elected government,” Prayut said.
But he added that he would have no choice but to stay in power if the draft charter is rejected.
The PM acknowledged that not everyone agreed with him.
“It is hard to make all 70 million people agree,” he said, insisting that he had nothing but good intentions. He called for more support and urged the people to defend him.
When asked about the support expressed by the People’s Democratic Reform Foundation (PDRC), Prayut denied that PDRF leader Suthep Thaugsuban is trying to help him.
Prayut said the foundation was merely trying to protect the country’s interests. He thanked Suthep and begged all groups and parties to operate within the rules laid down by the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order.
He called himself a “middleman” and said conflicts should be replaced by cooperation for peace. He asked all parties to work together to bring about the new constitution. If some people continued to oppose everything and anything, he said, it would prove difficult to solve the national problems.
The PM said Thailand was facing a number of big issues, including poverty and income disparity. “If we solve these problems today … they won’t be exploited as a tool in conflict any more.”
