A national dream is important, so is the path to its realisation

That’s probably the reason why some senior officials have been pondering the idea of coming up with a new dream or vision for Thailand. 

As stated in a report from the bureaucratic administration committee under the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA), this “vision” aims to boost the hopes of the people.

The idea of developing this new vision by laying down a long-term strategy for the country was hatched and nurtured quietly among senior officials when the first charter was being drafted. 

Despite the previous charter draft being shot down following controversial proposals, including the establishment of the National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Committee (NSRRC), the formulation of this national strategy has continued under a government-appointed committee.

According to a source, this panel has been working on the strategy’s content, while it has passed the development of mechanisms to drive the strategy over to the NRSA’s bureaucratic administration committee. 

The content was revealed this week and met with a mixture of shock and surprise, for it might bring back the now-defunct but much-feared NSRRC.

Under the previous draft, the NSRRC was designed to supervise long-term reform plans and reconciliation, while also having a special authority to end a crisis, which was emphasised in the provisional chapter.

This time, the new strategy and its mechanisms, including the new national strategy draft, proposes the creation of a new committee, which would have similar powers as those of the NSRRC, except for ending a crisis. 

So, the same old question arises: Will it still have excessive power? The NSRRC, if created, would have had the power to overrule the government, as it was tasked with scrutinising the powers-that-be, and if necessary, have concerned agencies take further action. 

In other words, future governments would have had to follow set plans for fulfilling the country’s dreams and hopes—something that several observers said was undemocratic. 

The creation of this committee also raises the question of whether it will help those in power prolong their stay, considering the fact that its proposed members would include the current prime minister. 

As a nation, it would not be wrong to dream of a better future and have a strategy to do so, but as the means of achieving this are questionable, it might be worth reviewing.

The source said that after the NRSA endorsed its study report on the strategy this week, the committee is now rushing to wrap it up so it can |forward it to the government, |which can then hand it over to the National Legislative Assembly for deliberation and approval. 

Hence, it is not difficult to see what this proposal could lead to. But as the old proverb says, the means also determine the goal – so concerned agencies should take this opportunity to review whether the means they have chosen to achieve Thailand’s dream are acceptable. 

We may have a dream, work on keeping our hopes alive, but this would prove to be meaningless if the path we choose is not acceptable to others. Without public acceptance, there will be no national dream, just dreams that a handful of people have decided to chase on their own.