The government on Monday marked International Anti-Corruption Day by pledging to revamp the country’s legal mechanisms to improve the efficiency of counter-corruption work.
Over the next five years, it also plans to reform the procedures of and integration among agencies responsible for tackling corruption, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in his opening speech at Monday’s event.
He was addressing a gathering of the people working in both governmental and non-governmental anti-corruption agencies.
Despite saying the overall situation in Thailand had improved in several ways, Gen Prayut insisted more laws must be amended to close various legal loopholes which are often exploited.
Many people have urged him to re-implement the special power previously afforded him allowed under Section 44 of the interim charter to fast-track the fight against corruption, but the time for quick fixes is over, he said.
People must try to better understand the causes of corruption so they can and try to resolve them, even if that is a slower process than using the Section 44 power, he said.
Aside from working to equip anti-corruption agencies with more effective legal mechanisms, changing people's attitudes is also very important too, he said.
“Thai society will have to learn to stop valuing patronage and ignoring common acts of corruption,” he said.
“Everyone is a part of the nation. The prime minister alone cannot achieve [in this fight against corruption],” he said.
Corruption suppression will continue to be carried out against not only against major acts of corruption but also other forms of corruption such as smaller-scale instances of bribery, he said.
At the end of his speech, Gen Prayut declared his determination to always act honestly and hold the public interest over his own.