Activists agree to form civic reform assembly

A meeting was held by academics and civil society activists in Bangkok in cooperation with Rangsit University’s Thai Reform Institute (TRI) to campaign and offer proposals in regard to national reform, with participants voicing enthusiasm to engage in the reform agenda. 

In an opening speech, former Parliament president and Rangsit University rector Arthit Ourairat said the assembly would help the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to reform the country with the ultimate goal of steering it towards a “meritocratic” society. 

 

Focus on corruption

He compared the assembly to architects who design and build a house for “for the homeowner”, which in this case, was the public. 

He said the assembly would allow people to help to reform the country alongside the government’s reform panel, the National Reform Steering Assembly. 

The participants agreed to set up 18 working groups to work on and make proposals about 18 reform issues. They include fighting corruption, energy, police, decentralisation, education, labour, the media and social inequality. The first assembly meeting is planned for next month to allow civic groups to offer opinions and propose solutions.

Sangsit Piriyarangsan, a former member of the now-defunct National Reform Council and an assembly representative, emphasised that disparities connected to the centralised administration had to be resolved and ordinary people should have the opportunity to access national resources, not just particular groups such as the wealthy. 

Former finance minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala said people could not rely on the government because it had failed to tackle economic issues. 

People should work together to help to push the country forward to raise it from its status as a middle-income country, he said. 

Tankhun Jittitsara, a former Democrat MP, also proposed that the panel prioritise three issues including demolishing patronage systems that lead to corruption, solving social conflicts by allowing open discussion and promoting a culturally creative economy.