Deputy PM Adm Narong called for local officials to heed the new economic policy at a meeting during his inspection tour of the island yesterday (Jan 27).
His call for local officials to follow the policy follows Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha announcing the Pracharat policy during his weekly address to the nation on September 25 last year. (See story here.)
At the meeting in Phuket yesterday were also the Governors of the Andaman coast provinces of Krabi, Trang, Phang Nga and Ranong.
“Governors have been informed to follow the new economic policy Pracharat, which calls for all levels of government to exercise its power for the benefit of the people,” Deputy PM Adm Narong told The Phuket News.
“The new policy will help solve problems effectively by having the people and the government working collaboratively. This way we are moving together in the same direction in solving any issues.”
Deputy PM Adm Narong also promoted the role of the Damrongdhama Centre (Ombudsman’s Office).
“The Damrongdhama Centre is crucial for the people and helps the government to provide better assistance to those who need it and help them resolve their issues quickly and effectively,” he said.
“The Damrongdhama Centre in each province should operate at the provincial level and must improve how effectively it serves the people. In providing assistance, each issue must be solved quickly and the centre must follow up to keep people satisfied.”
However, Deputy PM Adm Narong noted that land issues, especially the likes of which that have plagued Phuket for decades, will take time and the support of the central government to resolve.
“There are problems, mostly dealing with land, that the Darongdhama Centre and provincial Governors won’t be able to solve on their own because these issues fall under central government policy,” he said.
“Such issues include public land encroachment, applications for Chanote land title deeds for areas on government land, holding a Chanote title for park or forest land – these are the problems of land ownership that the central government will help to solve, but to do so will take time because these issues involve many departments and each have their own policy and procedure,” he added.
“I have ordered the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Interior to follow up with these issues because to issue titles for land falls under many departments and involves many law and procedures.
“We won’t be able to solve them all quickly, but we will do our best to help the landless to have a place as part of the policy,” he added.