Politicians shrug off reform plan set by junta

By THE NATION

 

 

AS 20-YEAR-STRATEGY COMES INTO FORCE TODAY, DOUBTS RAISED ABOUT ITS IMPLEMENTATION

 

THE 20-year national reform strategy that officially comes into force today might not be able to shape the country in the junta’s vision as politicians obligated by the Constitution to implement the plan have dubbed it unrealistic.

 

Aimed at moving Thailand towards stability, prosperity and sustainability, the junta has mapped out a long-term plan – announced in the Royal Gazette yesterday – to reform 11 sectors including politics, administration, economics, judicial system, education, social, environment, public health and mass media.

 

There are no plans to reform the military, and the police reform was outside the scope of the 20-year national plan.

The military-sponsored charter, which was promulgated a year ago, makes it mandatory for governments after the election to implement the reform plan and failure to do so would make them liable to be impeached.

 

‘Constitution amendment possible’

 

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday the reform plan and the Constitution fostering it were both impractical. While the emphasis of the reform was purportedly to help reduce corruption, he pointed out it was weak and unhelpful.

 

The Democrat leader said that after the election, attempts would be made to amend the Constitution.

 

However, he admitted that amendments would not be easy as they would also need approval from the junta-appointed Senate unless the people put pressure on them. The law on process and procedure of reform was promulgated in August last year and the authorities formed committees to draft the reform agenda for 11 sectors.

 

While the government claimed that the plan was made after sufficient public hearings, observers said it was very rare to see people participate in mapping out the national reform strategy over the past months.

 

Political reform is one of the most-watched agendas and is seen as a key element in shaping the country’s future. In the political reform plan seen yesterday, the junta blamed politicians and political factions for conflicts over the past decades. “Political groups refer their legitimacy to power from different attitudes, beliefs and interpretations of democracy,” the paper said. “Elections are not free and fair.

Politicians lack ethics and morality. They do not represent the people’s interests. They are corrupt. Political parties are dominated by capitalists.”

 

As Western-style democracy is on the decline, eastern values would be more suitable for government, it said. “Political reform in Thailand has to be a good mixture of both Western democracy and eastern values, as well as Thai norms and culture,” it said.

 

The monarchy is the source of political legitimacy and the national spirit, it said, “therefore the coup-makers have to seek royal audience with the King to report the situation. The King will appoint the government leader and Cabinet to run the country.”

 

On the economic side, the reform embraces the “Thailand 4.0” vision of employing technology and innovation in accordance with the sufficiency economy philosophy. Pracharat – the coordination of big corporates and the bureaucracy – would be the major driving force for the economic reform, it said.

 

However, a new breed of young politicians who are preparing to enter the political fray in the coming election said the junta’s reform strategy was turning Thailand backward.

 

The chief of the newly formed Future Forward Party, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, said his new-generation party would scrap the junta’s strategy if it managed to win the elections and form a government. The party wants to remove all of the junta’s legacy in Thai politics and move the country towards real democracy with people’s participation, he said in an interview with The Nation.

 

According to the strategy, the government has to allocate Bt130 billion to implement the reform agenda within five years. While most of the budget would be spent for reforms in the bureaucracy and administration, the plan did not specify the budget for mass media and energy reform.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30342659

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-07

6 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

shape the country in the junta’s vision as politicians obligated by the Constitution to implement the plan have dubbed it unrealistic.

ok; that's a start; now consider and , once empowered to do so, get on with the bazillion amendments

8 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

There are no plans to reform the military, and the police reform was outside the scope of the 20-year national plan.

wow, deviously clueless plan

12 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The chief of the newly formed Future Forward Party, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, said his new-generation party would scrap the junta’s strategy

 

Best thing I've heard in a long time, which is exactly why they won't stand a chance of getting a win !!!

The "plan" isn't a blueprint for reform, the "plan" is merely an excuse for meddling in the affairs of a civilian government should one arise.

 

20 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

There are no plans to reform the military, and the police reform was outside the scope of the 20-year national plan.

