Future governments ‘face legal strife if they ignore strategy’

Future governments will face legal penalties if they fail to comply with the national strategy, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has warned.

Describing the newly endorsed national strategy bill as a crucial piece of legislation to lay the foundations for national development, Mr Wissanu said if any future governments or officials fail to comply with it, the matter will be considered by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and then will be taken to the Constitutional Court.

“The national strategy is very important. In case of violations, the matter will go before the NACC and the Constitutional Court. It’s an offence punishable by imprisonment, as well as impeachment,” Mr Wissanu said.

The national strategy bill, designed to support the government’s 20-year national development blueprint, was passed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday. It will come into effect when it is published in the Royal Gazette.

It sets out plans for ways to develop Thailand and any proposals must be in compliance with the national strategy.

The new law will establish a national strategy commission as a de facto “superboard” to implement the strategy, with various committees set up to design specific action plans.

Mr Wissanu said that once set up, the national strategy commission will monitor and follow through on the implementation of the strategy for five years.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said it is necessary for future governments to follow the 20-year national development strategy which is aimed at lifting the country out of the middle-income trap and turning it into a developed country by 2036 under the so-called Thailand 4.0 economic model.

However, Pheu Thai Party key figure Surapong Tovichakchaikul said the national strategy bill and the bill on plans and procedures for national reform, which was also passed by the NLA on Thursday, could breach the constitution.

He said that the new charter required the two bills to be submitted to the NLA after enactment of the constitution on April 6.

Mr Surapong said the NLA website showed that the Prime Minister’s Office sent a letter signed by Gen Prayut, along with the drafts of the two bills, to the NLA president on April 4 and the Senate’s secretariat acting as the NLA’s secretary also signed to receive the documents on April 4.

However, NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai insisted that the two bills did not violate the constitution as he tabled them to the assembly for deliberation after the new charter came into effect.