RECONCILIATION WILL be the junta government’s main thrust again this year, along with the national strategy and reforms, said Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday.

He said reconciliation was essential to engage all sectors in steering the national strategy forward.

To help illustrate the country’s direction, Prayut drew a rough chart on scrap paper demonstrating existing and new bodies that would oversee the strategy, reform and reconciliation. Exact details were not available.

Government Spokesperson Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the new, elaborate structure would help prioritise the government’s efforts in the three areas of reconciliation, national strategy and reform. The change would be in line with the government’s intention to give the public a better understanding of processes in light of the coming 20-year national strategy, Sansern added.

The structure would also ease the workload of deputy prime ministers, who are overseeing reform and national-strategy schemes with a new workflow allowing them to focus more on policy, Sansern said.

In the premier’s chart, the junta’s existing Strategy Steering Committee, set up in 2015 and chaired by Prayut, is the most senior body, which will control the national-strategy committee and the other committees that would be preparing national reform and reconciliation.

An additional committee overseeing national reforms, reconciliation and national strategy was first mentioned last week. The new committee, which will be formed under the sweeping Article 44 powers granted to Prayut by the interim charter, is meant prepare and manage proposed reforms.

However, as Prayut has yet to issue the order, he said he planned to add a reconciliation agenda to the body.

The committee, initially comprising 19 members, will probably be expanded, Sansern said, adding that representatives from the public and political sectors could be invited to join.

The two bodies would prioritise and manage functional agendas under their areas of responsibility before delivering the agendas to ministers overseeing six working groups. The working groups would be set up in line with strategic goals designated in the upcoming 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan draft, Sansern said.

The two bodies will also have their performances tracked by a follow-up committee, he added. With the Minister to the PM’s Office Suvit Maesincee as secretary, that committee would also consist of officials from the Council of State, Bureau Budget and the National Economic and Social Development Board, according to Sansern.

Meanwhile, Prayut stressed that Article 44 was crucial to advance reform agendas, but it would not be used to grant amnesty to political actors in the sense of reconciliation.

“Would people of this country accept that?” Prayut asked. “If yes, then we’ll talk about that. But if not, we can’t do anything about that. How could we get the desired achievement if there is no mutual agreement?”