The Thai government will today formally list its accomplishments after a year in office. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his Cabinet will be on hand for the unveiling of an exhibition outside the Government House that continues through Saturday.

Keeping the public informed is fine, and politicians can’t be faulted for wanting to boast about gains they’ve made on the country’s behalf. But this is, after all, a military-installed government, and Prayuth goes on TV every Friday to declare what’s been done and, to a lesser extent, what’s in store next.

Since his first day in office, the premier has repeatedly portrayed himself as a “volunteer” attempting to put the nation in order again following disruptive and too often deadly political strife. Reform and reconciliation — surely long-term goals — are at the top of his agenda, he says, yet the aim is not to cling to power but rather lay the foundation for the next administration.

This last statement is as “politically correct” as could be for a leader who so abruptly came to power. What’s aggravating is that such pledges, requiring keen focus and urgent action, have to take a back seat whenever the government calls time out for self-promotion.

The public is looking forward to results on a far grander scale than what the government is delivering with its exhibition this week. To spend time and money advertising much more mundane achievements is simply crass.

We have seen little action on the bigger issues. On the contrary, reconciliation seems more remote than ever thanks to the government’s suppression of its critics. How is heavy-handed use of the repressive lese majeste law in any way laying a “foundation” for the democratic regime to come?

Prayuth will inevitably be the target of detractors, but he could easily sweep most of them aside by showing real progress on his chief proclaimed missions. The people will judge him based on tangible results in areas such as rising exports and other signs of an improving economy and the strict enforcement of laws other than the problematic lese majeste provisions.

With Prayuth insisting that he must advertise his accomplishments, perhaps progress toward reform and reconciliation remains too abstract to discuss in his television addresses. It is also acknowledged that one year in office is too little to expect great advances in these areas, and that reform doesn’t necessarily jibe with reconciliation.

However, one year is ample for Prayuth and his Cabinet to have covered considerable ground on the big issues. Instead, determination is lacking in implementing policies and sticking to the task at hand, most importantly reform. Perhaps the administration has been preoccupied with matters that became unexpectedly urgent, such as the trafficking in people, the horrors exposed in the fishing industry and the sorry state of Thai aviation. The tendency has been to blame the messenger, to point the finger and those who reveal the problems, such as the news media and activists. Rather, the government should be thanking those who bring the crimes and the shortcomings to its attention. And then is should resolve the issues, which would soon silence the critics.

The one issue that has haunted this government more than any other is corruption. One of the central targets in its much-vaunted reform plans, corruption has slowed not at all, and in fact has now tainted the military itself. Allegations that senior officers demanded bribes from contractors bidding to help embellish the Army’s Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin, though as yet unproved, suggest that graft exists even among the men formerly under Prayuth’s direct command.

The case is another urgent test for his regime, and it cannot remain unresolved when he eventually leaves office. It is a test — and also an opportunity to show that the government will not tolerate any corruption anywhere. Heal that disease and it would be an accomplishment worth trumpeting.

Editorial
(The Nation)
(Asia News Network)