True reforms - more questions than answers
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On Wednesday, the new "Five Rivers" met for the first time since the previous draft charter was shot down, which led to two organisations - the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and the National Reform Council (NRC) - being dissolved and two new bodie
The new “Five Rivers” represents the Cabinet, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the National Legislative Assembly, the new CDC, and the new reform body – the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA).
The public has continued to be confounded, since the first NRC was created, by how the much-needed reform process in the country is going to proceed.
After its 10 months in office before being dissolved, the NRC’s work slowly became clear to the public in the very last months. They realised that the NRC’s work revolved around developing a reform blueprint, which comprised 37 main reform agendas plus solutions, and extending eight development agendas, 15 special agendas and some quick reform actions.
When the NRC was dissolved, the public was again left in the dark on the fate of reforms. The birth of the NRSA in its place gives them renewed hope that reform work would be continued.
And while many may have wondered how it was all going to be achieved, a meeting on Wednesday kind of answered the question.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, as premier and the NCPO’s chief, delivered a loud and clear reform directive to the concerned agencies.
He said the reform work would be divided into two phases, and the first phase would be about improving areas of inefficiency. “We will go together with the first gear. If gears need to be changed to second, third and fourth, let the next government do that,” the PM told the meeting.
The loud and clear voice of the prime minister may help disperse concerns for some, but for several others a new question has emerged – whether his plan to go about it in a phased manner could bring about true reform, especially when he is clear that what he would go after is just tackle the inefficiency of government agencies?
It’s true that the inefficiency of government agencies has played a key role in slowing the country’s progress and improving their efficiency is a must. But one cannot help but wonder whether such a change can really bring about changes at a fundamental level, a much-needed component of true reform.
If the first phase, as PM Prayut has declared, while he is still in office, is going to be about improving efficiency, one cannot help but wonder whether true reforms will ever get a chance.
Prayut seems to have realised public concerns, as he has proposed a 20-year strategic plan to enforce the reforms. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee how the 20-year-plan will be enforced by the next governments, as there is no binding legal commitment in place so far.
The plan was addressed under the previous draft charter, which was shot down, and the new charter has not given any assurances so far that the content created by the defunct NRC was going to be incorporated again.
If true reform is what is direly needed for this country, and if we are serious about it, mere loud utterances many not be enough. What is needed is total commitment to ensure the goal is attained.
