Vishanu was himself assigned to lead the commission by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra when he invited the former Cabinet secretary to take charge of bureaucratic reforms, billed as the biggest change in the civil-service system since the time of King Rama V.
Despite the recent jump in the number of ministries from 15 to 20 and the subsequent reshuffling of several departments so that they meet specific functions, Vishanu said the long-term goals of reducing the civil service and boosting the salaries for those remaining, reducing the proportion of budget allocated to salaries and improving services to the public - had to be met.
"We may start slowly, but in every quarter you ought to be able to see progress made," he said.
The three-pronged road map for bureaucratic reform comprises:
l Giving the ministries and their respective departments budgets for specific projects. If these cannot be implemented, evaluation will be made on the reasons why and who assumes responsibility. This could affect bonus payments to affected officials as a "carrot-and-stick" process. The system is practised in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. l Implementing a "good-governance" concept within the bureaucracy.
The agencies would have to implement a "citizen-charter" method by setting standards for their services to the public. These would increase the time needed to deliver a particular service.
l Implementing IT in the bureaucracy, including e-government and e-procurement, alongside decentralisation of decision-making to the provinces. The commission can "think new, do new" and be versatile, he said. It will take over the task previously handled by the Civil Service Commission.
Quelle: The Nation
