Policy Announcement*
Mr. President,
Distinguished Members,
Persuant
to His Majesty the King's gracious appointment of myself as Prime Minister, per
Royal Command dated 21 February 1948, and the subsequent appointment of the Council
of Ministers, per Royal Command dated 25 February 1948. The Council of Ministers
has now formulated the formal policies, as to present to the Parliament, according
to Codes 77 and 96 of the Temporary Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, and
seek for the kind approval.
Obviously,
the objectives of the government are to raise the public well-being, as much as
possible, protect the national independence and sovereignty, and preserve the
rights and liberties of the people, according to the democratic system of state
administrations. In order to achieve these goals, the steps are as followed:
1. Financial Policy
| 1)
| The government shall balance the national income and expenditure, supervise the national finance, in accordance with financial laws, and respect the international obligations, as to establish the confidence in the financial stability, which shall, in turn, lead to the currency stability. |
| 2) | The government shall implement efficient measures, as to affix the Baht value, at reasonable level, in order to secure the national commerce and improve the standard of living of the people. |
2. Foreign Policy
As
for foreign affairs, the royal government shall respect and follow the international
obligations, befriend the friendly nations, support the United Nations, and collaborate
sincerely in the activities of the said institution.
3. Policy on Public Health
| 1)
| The government shall ameliorate the quality
and efficiency of doctors, by providing the extra education, especially in public
health, as well as, granting the scholarships for the study abroad. |
| 2) | The government shall construct new provincial hospitals, especially for the affected areas, establish the regional hospitals, as to cater for the provincial ones, distribute the medical expertise to the provinces, and improve the municipal hospitals. |
| 3)
| The welfare for Mother and Child is one of the national priorities, hence, the government shall enhance the gynaecological network, by recruiting sufficient gynaecologists and establishing Mother and Child welfare stations. |
| 4) | The government shall cure off the endemic diseases, by establishing the mobile preventive and protective units. |
4. Policy on Security
As
to implement the military reform, in accordance with the democratic administration:
| 1)
| The government shall nationalize the royal army, excluding it from the politics and politician cycles. |
| 2) | The government shall maintain the eligible army, as to protect the national independence and sovereignty, be it in peace or at war, in accordance with the national situation. |
| 3)
| The government shall enhance the efficiency of all-level military supervisors, both professionally and administratively, and provide the efficient education to military privates, in terms of scientific and vocational studies, in accordance with the ranks and responsibilities. |
| 4) | The government shall enforce the standardized military regulations and discipline, promote the military welfares, as for medical and recreational purposes. Also, the government shall enhance and support the veteran administration, as seen appropriate. |
5. Agricultural Policy
| 1)
| The government shall increase the agricultural productivity, especially rice, which is the important export, support the good rice strains, and utilize fertilizers, as to increase the output. Apart from the conventional farming, the government shall promote the farming, enhanced by the utilization of machines. |
| 2) | As for irrigation, |
| (a) | The government shall promote and expand the local irrigation systems, and control the operations, as for the optimal results. |
| (b) | Royal Irrigation: The government shall continue existing projects and implement new ones, in the affected regions. |
| 3)
| The government shall promote and improve the fish breeding, in order to meet the needs of the people, especially in the northern and northeastern provinces, and establish the Fishery Research stations. |
| 4)
| The government shall improve and preserve the economic wood, as for national exports, firewood, and tools, aspiring for the sake of the future. |
| 5) | The government shall increase the numbers of capital cooperatives and promote other types of cooperatives, in accordance with the improvements in each area. |
| 6) | The government shall supplement the national pasture, by curing off animal endemic diseases, researching for animal-feed plants, and attempting climate-oriented animal breedings. |
In
addition, the government shall establish the Agricultural Council, and collaborate
with the F.A.O.
