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Following the peaceful September 19 military intervention, a highly respected and retired army general with a reputation for being an incorruptible and trustworthy leader has been appointed to head up an interim government to administer the country until democratic elections are held, scheduled for October 2007. His Excellency General Surayud Chulanont, Thailand's 24th prime minister, said the four major challenges facing the interim government over the next year are successful political reform, the restoration of national unity, addressing income inequality and reestablishing the rule of law.
Born in Petchaburi province in 1943, General Surayud had an illustrious military career spanning 40 years, before being appointed to the Privy Council and becoming a senior adviser to H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The interim cabinet, which will govern Thailand until the October 2007 elections, includes the Governor of the Central Bank of Thailand as Finance Minister and a former Ambassador to Washington as Foreign Minister. Only three of the 26 new cabinet members have served in the armed forces.
In an address to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, General Surayud said a measure of a functioning democracy is a free and informed media environment. He also said that, according to public opinion polls, the majority of Thai people are in general agreement with the reasons given for the military intervention, and that they trust their appointed government and the Council for National Security to honour the timeline commitments that have been made.
With political reform being the top priority, driven by the expectations of Thai people, General Surayud said: "This government intends to stimulate a broad, inclusive national debate about the choices 64 million Thai citizens face. These are the basic choices every society has to make, choices about what sort of society we live in and what sort of society we wish our children to inherit."
As such, a Political Development Council will be established to stimulate this national debate and accelerate the pace of political reform. General Surayud said national communication resources will be utilised for political education - and not government-directed political reform.
"To make progress towards each of our goals (the four major challenges), the Council for Ministers has agreed that everything we do will be guided by four overarching principles, namely, transparency, justice, the economical and sustainable use of resources, and efficiency," General Surayud said.
He also gave the assurance that Thailand is and will continue to be an open market. "The Kingdom will continue to enhance trade and investment partnerships as we move and interact with the flow of regional and global economic integration. Thus, economic growth will be pursued, based on our strong fundamentals."
General Surayud concluded by saying: "I do not expect to be able to complete all the strategic adjustments (as outlined) in the time available, but with unprecedented participation from the Thai people I do believe firm foundations will be established upon which we will be able to build a more just, democratic and compassionate society." |
