Next PM urged to focus on innovation to spur Thailand’s development
Thailand’s next prime minister must make innovation a priority and find practical ways to promote it in order to lead the country forward, National Innovation Agency executive director Pun-Arj Chairatana said.
He made the comments after weeks of hearing political parties campaign on everything except innovation.
It is very disappointing that Thai political parties place little emphasis on innovation because its benefits are immense, Pun-Arj said.
"Politicians in the world's leading countries use innovation policies to ensure growth, build entrepreneurial competitiveness, increase gross domestic income, create new highly paid jobs and compete globally," he explained.
Innovation is "a new idea, method, or device that is meticulously invented in order to provide a new solution to any challenges," he said, adding that they are critical in sustaining Thailand's growth, improving quality of life, and reducing inequality.
Lessons from other nations
Other countries are embracing innovation to ensure development and alleviate social problems, Pan-Arj said. He provided several examples.
China: The country has an innovation-driven development strategy that is critical to its goals of greater self-reliance and attaining high-quality development.
Japan: Its National Innovation System focuses on economic growth while addressing social problems through technological progress.
India: India has been able to build its own aircraft carrier by using innovation to enhance the capacity of the industrial supply.
Singapore: The government promotes innovation by funding start-ups and providing clear guidance about what innovations to pursue.
Ecosystem for innovations
Pun-Arj said the innovation policies being promoted by Thai political parties are very superficial. They discuss digitalisation, creativity, and renewable energy, but these are global trends not innovations, he added.
Politicians should focus on building an ecosystem that encourages the emergence of innovations, he said.
Thailand ranks 43rd among the 132 economies on 2022 Global Innovation Index.
Pun-Arj said Thailand's ranking is quite strong because the private sector invests money and resources to enhance its own expertise, but added that this was not enough.
For example, Thai agricultural and food companies are expanding internationally, but have yet to be recognised as global brands despite the innovations that are making in Thailand, Pun-Arj said.
Thailand needs to hasten the development of a top-tier brand that are innovative, he said.
Thailand needs to build more innovation-based companies in order to ensure sufficient jobs for the future workforce, he added.
He advised political parties to prioritise innovation to address competitiveness, corruption, and climate change.
"As an agency charged with promoting the national innovation system, I would like to see a policy presentation that truly prioritises innovation," Pun-Arj said.
