Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda lashed out populist policies on Wednesday, saying they weakened the country and the people, and again called on Thais to fight graft and not kowtow to corrupt individuals.
Gen Prem said Thailand was once a regional leader, but the many problems plaguing the country had stalled development.
Among the problems were populist policies that weakened the country and its people. These policies discouraged people from helping themselves. Instead they became recipients.
The privy council president was delivering a keynote address at the 60th anniversary of the Graduate School of Public Administration at the National Institute of Development Administration on Wednesday.
Corruption was the worst problem. It brought shame on the country and Thais must join hands to fight against it, he said.
Some people divided corruption into several forms, such as conflicts of interest and abuse of power. But no matter what graft was called, corrupt people were cheating the country, he said.
He urged people to instill a sense of ethics in youngsters, and teach them that corruption is a serious disease that cannot be cured.
He said he had made several calls for people to stop giving a “wai’ to corrupt individuals. People must not even associate with these cheats, Gen Prem said.