Reformers begin work

Moves to undertake national reforms kicked off yesterday with the newly elected president and vice presidents of the National Reform Council (NRC) expressing their visions for the future – stressing engagement with the public and work transparency as keys to the success of their mission.

Thienchay Kiranandana, the new NRC president, said the council’s two major tasks were to first, provide a constitutional framework and, second, determine and propose the 11 reform areas for the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC).

“We need to have a transparent work process which people can access, follow and understand,” he said.

Success would be achieved through “cooperation and collaboration in ideas – not only among NRC members – but among the community. Furthermore, we should encourage people to express their reform ideas,” he said.

Thienchay is a former rector of Chulalongkorn University and former chairman of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand. He received a doctoral degree in economics at Duke University in North Carolina in the US. In 1996, he was given a national award for outstanding research in economics from the National Research Council.

Borwornsak Uwanno, the council’s first vice president, expressed his vision that the NRC must be a unique assembly and not a political one. He said the NRC needed to engage with the public in order to be successful – because success couldn’t be achieved merely from within the council.

Borwornsak is a former academic and constitution drafter. He also had an active role in politics, such as deputy secretary-general and policy adviser to prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan.

PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday praised Thienchay, saying he was more competent than him.

Prayut said NRC members were all qualified and possessed a good track record. 

The PM dismissed Thienchay’s concern about time constraints that the NRC faces to complete comprehensive reform on 11 fronts, saying things can be sped up.

Prayut said his Cabinet was in the process of selecting five people for the charter drafting committee. “I have 100 names in my mind but I have yet to pick one,” he said.

The NRC meeting began at 9.30am with acting NRC president Paron Israsena Na Ayudhaya – 87 years old and the senior member – opening the session with a video showing the NRC’s mission and duties.

The acting president asked members to nominate candidates for NRC presidency. Chai Chidchob, the NRC member for political reform, nominated Thienchay, a leading candidate widely tipped for the top post.

His nomination met strong approval by a show of hands, suggesting his role as the council’s president was inevitable.

Charlee Jaroensuk, the NRC member who represents Chachoengsao province, unexpectedly nominated Alongkorn Ponlaboot, NRC member for energy reform, who was a fellow Democrat Party member.

However, Alongkorn withdrew and Thienchay became NRC president.

Borwornsak was the only candidate nominated for first vice president. The second vice president post had two nominations – former senator Tassana Boontong and former Interior Ministry official Pracha Terat. The members voted to support Tassana. She is a former academic and senator. Her first term in the Senate came in 1992 and she won several terms. 

Her declared vision for the NRC focused on achieving cooperation between everyone in society, but she said unity must begin among NRC members. She also emphasised communication with the community as an important ingredient to political success. NRC members could select the previous reform studies for analysis and contribute to reform proposals, she said.