 

Does anyone really believe that neither the military nor the police aren't in need of reform? Anyone?

 

This is simply an excuse for interference, created in advance so that the vested interests can whine, whinge, threaten and complain at will. 

 

It is quite easy to predict the future if the PTB aren't happy about something, "the Government has not followed the reform plan and thus is dissolved". Choose your poison if it is by coup, court-ordered, or other.

 

Same Same but Same Same

How to distribute the 130 billion and get away with it, will be top of the agenda. 

 

32 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

THE 20-year national reform strategy

Which in fact is quite the opposite!  It's an attempt to halt any changes and to protect whats now in place.

1 hour ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Best thing I've heard in a long time, which is exactly why they won't stand a chance of getting a win !!!

Yes. Thanathorn certainly speaks well and persuasively (although I have lingering doubts about this multi-millionaire who claims to represent the poor and 'ordinary' Thais - in life, that is a genuine rarity and usually one later discovers that this 'new rich kid on the block' turns out to be pretty much like the old bunch); if Thanathorn is genuine in his aspirations for real democracy and freedom in Thailand (and I hope he is)  - then he will be crushed in some manner by the junta and their string-pullers. Fresh vision cannot be allowed!

 

Edited April 7, 20188 yr by Eligius

Reform plan?

It only for Prayut power.

Delete!

Everyone will have a watch collection in this 20 year plan sadly only Timex for 99% though.

Only way to break the cycle is to throw Prayuth and Prawit in jail for the rest of their lives immediately after the election.

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The military-sponsored charter, which was promulgated a year ago, makes it mandatory for governments after the election to implement the reform plan and failure to do so would make them liable to be impeached.

Pure genius Prayut...

Don't have to use arms in the next coup.....But can use the judiciary..( as so many times before)

And that coup would be even more acceptable for the international community....because he is simply removing an government refusing to follow the constitution...as any country would do.

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

As Western-style democracy is on the decline, eastern values would be more suitable for government, it said.

Scumbags. If Western-style democracy is on the decline, it is entirely down to excrement like you.

It's enough to make you vomit, it really is...

54 minutes ago, JOC said:

Pure genius Prayut...

Don't have to use arms in the next coup.....But can use the judiciary..( as so many times before)

And that coup would be even more acceptable for the international community....because he is simply removing an government refusing to follow the constitution...as any country would do.

 

 

I'm curious as to who it is advising them behind the scene...

6 hours ago, pornprong said:

Only way to break the cycle is to throw Prayuth and Prawit in jail for the rest of their lives immediately after the election.

No. Jail is not enough. Hung for treason in public is by far the better option.

8 hours ago, Eligius said:

if Thanathorn is genuine in his aspirations for real democracy and freedom in Thailand (and I hope he is)  - then he will be crushed in some manner by the junta and their string-pullers. Fresh vision cannot be allowed!

Such a sad picture, when so many were optimistic of his chances and, like me, believing in his motives and commitment. Tell me, E, how do you see the Junta wielding such crushing power against a prospective opponent?

Edited April 7, 20188 yr by Ossy
omisson

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Politicians shrug off reform plan set by junta

but fail to shrug off the yoke !

38 minutes ago, Ossy said:

Such a sad picture, when so many were optimistic of his chances and, like me, believing in his motives and commitment. Tell me, E, how do you see the Junta wielding such crushing power against a prospective opponent?

Thanks very much, Ossy, for your comments. I may be wrong - and Thanathorn may be utterly sincere. I really hope he is; and of course almost anything is better than what Thailand is saddled with now. It's just that I am suspicious of people who have grown up in a multi-millionaire family (like Thanathorn), in the lap of luxury: I wonder how deeply they can really identify with ordinary folk, and especially the rural and urban poor? But I am more than willing - as I think we should be - to give this guy the opportunity to prove himself. There could be real hope for Thailand in him and his seemingly progressive friends.

 

If Thanathorn is genuine and the junta recognise that he poses a threat to their dominion, they could eliminate him and his party from the 'election' in a number of ways. One of the easiest for them would be to accuse his political partner (a professor who wants to abolish, or at least radically reduce the scope of, the 'lese-majeste' law) of precisely that crime of  'lese-majeste'. No discussion of that is allowed in public (the rights and wrongs of it; of course, there are only rights - ahem!). We would not even be told exactly in what way Thanatorn's political partner (co-founder of Thanatorn's new political party) and the party he has helped to create has breached the 'lese-majeste' law. Such discussion is not needed (it would not be part of 'Thai niyom'). It is enough that high-placed people point the finger at this new party and damn it as guilty of 'lese-majeste' - and then the party simply cannot operate any further in the political sphere, nor could the two co-founders/ inspirers of that party, if found guilty of transgressing that 'lese-majeste' law. Of course it would be for the law courts to decide on this - and we know that the law courts in Thailand are totally and absolutely impartial and never biased towards any particular power-block .... right?!

 

 

4 hours ago, Eligius said:

Thanks very much, Ossy, for your comments. I may be wrong - and Thanathorn may be utterly sincere. I really hope he is; and of course almost anything is better than what Thailand is saddled with now. It's just that I am suspicious of people who have grown up in a multi-millionaire family (like Thanathorn), in the lap of luxury: I wonder how deeply they can really identify with ordinary folk, and especially the rural and urban poor? But I am more than willing - as I think we should be - to give this guy the opportunity to prove himself. There could be real hope for Thailand in him and his seemingly progressive friends.

 

If Thanathorn is genuine and the junta recognise that he poses a threat to their dominion, they could eliminate him and his party from the 'election' in a number of ways. One of the easiest for them would be to accuse his political partner (a professor who wants to abolish, or at least radically reduce the scope of, the 'lese-majeste' law) of precisely that crime of  'lese-majeste'. No discussion of that is allowed in public (the rights and wrongs of it; of course, there are only rights - ahem!). We would not even be told exactly in what way Thanatorn's political partner (co-founder of Thanatorn's new political party) and the party he has helped to create has breached the 'lese-majeste' law. Such discussion is not needed (it would not be part of 'Thai niyom'). It is enough that high-placed people point the finger at this new party and damn it as guilty of 'lese-majeste' - and then the party simply cannot operate any further in the political sphere, nor could the two co-founders/ inspirers of that party, if found guilty of transgressing that 'lese-majeste' law. Of course it would be for the law courts to decide on this - and we know that the law courts in Thailand are totally and absolutely impartial and never biased towards any particular power-block .... right?!

 

 

Thanks, Eligius, for an excellent response . . . as I've come to expect from you. If your fears are justified, as they may turn out to be, I think there's going to be a lot of crossing of fingers as well as swords.

The chief of the newly formed Future Forward Party, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, said his new-generation party would scrap the junta’s strategy if it managed to win the elections and form a government. The party wants to remove all of the junta’s legacy in Thai politics and move the country towards real democracy with people’s participation, he said in an interview with The Nation.

 

    Ready for the Champagne.....

A poisoned chalice you can't refuse. Very Thai.

Western democracy isn't on the wane, that's just a fallacy,  its just the people of those countries are a bloody wake up to the political parties and with the help of public media don't tolerate B/S anymore  you could say the Victorian era has left the building and the baby boomers are now in charge, so in reality the demographs have changed , I'd hardly change for a Thai, Russian or Chinese style of Government 

22 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

No. Jail is not enough. Hung for treason in public is by far the better option.

Yes . . . bring it on, but keep it quiet . . . you never know who might be eavesdropping. I'll organise the H-S train load of beer if you can arrange a couple of submarines of Chinese fireworks. Will water-throwing be allowed . . . and groping? . . . Well, just a bit, maybe, if you can get close enough to the swines.

We will burn the constitution and the extortion plan. The new drafts will make it a crime to stage a coup. punishable by life In jail. 

Thai people do not require your services bye bye pensioners.