A policy recommendation for the new cabinet…
For Thailand’s next step forward
Dr.Kriengsak
Chareonwongsak
Senior Fellow,
Harvard Univerisity
As you read
this article you will notice that Thailand is now in the hands of its new
cabinet, led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajeva. While a variety of different
attitudes to this new cabinet will inevitably lead the Thai people in their reaction
to the new lineup, certain inescapable and important tasks now press on cabinet
agenda and to these crucial tasks, attention must be given. Policies are to be
formulated for each ministry and old problems remain to be solved. Thailand
must even be protected from an inflowing barrage of problems; not only economic
in nature – though this will very soon be a back-breaking burden for the government,
but a plethora of other chronic problems also queue for the attention of Thailand’s
new cabinet, whether the serious issues of crime, poor-quality education, or environmental
degradation, to name a few.
To find
success in the pressing tasks, there are two words which our new cabinet would
do well to bear in mind; these are “Alacrity” and “Integration.” The new cabinet must not adopt a “wait
and see” approach in order to solve the problems. They should also be careful not
to work individually, but by collating world resourced knowledge, vital connections
should be made that can drive Thailand harmoniously forward, without conflicts
of interest. If the new cabinet can succeed to achieve such a goal, Thailand’s old
image of evil politics may be effaced from the people’s nightmare of memories.
In keeping with a truly
collaborative approach, the favorable direction for the new cabinet should be
to utilize each minister’s capacity completely; not to let any ministers “stand
out” just because they hold positions of more responsibility and are due to receive
a greater portion of budget. I believe that to “put heads together” will yield
the overall optimal output, both short-run and long-run.
Let
me exemplify what I mean by integration. Supposing the Ministry of Energy’s
vision is to promote alternative energy production, the Ministry of Energy would
cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to plan an agricultural
area systematically. They can cooperate in exploring an appropriate area for
alternative energy plants and can protect agricultural product prices from
being lowered by middlemen. Moreover, by cooperating with the Ministry of
Science and Technology they can conduct research and thus accumulate new
knowledge about alternative energy that is compatible with Thailand’s
resources.
While
the case of illegal deforestation in Kao Yai National Park stands testimony to
the bureaucratic sluggishness of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment,
this Ministry must instead actively plan and then act out its role to revive
natural resources throughout Thailand, instead of merely inspecting received
complaints, as it does now. The Ministry should promote the participation of
the people to protect their farmland and surrounding areas. It should develop
community eco-tourism, which goes hand in hand with environmental conservation.
Local
people can also become the “eyes & ears” of civil servants far removed from
their areas of responsibility by reporting illegal deforestation and other
illegal activities. The new cabinet should therefore grant rewards as
incentives for reporting. Should public participation grow well, the government
will save administration costs and the public participation programme itself will
be stronger.
How
well the new cabinet will perform and the evident truth of the new Prime
Minister’s inaugural promise, “I will work on behalf of all Thai people” will
depend on the integrity and determination of every minister in the new cabinet.
Please don’t let the Thai people down by running your en masse megaprojects
sponsored for selfish reasons without recourse to the humanitarian needs of all
Thais, as has happened before.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น