English subtitle of PM weekly televised address on 6 March 2015
Start at 21.15 minute
I want the public to have better living quality, more knowledge and higher awareness so that people will not become misled in the wrong direction again. We are working to solve all matters – labor on fishing vessel, human trafficking. They have warned about these problems almost ten years ago, yet they remain unresolved.
Today, I am fixing all of it. We are looking at the examples from foreign countries, observing how they have dealt with the same issue. Regarding this matter, we are the initiating country in ASEAN. Several countries have expressed willingness to cooperate with us while there are still problems with some countries. We need to reach an understanding with them. We need to make everything legitimate and report the development to the Human Rights Council, committees on human trafficking, committees on IUU fishing and the likes.
I must inform you that the problem will not be completely dealt with soon because it has been left untended for 10 years. We only have a few months. The laws are being passed, registration of vessels is not finished, and fishing equipment installation is not finished. We need to be given time. If it were not for us, this problem will remain unaddressed.
Therefore, we must inform the public of all affairs. From now on, we will explain the problems to the public and tell them about the causes and about those who have neglected the problems. You did not address these issues, so don't get angry at me. I would also like the collaboration of the private sector, the Board of Trade, the Federation of Thai Industries, provincial chambers of commerce in publicizing the measures that have been yielded from your meetings with me. Don't only say that this government is slow and cannot approve this and that, or that there is too little investment. I have already told you where the problems lay.
Today there is a variety of problems besetting the government's disbursement of budget. The regulations and time frames have never been adjusted before. This is why there are hurdles at present. These adjustments should have been made many administrations ago.
Today, we are working to address everything. The agriculture ministry, commerce ministry, interior ministry, tourism ministry, Board of Trade, Federation of Thai Industries and provincial chambers of commerce must publicize all policies to all businesses. It will not do for only certain groups to be aware of the policies.
I have observed that many individuals still were not informed about government undertakings. The FTI and the Board of Trade had already been tasked. Do you not talk among yourselves? Are you experiencing rifts among yourselves? I do not know the answers, but I asked the questions because everything comes back to me. The government is viewed as not doing anything while the industrial sector says that the government is slow. There are numerous public-private joint committees. I have said before there are structural problems, legal limitations, even issues with performance of civil servants. I am digging deep into these issues at the local, regional and central levels. The problems have accumulated for a long time.
Now, we must tell the public that dealing with a problem one way will yield certain consequences whereas dealing with a problem another way, the way currently being implemented, will yield certain benefits. Previously, it was fast gain, quick exhaustion. In the future, there will be no exhaustion due to sustainable use. Therefore, time is needed for the switching of methods.
Compromises about legalities are made where they can be made. Sometimes I assume responsibility and give the orders. Redundancy and lack of transparency are of concern. The public still needs to be informed of such moves so they can partake in checks and balances. Sometimes, a timeline needs to be clearly established when solving a problem.
How can it happen in just one year? These projects need 5-6, sometimes 10 years. Where do we get the money if we spring them all up at once? Today, phase 1 will start. Tell them about that so they can prepare their course of action or alternative means of generating income for the year. If we do not create awareness then people could be misled.
On the matter of procurement, some have said that improvements have been made. I was misled into feeling happy and thinking that we may finally rest our minds. Then, they attributed this improvement to the cut-backs having decreased from 50% to 30%. Even one percent is not acceptable! It is a matter of trade and free competition. The conscience of all Thais needs to be instilled in a way that prevents these occurrences.
The public can help us inspect the lower-ranking officials, and the lower-ranking officials can help report senior officials who carry out offenses. I do not want to stir up rifts but this needs to be done. Otherwise, you will be implicated in the future. Lower-ranked officials are about to be implicated in rice pledging graft and similar matters. I give you prior warning so these occurrences will not re-occur – you will definitely be in trouble in such case. Report your findings to authorities – the NCPO, the government, the police. There are many good people around. We must not support misconduct and give rise to future problems.
End at 25.37 minute
