The National Council for Peace and Order has asked the government to speed up its work in six major areas.
At a joint meeting yesterday, the NCPO said the first area of work that the government must accelerate is mapping out strategies to deal with the four main problems facing the country.
These are economic problems, including the high cost of living and the price of agricultural products; corruption, which must be tackled through concrete measures; crime, particularly the illegal drug trade; and social “re-regulation”.
The NCPO said concrete indicators are also needed to assess the government's work in dealing with the problems while forging ahead with sustainable development for the future.
The second area of work that must be sped up is the implementation of measures to ease the financial problems of people on low-incomes, such as policies to slash electricity and water bills for vulnerable groups, the NCPO said.
The problem of street beggars was highlighted as the third area that needs urgent work. The NCPO has recommended the Social Development and Human Security Ministry and other related state agencies explore ways to end street begging.
The NCPO said measures to resolve the problem should be inclusive and address the root cause of why people are begging, alongside government efforts to regulate the beggars.
The fourth issue the government has been asked to focus on is overhauling its system for receiving and processing public complaints.
The NCPO wants the Interior Ministry's Damrongtham Centre to come up with more practical measures to deal with people's complaints.
The NCPO said the centre should rate the levels of problems it handles, while keeping the public informed about its work through numerous communication channels.
Work to end conflicts between voluntary foundations providing rescue services to the public was highlighted as the fifth area to be addressed.
The NCPO asked the Interior Ministry to ensure all foundations follow legal requirements on recruiting volunteers. The National Police Office and the Public Health Ministry have also been told to help ensure the foundations deliver quality services.
The last area of work the NCPO wants government to speed up is the handling of water pollution in Bangkok's Saen Saep canal. The NCPO told the government to seek new technology and science to tackle the water pollution.The National Reform Council (NRC) panel on the economy, finance and treasury yesterday stressed the need for the country to have a law to prevent political parties from exploiting populist policies that help them woo votes at the expense of the state’s fiscal discipline.
The panel, led by Somchai Ruchupan, is one of 18 whose proposals are being deliberated by the NRC as part of the constitution drafting process. The NRC is required to forward its recommendations to the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC).
In presenting the proposal to the NRC, Mr Somchai said the country needs a legal instrument to keep political parties from using populist schemes as part of vote canvassing.
According to Mr Somchai, the proposed legislation should be introduced in the form of a law that is supplementary to the constitution.
He said there is a distinction between populism and state welfare, which is not aimed at building popularity or a political support base.
According to Mr Somchai, a policy that is intended as state welfare should clearly state its benefits, the sources of funds for its implementation, possible impacts on national budgetary planning, and the long-term impacts.
The NRC panel also called for the introduction of budgetary, monetary and fiscal laws to better regulate state spending and maintain fiscal discipline in national and local administrations.
Mr Somchai said this kind of legal instrument was proposed in the 2007 constitution, but it failed to materialise.
According to Mr Somchai, the panel also proposed that the new charter should contain a provision for taxpayers to be assured their rights are protected.
The provision in question must make sure that information about individual tax payments is kept confidential and it is recommended the government formulate a tax policy as a tool to reduce economic disparities, he said.
In addition to proposals to maintain fiscal discipline, the panel proposed the state should draw up a national strategy for a sustainable economy with the aim of making Thailand a developed country. A special body should also be established to see this strategy through.
"We have failed to step out of middle-income country status because of inconsistency in the country's economic strategy and the unstable political situation," Mr Somchai said.
NRC member Praipol Khumsap voiced support for the proposals, saying politicians tended to create debt through off-budget spending to fund populist policies and put pressure on fiscal discipline.
He said more should be done to raise public awareness about populist policies.
“Politicians have become smarter these days. They incur debts through borrowing [which is not examined by parliament], so we need a law on monetary and fiscal discipline to regulate debts racked up by the government.
"The people should be urged not to vote for political parties that use populist schemes that are deemed to cause damage to the country," he said.