On March 27, 2000, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, presided over the first meeting in 2000 of the Prosperity Decentralization Policy Committee at Government House. The meeting outcomes can be summarized as follows.
The meeting acknowledged progress of "Vision and Guideline for Development during the Ninth Plan" seminar which was organized by National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) and attended by 17,000 people nationwide during January-March 2000.
At the seminar, participants were keen to participate in national development plan focusing on "people-centered development" and "sufficiency economy" philosophy. The vision for Thai society as unanimously agreed by most participants is as follows : Thai society will be quality society. All people in the society will be happy, living in good environment with security and without drugs. Their basic rights will be protected. Thai economy will be developed in accordance with its potential and sufficiency economy philosophy. Natural resources will be conserved and managed on a sustainable basis in order to provide balance in ecosystem. The political administration will be transparent and can be thoroughly inspected by civil society.
Regarding the seminar results, the meeting agreed to continually strengthen people participation development process during the Ninth Plan. Three operational guidelines are laid out as follows:
1. The meeting assigned Ministry of Interior to promote the roles of all professional groups to participate in District Development Plan and Provincial Development Plan, as a continuous process of brainstorming in vision for development of people at the provincial level, and, meanwhile, assigned NESDB and institutions or private organizations to enlarge people participation process in monitoring implementation of the plans.
2. NESDB and institutions or private organizations have been assigned to enhance understanding in sufficiency economy to enhance understanding in sufficiency economy philosophy and coordinate among the development parties to support community development plan in order to be consistent to district Development Plan and Provincial Development Plan.
3. The Meeting agreed in supporting implementation of Community Development Plan by advocating resources to provinces. Meanwhile, directly allocate resource to communities in order to encourage their activities in form of revolving fund. In this regard, Institution of community Organization Development has been assigned to launch projects. End.
Development News Bulletin, National Economic and Social Development Board, Volume 15, No. 4 : April 2000
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