CEO Governors are back
Phuket officials have been instructed to prepare for a return to the ‘CEO Governor’ system first introduced under Thaksin Shinawatra administration more than 20 years ago.
Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan chaired a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Sept 27 to ensure local administrations got the message.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission held a meeting on Sept 26 to discuss “administration in the form of integrated provincial governors (CEO Governors)”, reported the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket).
Ministry of Interior Permanent Secretary Suthiphong Chulcharoen chaired the meeting and “gave orders to all provinces”, the report said.
The aim is to return to an “administration in the form of integrated provincial governors (Governor CEO) by which the Ministry of Interior and the
Office of the Public Sector Development Commission are informed so that relevant action can be taken”, the report noted.
Senior officials were seeking suggestions and opinions on operational guidelines and problems and obstacles in current public administration, the report added.
Of note, when the same system was implemented under the Thaksin administration, the main point promoted was that ‘CEO Governors’ had more latitude in dealing with problems specific to the province they were designated to govern.
In reality, the result was the end of any real effectiveness of provincial administrations that operate under the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA). In Phuket, that organisation is the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor).
Other than the three Members of Parliament that represent Phuket (all three from the Move Forward Party), the highest elected official on the island is the President of the PPAO, a position currently held by Rewat Areerob. The Governor of Phuket, like all provincial governors, are selected and appointed by officials in Bangkok.
The CEO Governor system arose from the policy of reforming the civil service system by applying the management concepts of private businesses, explained the PR
Phuket report.
The system was first tested in five provinces ‒ Sisaket, Chainat, Lampang, Phuket and Narathiwat ‒ for one year, from Oct 1, 2001 to September 30 2002. The system was rolled out nationwide on Oct 1, 2003.
Under the system, the governor’s main goal as ‘CEO’ is to push the national agenda, by creating area-level agendas, solving problems and developing areas, and reducing the government’s burden in solving problems at the area level, the PR Phuket report continued.
“In this regard, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior requests that all provinces join together to drive government policy and the mission of the Ministry of Interior to be quickly successful, to develop the quality of life of the people to be rich and happy, with people happier and having a sustainable quality of life,” the report said.
The report noted that the CEO Governor system that is now to be reimplemented “is an integration of cooperation, budget, resources from various sectors, focusing on measurable results”.
So-called “provincial teams” are to ensure they cater to people’s needs and “keep up to date”. According to the policy of the new Minister of Interior, Anutin Charnvirakul, "up-to-date" means understanding the world situation and being able to adapt, the report said.
"’Up-to-date’ means understanding the changing context, to use technology to the maximum benefit and be ‘timely’, meaning being able to make decisions quickly and in time with the situation,” the report concluded.
Meanwhile, PR Phuket earlier on Sept 27 reported a provincial budget-funded project to install 43 solar-power street lights in one moo baan (neighbourhood) in Kamala alone, Moo 6, at a total cost of B2.967 million ‒ meaning the solar-powered street lamps and posts are to cost B69,209 each.
The provincial budget funds are to be disbursed via the Kathu District Office, which is to forward the funds to the Kamala Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor).