The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has provided opportunities for citizens in every sector of Thai society to express their opinions, as a starting point for national reconciliation and reform.
Head of the NCPO General Prayuth Chan-ocha said this moment is a critical time for all Thais, a time for them to be united and help reform the country in a progressive and sustainable way.
In the initial stage, he said, cooperation from all sectors is needed – political, civil service, private, civil society, or general public sectors. Unless the opinions from different sides are crystallized in the second phase, it will be difficult to continue with the reform, as well as the implementation in the third phase.
Therefore, every sector has been provided with opportunities to express their opinions in order to move forward to the next stage, to discuss potential applicants for membership in the Reform Council, and to reach a conclusion in the Council in the second phase. Those who have not yet prepared to apply for membership need to prepare themselves with regard to personnel, relevant information, and other necessary issues before the application phase is opened.
General Prayuth said that Thai people hope to see the return of a strengthened democratic system, with proper institutions to safeguard the principles of rule of law and legality, true public participation in the decision-making process, and efficient scrutiny mechanisms to ensure the transparency of operations. They hope to achieve this through a reform process that will help resolve the failures of the past and lay the groundwork for developments that will sustainably benefit the country in the future.
He stated that national reform needs a great amount of understanding and support from the Thai people, as the country belongs to everyone, regardless of their viewpoints. They should all participate in the reform process. The NCPO does not want to leave anyone behind, as everyone is a Thai citizen.
General Prayuth also said that every democratic country has gone through difficult periods and devastating situations. They are tested by time. Today it is better for everyone to help set up a stable pillar of Thai democracy, rather than to criticize, particularly making demands for an early election. Thailand has been trying to learn through trial and errors for many years. If it succeeds, it will be a country with a fully-fledged, sustainable democracy, and that will benefit Thai people as well as its foreign friends.
He called for patience from the Thai people in helping the country move forward in unity. As for foreign friends and allies, he would like them to recognize the positive changes in the situation since 22 May 2014, rather than being quickly to criticize the NCPO and accuse it of not conforming to a universal democratic form.
