The Nation has an unofficial translation of the policies of the Surayud/Sonthi regime, due to be announced on November 3. If any New Mandala readers can point to the Thai version I would appreciate it. Some high(?)lights:

Writing a blueprint for the utilisation of national communication resources for the benefit of the public and people’s political education so that they understand democracy under constitutional monarchy and the political reform.

Administrating personnel and managing government agencies in accordance with the goal of sustainable development, a strong society and happy people on the sufficiency economy principle

Continually supporting power decentralisation so that locals can be self dependent and self governing according to local people’s will.

Promoting love, unity and harmony among the people to make them work together to retrieve and rehabilitate the country. Summarising the lessons from previous disharmony and creating a process to solve problems.

Speeding up education reform under the principle “virtue before knowledge”. The government will increase educational opportunity and quality. Students will be taught the importance of sufficiency economy, harmony, peaceful action and democracy.

Strengthening local communities to manage their own affairs regarding economic, social, cultural and administrative matters, environment management and community rights.

The new government will uphold market mechanisms in its economic policies, but good governance will be instilled under the philosophy of sufficiency economy to ensure economic fairness and minimise conflicts of interest as well as personal interests.

The government is expected to clarify the sufficiency economy philosophy, which has created confusion among foreign investors who mistakenly believed that under the concept, the Thai economy would look inward. Rather, the concept highlights good governance as a means of regulating development in a market economy.

Among the policies which will be put to the National Legislative Assembly this week, the government will emphasise the importance of development in the agricultural sector, which will include the continued promotion of the One Tambon One Product scheme, initiated by the Thaksin government.

In normal situations, the government will strengthen and use the military’s potential to support the country’s developments in all aspects for the sake of national security and prosperity under the Sufficiency Economic Theory.

New Mandala commentary to follow, but I have to give this brave new world some thought over a rather non-sufficiency economy ouzo and coke.