PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said the country was at “a crossroads of failure or glory” and urged all Thais to take part in building the future.
The general spoke while delivering the government’s policy on next year’s annual budget and work integration among state agencies in front of top senior officials from all ministries.
Prayut said the country was at a critical period that would determine whether it would fail or face glory. He said people, including “political elements”, needed to discuss the country’s direction and help one another address it.
The country needs a home-grown democratic regime that strikes a balance between Thai and international norms, he said.
“True understanding needs to be created, while we preserve what we wish to preserve.
“This is a country that we have long been proud of, although some elements seem to be redundant, such as freedom and liberty. But that’s something we can fix,” Prayut said.
The country should have the type of democracy that does not bring any conflicts or problems, he said.

Good governance
Prayut said he wanted the country to have direction, good governance and a system of checks and balances as well as efficiency.
He said the country was at a crossroads and that without new strategies it would go back to square one.
He urged Thais to take part in building the future, while not forgetting the past glory contributed by the monarchy.
“Don’t forget Thai history in which the monarchy has been a part for 700 or 800 years,” he said. “We can live our life as we do nowadays because of the monarchy.
“No matter how the world is changing, we must not forget our roots. For the bad things, we should try not to repeat and continue only with the good, like His Majesty the King has done all his life, known as the Ten Virtues,” Prayut said.
He said his military-led regime had come up with a 20-year strategic plan.
The plan could not succeed with only the government and all state officials and the public must cooperate to achieve the goal.
He said that without real implementation the plans would be meaningless and he hoped to rely on civil servants to realise the aspiration.

20-year strategy
The state budget must be allocated accordingly, he said, adding that his rule in the past two years since he seized power was aimed at laying the foundation for the long-term 20-year strategy.
“We have to improve what needs improvement, and start what should get started in order to reform the country,” the PM said.
He acknowledged that lack of trust was barring the country from prosperity.
To earn public and international trust and cooperation, the government must prove that any corruption would be dealt with legally and follow due process.
He went on to say that Thailand had the capability to be a star, but it had not been able to exploit its true potential. This was because it lacked a good comprehensive plan, he said.
“The government, the officials, and the people, we all must walk and do this together,” Prayut stressed.
He urged every ministry and agency to think comprehensively on issues of security, economics, society, justice, and international affairs to achieve the set goals. If this did not happen, the country would only walk backwards, he said.