CHAPTER VI. DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICIES
Section 64
The provisions in this Chapter are directive principles for State legislation or determination of policy for the administration of State affairs.
Section 65
The State should set out a national strategy as a goal for sustainable development of the country under the principle of good governance to be used as a framework for formulating consistent and integrated plans in a congruous drive to achieve such goal.
The formulation, determination of goals, prescription of time for achieving such goals and contents that should be in the national strategy shall be in accordance with the rules and procedures as provided by law. Such law shall also contain provisions relating to people’s participation and public consultation throughout every sector.
The national strategy shall come into force upon its publication in the Government Gazette.
Section 66
The State should promote an amicable relation with other countries by adopting the principle of equality in its treatment towards one another and not interfering in internal affairs of one another. The State should cooperate with international organisations and protect national interests and interests of the Thai people in foreign countries.
Section 67
The State should support and protect Buddhism and other religions.
In supporting and protecting Buddhism, which is the religion observed by the majority of Thai people for a long period of time, the State should promote and support education and dissemination of dharmic principles of Theravada Buddhism for the development of mind and wisdom development, and shall have measures and mechanisms to prevent Buddhism from being undermined in any form. The State should also encourage Buddhists to participate in implementing such measures or mechanisms.
Section 68
The State should organise a management system of justice process in every aspect to ensure efficiency, fairness and non-discrimination and shall ensure that the people have access to justice process in a convenient and swift manner without delay and does not have to bear excessive expenses.
The State should provide protective measures for State officials in justice process to enable them to strictly perform duties without any interference or manipulation.
The State should provide necessary and appropriate legal aid to indigent persons or underprivileged persons to access justice process, including providing a lawyer thereto.
Section 69
The State should provide and promote research and development of various branches of science, technology and disciplines of arts to create knowledge, development and innovation to strengthen the society and to enhance the competence of people in the Nation.
Section 70
The State should promote and provide protection for different ethnic groups to have the right to live in the society according to the traditional culture, custom, and ways of life on a voluntary basis, peacefully and without interference, insofar as it is not contrary to public order or good morals or does not endanger the security of the security, health or sanitation.
Section 71
The State should strengthen the family unit which is an important basic element of society, provide an appropriate accommodation, promote and develop the enhancement of health in order to enable people to have good health and strong mind, as well as promote and develop excellence in sports and to maximise the benefit for the people.
The State should promote and develop human resources to be good citizens with higher quality and abilities.
The State should provide assistance to children, youth, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, indigent persons and underprivileged persons to be able to have a quality living, and shall protect such persons from violence or unfair treatment, as well as provide treatment, rehabilitation and remedies to such injured persons.
In allocating the budget, the State shall take into account the different necessities and needs with respect to genders, ages and conditions of persons to ensure fairness.
Section 72
The State should take actions relating to land, water resources and energy as follows:
- to plan the country’s land use to be appropriate to the area conditions and potentials of the land in accordance with the principles of sustainable development;
- to undertake town planning at every level and to enforce such town planning efficiently, as well as to develop towns to prosper and meet the needs of the people in the area;
- to provide measures for distribution of landholding in order to thoroughly and fairly allow people to have land for making a living;
- to provide quality water resources which are sufficient for consumption by the people, including for agriculture, industry and other activities;
- to promote energy conservation and cost-effective use of energy, as well as to develop and support the production and use of alternative energy to enhance sustainable energy security.
Section 73
The State should provide measures or mechanisms to enable farmers to efficiently carry out agriculture which yields produce of high quantity and quality that is safe, low cost and competitive in the market, and should assist indigent farmers to have land for making a living through land reform or any other means.
Section 74
The State should promote abilities of the people to engage in work which is appropriate to their potentials and ages, and ensure that they have work to engage in. The State should protect labour to ensure safety and vocational hygiene, and receive income, welfare, social security and other benefits which are suitable for their living, and should provide for or promote savings for living after their working age.
The State should provide a system of labour relations for all relevant parties to participate in.
Section 75
The State should organise an economic system which provides opportunities for the people to all together benefit from the economic growth in a comprehensive, fair and sustainable manner and to be self-reliant in accordance with the philosophy of sufficiency economy, should eliminate unfair economic monopoly, and should develop economic competitiveness of the people and the country.
The State shall refrain from engagement in an enterprise in competition with the private sector, except in cases of necessity for the purpose of maintaining the security of the State, preserving common interests, providing public utilities or providing public services.
The State shall promote, support, protect and stabilise the system of various types of co-operatives, and small and medium enterprises of the people and communities.
In developing the country, the State should have due regard to the balance between the development of material and development of mind, as well as the well-being of the people.
Section 76
The State should develop a system of administration of State affairs of central, regional and local administrations, as well as other State affairs in accordance with the principles of good public governance, provided that State agencies shall cooperate with and assist each other in performing duties, with a view to maximising, for the benefit of the people, the efficiency of the administration of State affairs, provision of public services and expenditure of budget.
The State should also develop State officials to have integrity and to have an attitude of serving the public in an expedient, expeditious and non-discriminatory manner as well as performing duties efficiently. The State should undertake to enact a law relating to personnel management of State agencies in accordance with the merit system, provided that such law must at least contain measures to prevent any person from exercising powers or acting wrongfully to intervene or interfere with the performance of duties or the procedure for appointment or consideration of the merits of State officials.
The State should formulate ethical standards for State agencies to use as the basis for prescribing a code of ethics for State officials in that particular agency, which must not be lower than such ethical standards.
Section 77
The State should introduce laws only to the extent of necessity, and repeal or revise laws that are no longer necessary or unsuitable to the circumstances, or are obstacles to livelihoods or engagement in occupations, without delay, so as to abstain from the imposition of burdens upon the public. The State should also undertake to ensure that the public has convenient access to the laws and are able to understand the them easily in order to correctly comply with the laws.
Prior to the enactment of every law, the State should conduct consultation with stakeholders, analyse any impacts that may occur from the law thoroughly and systematically, and should also disclose the results of the consultation and analysis to the public, and take them into consideration at every stage of the legislative process. When the law has come into force, the State should undertake an evaluation of the outcomes of the law at every specified period of time, for which consultation with stakeholders shall be conducted, with a view to developing all laws to be suitable to and appropriate for the changing contexts.
The State should employ a permit system and a committee system in a law only in cases of necessity, should prescribe rules for the exercise of discretion by State officials and a period of time for carrying out each step provided by the law in a clear manner, and should prescribe criminal penalties only for serious offences.
Section 78
The State should promote the correct knowledge and understanding of the public and communities regarding the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of State, and their participation in various aspects of the development of the country, in the provision of public services at both national and local levels, in the scrutiny of the exercise of State power, in combating against dishonest acts and wrongful conducts, as well as in decision making in politics and in all other matters that may affect the public or communities.
