Let's all resolve to build a better Thailand

As a new year begins, most people are counting on improvements in life for themselves and their families, while others are hoping for the best for the country as a whole.
Pollsters from Rajabhat Suan Dusit University recently asked more than 1,500 people around the nation what their wishes were for 2015. Common responses included a healthier economy and a lower cost of living, better jobs or better school results, more cheer for the family, and good health. The dominant response, though, was for a Thailand that is at peace and united.
It’s remarkable – and an en-couraging sign for the country –
that more citizens are thinking about society than their own personal needs and ambitions. At the same time it’s a sobering result, since it underscores the fact that Thailand remains so worryingly divided.
To all who take the trouble to make New Year resolutions, outlining individual goals such as losing weight or quitting smoking, this seems an appropriate moment to add resolutions that might help make the country better as well. They might include always obeying the law, refusing to give or accept bribes, and voting in elections for the candidates who are properly qualified rather than those who simply offer us rewards for our support.
Most Thais want to see improvements in politics and the economy this year.
The financiers are forecasting stronger growth for the economy after a sluggish 2014, saddled as it was by the political conflict. As for improvements in politics, the reform roadmap and targets for drafting a new constitution indicate we’re unlikely to see another election until sometime in 2016.
The constitution itself, however, is on track for completion late this year.
In another opinion survey by Assumption University last week, most respondents said they wanted to see a healthier economy in the new year, while others echoed the hopes for a peaceful, united country and for an end to corruption. That poll reached more than 2,000 people in Bangkok and other major provinces.
We can all, as citizens, help
grant those wishes, in whatever small part, by contributing in any we can.
Members of the current unelected government, including Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, should adopt a New Year’s resolution to work to the best of their abilities in tackling these challenges before passing on the baton to the elected administration that will succeed them.
The people drafting the new
constitution should have as their New Year resolution the deter-
mination to provide Thailand with its best constitution to date – one that rectifies the flaws and closes the loopholes in the previous
charter that allowed politicians to take advantage of the taxpayer.
The politicians, whose roles were greatly diminished by the coup in May, should have as their New Year resolution the aim, if elected, to serve the electorate and the country with honesty and integrity. And the eligible voters should resolve to choose the candidate who is the best qualified, not the most generous.
Not everyone will bother to amend their New Year’s resolutions, but, if even a significant number of citizens pledge to help bring about changes for the good, we will indeed see a brighter future.