Wissanu: govts have time to put in strategy

Wissanu also said the Cabinet’s recommendations on the charter draft did not include this matter, but said it would be acceptable if a government failed to implement the strategy it could be dismissed by a court. 

Wissanu said there was a bright side to the development, reasoning that a government in the future would have as many as four years to work on the strategy considering its first phase.

“It doesn’t have to finish all plans within their first or second years,” Wissanu said “Politicians will somehow find ways to accomplish these.”

The National Reform Steering Assembly’s bureaucratic administration committee yesterday deliberated on its study on development of the 20-year national strategy as well as a necessary draft bill to put it in effect.

It is seen as paving the way for creation of a new body which may supersede an elected government in the future again after the previous body of the National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Committee was strongly opposed and dropped along with the previous charter draft.

Another deputy Prime Minister, Prawit Wongsuwan helped his colleague underline importance of having a long-term strategy in place to help carry out long term reform plans at yesterday’s press briefing, but stopped short of saying more on the matter.

Wissanu said the Cabinet proposed for a reform chapter to be included in the charter draft to steer reforms, and they should be in line with the 20-year national strategy.

The long-term strategy is expected to be actively driven, Wissanu said, in order to help integrate five-year National Economic and Social Development plans.Wissanu said the Cabinet did remind the CDC of the political chaos prior to May 22, 2014, he said, when the latest coup took place. The CDC should come up with solutions to that kind of situation, he said.

Its recommendations should have weight when coming to the CDC’s consideration, he viewed, as they merged proposals from all ministries.