‘Wirote’ teases ‘Big Aun’, should know more about the military after having fled into the jungle before, teases ‘Big Comrade-Big Lek’, who is bigger, give time to prove the results
Mr. Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, a party-list MP for the Prachachon Party, said about Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai’s appointment as Defense Minister that there may be questions about Mr. Phumtham, but he needs to give him some time to work. In the past, he saw that Mr. Phumtham may know more about the military than he does because he once fled into the jungle and knew about the problems in the military. He joked that people call Mr. Phumtham ‘Comrade Big’, but when he meets Big Lek, who is big and who is small? But he will give Mr. Phumtham time to work. Initially, in order to make the public trust him and have a good relationship with the military, what Mr. Phumtham, as the new Defense Minister, must do is make it transparent, open, and verifiable. If he cites secret budgets or government secrets or gives a rough answer, the public will n
ot trust him. Most of the military’s purchases are out of necessity, and the public will criticize him harshly and obstruct the implementation of military policy. Therefore, transparency is a good starting point.
Mr. Wiroj also said that the policy to abolish military conscription or reduce the number of generals and merge departments in the Ministry of Defense would not be completed within 1-2 days, but he hoped that the Minister of Defense would set a clear time frame and plan. When the public sees the plan, they will follow it, like the Army and Navy that have white papers. The public will be able to follow it, which will be the starting point of trust between the military, the army and the public.
Source: Thai News Agency