6. Policy on Transportation
| 1) | As for the land and water transportation, post, telegraphs, and telephone, affected by the great wars, the government shall implement the reparations, especially the railway system, as for the national benefits. |
| 2) | As for construction, the government shall consider the implementation of new prioritary projects, i.e., telephone, highways, and port, and establish Thailand as the air junction for the Far East. |
7. Commercial Policy
| 1)
| The government shall furnish the national well-being, reduce or maintain the price of the consuming goods. As for international obligations, the government shall respect and despatch the rice. |
| 2) | The government shall reduce the cost of living of the people, as much as possible. |
| 3)
| The government shall promote the national exports, in order to attract the foreign currency, as to meet the national requirements. |
| 4)
| The government shall support the national trade, as for the sake of manufacturers, traders and consumers. |
8. Interior Policy
| 1)
| The government shall suppress crimes and delinquences and, in this respect, enhance the efficiency of administrative officers and police. |
| 2) | As for the national well-beings, the government shall implement efficient measures on the provision of essential consuming goods to the public, and support the social welfare for different professions, in particular, the elders, handicapped and abandonned. |
| 3)
| The government shall improve the structure of the regional administration. |
As
for the local administration, the government shall revise the structure, as for
the national benefits.
9. Policy on Justice
The
government shall respect the freedom of royal judges, establish the justice of
royal courts, as to preserve the rights and liberties of the public, as well as,
facilitate the court procedures.
10. Education and Religion
The
government shall institute good values in the public, as to promote good citizens
of the democratic government, provide the democratic education, as to encourage
the national awareness in the rights and responsibilities of the citizens, professions,
and self-reliance, following these steps:
| 1)
| The government shall increase the numbers of teachers, enhance the teaching profession, as to register pride and career advancement, and improve the knowledge, discipline, and capability of the teachers. |
| 2) | The government shall repair and increase the numbers of academic institutions. |
| 3)
| The government shall provide sufficient textbooks and educational tools, in accordance with the national financial status, and support physical, hygienic education, study trips, adult education, and kindergartens. |
| 4) | The government shall provide the professional opportunities, in collaborations with the related ministries, government agencies, and the private sectors, as for the sake of the vocational graduates. |
| 5) | The government shall increase the numbers of lecturers, in accordance with the numbers of university students, as to raise the teaching quality, and subsidize the academic researches, as for lecturers and graduates. |
| 6) | The government shall implement the National Educational Integration Project. |
| 7)
| The government shall cherish and support the religious affairs, as to provide good morals and ethics to the people. |
11. Industrial Policy
The
government shall improve and support the national industry, especially the home
industry, and implement the provision of raw materials and industrial tools, following
these steps:
| 1)
| The government shall implement the surveys, investigations, and statistics, as to identify the raw materials for the national industry, sources, seasons, and quantities, i.e., implement the surveys on natural resources, as for the following process. |
| 2) | The government shall promote the utilization of renewable natural resources, i.e., plants and animals, in the industrial operations, control and preserve the exploitation of non-renewable natural resources, i.e., mineral resources. |
| 3)
| The government shall provide the cheap energy, especially the natural energy, i.e., hydropower from waterfalls, to the national industry. |
| 4) | The government shall support the continuation of the existing private industry, providing as much assistance as possible, and facilitate the establishment of the new private industry, which is of great importance to the national economy, providing as much assistance as possible. |
| 5) | As for the large-scale industry or that not operated by the private sector, the Ministry of Industry shall implement the projects, in accordance with the current financial situation. |
| 6) |
As for the industry, currently under the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry,
i.e., Sugar Refinery, Tannery Factory, Paper Mill, Liquor Refinery, Rubber Factory,
and Organization of Mineral Resources, the government shall enhance the efficiency, as to manufacture, at reasonable cost, in large quantities, meet the national requirements, and excel in the quality and price. |
| 7)
| As for the home industry of the provincials, the government shall promote the diffusion of products, support the delicacy of local handicrafts, preserve the expertise, model, and regional culture, as well as, promote the utilization of industrial tools. In addition, the government shall support the product vending to the people of different regions, as for the product interchange, especially the fine industry, which shall, in turn, uphold and promote the national culture, in international markets. |
| 8)
| The government shall expand and control the industrial capacity, as seen necessary, and supervise the quality of products. |
| 9) | The government shall establish the National Research Institute, as the venue for national scientists, as to support the scientific researches. |
Moreover,
the government shall heed special attentions to the following issues:
1) Royal Decease
2) Corruption
3) Cost of Living
4) Civil Effectiveness
The government hopes that the Parliament shall grant the kind approval.
Thank you.
*Parliament Assembly Report of 1/1948, Session 1, 1 March 1948, Pages 6-14
Unofficial Translation