PPP to set up public policy think tank
The Palang Pracharath Party plans to establish a think tank so people from all sectors can brainstorm the future trajectory of Thailand’s economic, social and political development.
It will be named the Panya Pracharath Institute, which means “the wisdom of the public and the state”, said Science and Technology Minister Suvit Maesincee in his capacity as a would-be deputy leader of the party.
The institute’s three core driving principles are demand-based policies, adopting a bottoms-up approach, and participatory politics, he added.
The institute’s core missions, he said, are to develop an open platform to promote public interactions through public forums and the virtual world; create game changers in the economic, social and political sectors; and draft public policies to help spur innovations aimed at redesigning the nation’s future.
The institute’s courses are intended mainly for young people who want to play a role in shaping Thailand’s future, he said.
Dr Suvit added that anyone who is willing to learn and exchange opinions with policy makers, civil leaders, business operators and academics can participate in the courses.
“This is aimed at fostering knowledgeable and active citizens who have an equal role in shaping the country’s future,” he said.
The institute’s courses will deal mainly with politics, economy, society, environment, law, technology and global dynamics, he added.
They will encourage people to use history to understand the present and cope with the future, he said.
The ultimate goal of the institute is to steer Thailand into the developed world.
“This isn’t all about forming a [political] network. We also want to spark change,” added Dr Suvit.
PM’s Office Minister Kobsak Pootrakool, as the would-be spokesman of Palang Pracharath, said important policies should be brainstormed because the era of hewing to a top-down political philosophy is drawing to an end.
Besides Palang Pracharath, the Democrat Party and the Action Coalition for Thailand have established similar think tanks to draw more people into politics.