The Thai authorities have drafted a master plan to promote ‘morality’ based on sufficiency, honesty, and responsibility as a national agenda.
According to Daily News, Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn, the Deputy Prime Minister and head of the National Committee to Promote Morality established under the Culture Ministry, on Monday, 2 November 2015, revealed that the committee has approved a master plan to promote morality as a national agenda after its first meeting.
The first draft of the plan for 2016-2020 was proposed by Department of Religious Affairs and the Culture Ministry.
According to the draft, the prime agendas of the plan are to ‘uplift people’s morality’ and encourage every sector of the society to promote ‘national morality’.
Moreover, the draft defines sufficiency, honesty, and responsibility as a shared set of ‘national moral values’, stating that the values will bring about peace, harmony, and happiness to the nation and that Thailand will become a leading country on morality in ASEAN region and in the world.
Thanasak said that the National Committee to Promote Morality has also established two subcommittees to enact the plan, which are the committee to draft and evaluate plans to promote the national morality and a committee to monitor the promotion of ‘national moral values’.
He added that centers to promote morality will also be established to implement the plan.
Earlier this year, the former batch of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) laid out plans to create a ‘National Virtue Assembly’, a supra-governmental body which could determine the moral or ethical standards of public officials.
The idea of the Virtue Assembly has not yet been finalized, but according to the latest reports, its members can vote whether to kick start a moral inquisition of politicians and public officials deemed immoral.
If it finds elected politicians and holders of political posts or local administrators guilty of overstepping its moral codes, the committee can call for a public referendum to be held in general elections and allow voters to decide if they want to impeach any officials it identifies.
In the aftermath of the 2014 coup d’état, the Thai junta coined the controversial 12 Thai values, which the regime is promoting, especially among the nation’s youths.
The 12 Thai Values of the junta are:
- Love for the nation, religions and monarchy
- Honesty, patience and good intentions for the public
- Gratitude to parents, guardians and teachers
- Perseverance in learning
- Conservation of Thai culture
- Morality and sharing with others
- Correct understanding of democracy with the monarch as head of the state
- Discipline and respect for the law and elders
- Awareness in thinking and doing things, and following the guidance of His Majesty the King
- Living by the sufficiency economy philosophy guided by His Majesty the King
- Physical and mental strength against greed
- Concern about the public and national good more than self-interest.
Many academics and activists criticised the 12 values as the junta’s attempt to promote nationalistic sentiments in order to legitimise the military rule.