Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam urged four key state agencies to consolidate their efforts in promoting good governance in the fight against corruption on Thursday.
Mr Wissanu's remark was a part of a keynote speech he delivered at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between four government agencies on network-building for greater transparency in the public sector.
The four offices mentioned were the Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Office of the Ombudsman, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Office of the Auditor-General.
Mr Wissanu said the MoU marked a crucial step in the public sector's campaign against graft, and corruption will be significantly reduced if good governance can be put into practice.
He added the government has provided a number of channels -- including the provincial Damrongtham centres -- to receive complaints that range from economic hardship to irregularities in state projects. In some cases, Section 44 was invoked to address the problems.
Topping the list of complaints lodged with Damrongtham centres was corruption, and action was taken accordingly, said Mr Wissanu. He said the government has received complaints about corruption in more than 30 major projects initiated by previous administrations, and the cases have been forwarded to various agencies for investigation as part of the regime's fight against graft.
"Stamping out corruption is a priority but it isn't easy to do it overnight," he said.
"We increase manpower, financial support and improve laws to give them teeth, but it's not enough. It's important that we build a network of stakeholders and ensure collaboration," he said.
Mr Wissanu said the government was committed to helping the NACC realise its plan to improve Thailand's ranking in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
The NACC expects the country to score 50 out of 100 points in 2021 -- up from 37 out of 100 in 2017 -- as the CPI is crucial to investors' confidence, he said.
"It's not easy to do, but it is a must, and it can ensure good governance," he said.