PM called on all sides to solve country’s problems
Written by Writer on Monday, October 13th, 2008
PM called on all sides to solve country’s problems
In his televised address on NBT channel yesterday evening (October 12th), Prime Minister and Defense Minister Somchai Wongsawat called for cooperation from all sides to support the country’s resilience and to be ready for repercussions from global economic setback.
The prime minister also reaffirmed not to step down or dissolve the House of Representatives unless the country’s problems were ironed out. He explained that at the moment, political situations were locked in the struggle of different points of view, causing recent illegal assemblies. He agreed with the fact that persons in a democratic country could assemble without violating the Constitution as long as it did not disturb other compatriots.
Mr. Somchai indicated that the Government was elected by the people; thus, it should be responsible for the people, in general speaking. In response to the recent strife in front of the Parliament, the Prime Minister expressed his remorse on the incident and had ordered an establishment of two working groups to investigate the issue.
According to the prime minister, the first team would perform an investigation into what happened in the October 7 violence in order to clarify it to the public, and the second team would deal with damages and losses in casualties including overseeing overall circumstances.
On the other hand, Mr. Somchai expressed concern over economic crisis. Although the dismal economy had been looming foreign countries at the moment, he moreover believed that sooner or later Asian countries would be gripped by drastic repercussions of the meltdown. The prime minister added that small businesses and domestic employments would be devastated; therefore, the country would require excellent cooperation from all sides to help stem the downturn.
In terms of the funeral of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, Mr. Somchai urged Thai nationals to facilitate the event to honor Her Majesty. He added that other events Thailand would have to gear up for included the celebration of His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday and the ASEAN Summit. Through these activities, the prime minister encouraged all sides to show their unity and participation, and called on the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to leave the vital sites in which the activities would take place in the near future.
At the end of his televised speech, the prime minister advised that public members be aware of receiving biased news and information as Thai society was susceptible to rumors. He viewed that his public statement could prevent people from being victimized by propaganda regarding the House dissolution and his resignation. He reaffirmed not to unseat himself from the administration or disband the Parliament as he did not believe that such actions would keep the country out of the ongoing recession.
Mr. Somchai challenged that if the Parliament dissolution and his resignation could yield utmost benefits to the nation, then he would be ready to do so. He suggested an establishment of the Constitution Drafting House to amend the Constitution with public participation would be the best solution to solving the country’s problems.
