Reform has ‘never been more obtainable’
By PIYAPORN WONGRUANG
THE NATION

 

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha meets with the National Reform Steering Assembly to discuss on work priorities at Government House.

 

PM’S ABSOLUTE POWER KEY TO EFFORTS: EXPERTS

 

BANGKOK: -- AS A FORMER leader of political groups standing up against past governments for their failure to run the country properly – to the point that could have plunged the nation into failed-state status – Suriyasai Katasila realises only too well how vital it is that reform takes place.

 

Under the military-installed government, Suriyasai, now a director of the Thai Reform Institute at Rangsit University, still keeps an eye on the administration’s promise to deliver reform. And like other observers, Suriyasai believes there will never be a better time than now to make it happen, as the government has absolute power that no one can compete against.

 

“What matters most is the understanding of the root cause of the problems and the need for reform,” said Suriyasai, a former co-leader of the now-defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy, and the former People’s Reform Democratic Committee (PDRC).

 

In the eyes of Suriyasai, reform is not unprecedented as the country has been through such a process before in modern politics – during the civil-based political optimism of 1997.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30306289

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-02-14

I've got some bad news for him. The most important reform would be getting rid of the notion that "absolute power" solves problems rather than creating them and that the way power is expressed is more important than its results in building a strong political system. Destroying the democratic institutions (representative bodies, political parties, free media, etc...) through which the people express power isn't reform.

I thought there was only one reform, kicking the Shinawatra clan out of power and making it impossible for them to make a come back. Ok, two.

“What matters most is the understanding of the root cause of the problems and the need for reform,”

I can think of 112 root causes to the problem.

"In an exclusive interview with The Nation, Alongkorn said that the reform work under the NRSA did have a focus."   --- Then what did they do all day ?

 

It is interesting that they can talk about reform while, at the same time, talk about nothing at all.   They dance around avoiding specifics.  Educational system needs more money, a solid curriculum and students need the feel the fear of failure if they refuse to perform.  The same judges hearing appeals on cases they originally past judgment on needs to be stopped.  There are a slew of problems and no details on how they intend to fix them. 

 

The army has failed the Thai people, and it looks like they will continue to do so. 

So, as Suriyasai sees it - "...In today’s world, you cannot ignore the people, and their participation any more..."

 

Unfortunately, while most TV members would agree, is seems there are few (if any) among the junta and its cronies who share this view.

 

Worse still, apart from a lot of propaganda, it's hard to identify any tangible reform progress that has been made since The Nation first reported on Prayut's three-step roadmap back in May 2014 (https://is.gd/9ej2Td). In hindsight though, we shouldn't have expected too much, as that report noted that "...reconciliation would not include changing bureaucracy structure..." !!!

 

The Thai Military, bringing reforms you will love, or else, since 1933.

 

I am fairly certain that words like "reform", "reconciliation", "transparency" and "understanding" have unique Thai meanings in the native language?

I guess all the uniforms must be at the cleaners. 

The square root of zero will always be zero.

Therefore, zero is a rational solution.

Prayut - Mission Accomplished.