Thirayuth hits out at junta for lack of reforms

POLITICAL expert and independent scholar Thirayuth Boonmee yesterday criticised the post-coup regime for what he viewed as its failure to undertake national reforms, warning of a possible decline in public faith in the government.
He also urged the government to stick to its promised “road map” for a return to |democracy.
Thirayuth, however, expressed support over the use of absolute power under Article 44 of the interim charter, saying that it was in tune with the nature of Thais who are prone to accept authoritarianism.
So the government should exploit it to its best use, but not abuse it, the critic said in a rare press briefing at the Government Complex in Bangkok’s Chaeng Wattana area.
He had conducted similar media events during the tenure of previous governments, making academic observations to criticise people in power.
The scholar, who appeared in a business suit, said the direction of politics currently leaned towards conservatism and there was little hope of reforming the power structure. 
He said the present powers were civil servants who would lose power once the reform was implemented. Although a Superboard committee has been set up, it was full of military officers and had not delivered any accomplishments yet in carrying out reform, Thirayuth said.
The scholar said he did not think the long-lasting conflict would resurface. It was not easy to provoke people, he said, adding that he believed reconciliation could be achieved when it was clear who won or lost.
If the conflict continued, Thirayuth said both sides would suffer more losses and would eventually resort to dialogue. But it could take time, he said, urging the government to set out the right policy to foster reform and prevent more conflicts.
The government should not lay the blame solely on politicians regarding the crisis and so weaken them, the scholar said. They had shown signs to reform themselves after past failures, he said. So, the government should work to include civil society as well as the people in the power structure to create a balance in politics, he proposed.
The scholar said members of the so-called five ‘rivers’ of power were mostly conservative and supported Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha in the hope that they would remain in power if the PM did.
“They seem to have some accomplishments, but still there is no hope in the reform,” Thirayuth said. “Moreover, they show the intention to support [General Prayut] to stay in power so they can, too. But things will get more difficult and the whole thing may collapse if they stay in power longer than [they promised] in the road map.”
Thirayuth said the public’s confidence in the government had been shaken. Hence, it must do the right thing and keep its vow to hold an election as well as be prepared for issues to come after the poll by focusing on reform of the power structure and fighting graft. He urged the government to use Article 44 to resolve immediate concerns such as inequity, corruption and the poor education system. If taken seriously, these issues could be overcome in six months, Thirayuth said.