Keynote Speech by Leader of the Thai Rak Thai Party and Prime Minister of Thailand H.E. Thaksin Shinawatra 

Your Royal Highness, 

Your Excellency Samdech Hun Sen, Vice-President of Cambodian People's Party and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, 

Your Excellency Speaker Jose de Venecia, Chairman of the Standing Committee, Excellencies, 

Distinguished Guests, 

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all to Thailand and to this Second International Conference of Asian Political Parties. The Thai Rak Thai Party is honoured to host this important political gathering in Bangkok, and is proud to do so on behalf of all the political parties in Thailand. Let me therefore express a special word of appreciation to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Hanns Seidel Foundation, and the King Prajadhipok's Institute for their support and sponsorship in making this meeting possible.

I am truly delighted that this Conference has received such an overwhelming response, with leaders and representatives participating from over 70 political parties and almost 30 countries across the Asia-Pacific region. Our list of dignitaries includes prime ministers and cabinet members - both present and former - house speakers, and members of parliament. Never before has there been such a gathering of Asia's political representatives, and we are greatly honoured by your presence. 

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Guests, 

In my view, perhaps the most important purpose of this meeting is to see how we, as political parties, can best perform our duties in serving the interests of our electorate. I am pleased to see that gathered in this room are members of both government and opposition parties from most Asian countries, representing a broad spectrum of ideologies and platforms. But regardless of our political status, inclinations or beliefs, I am convinced that all of us are joined together in the common goal of ensuring the happiness, prosperity and well-being of our respective peoples. 

Regardless of the electoral process in each country, I believe the most important thing we have in common is that all the political parties present here are bound together by a Social Contract towards our peoples. This social contract confers upon us the duty to dedicate ourselves to solving the people's problems, improve their livelihood, and create greater opportunities for them to enrich their lives. 

In the opening lines of his famous political essay on The Social Contract, Jean-Jacques Rousseau said, and I quote: 

Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. 

One thinks himself the master of others, 

And still remains a greater slave than they. 

These immortal words refer to the fact that men and women around the world are initially born in freedom. However, through the act of setting up a state, the people consent to give up their personal freedoms and become bound by the laws and norms of the government and the general will. This is for the sake of social order and majority rule. 

To my mind, however, such an arrangement also has one important implication. Since the government derives its powers and authority directly from the people, it also has an obligation to serve its citizens and do everything to promote their interests. Such is the social contract between the people and the State. But the true meaning of this sacred bond has often become diluted and distorted. In many cases, the concept was used to serve the interests of those in power rather than their electorate. Governments have enacted laws to sustain their own power rather than to empower the people who put them in office. Many authorities are often under delusion that what is best for themselves is best for the country. Rather, it has to be the vice versa that is correct: only what is best for the country will be best for themselves. 

I am convinced that in order to best serve the interests of the country and its people, any government must first and foremost be "citizen-centered" rather than "government-centered" or "political party-centered". This means that all of the government's energies and efforts must revolve around the citizenry instead of focusing on the regime or ruling parties. The post-Cold War political parties should no longer compete on the basis of ideology, but on the basis of winning the hearts and minds of the people through their actions. Political parties must undergo a learning process with the people and for the people in order to become a party of the people. I believe this is the main key to ensuring the survival and success of any political party. 

This thinking also reflects the "Outside-In" approach that the present Thai Government has been emphasizing. Rather than claiming to know what is best for the people, my administration has tried to find out what the people truly want. Rather than making decisions from "within" the government and imposing them upon the people, we have tried to discover the wishes of the people "outside" the government, especially at the grass-roots level. For over two years since the Thai Rak Thai Party was founded until the general elections of January 2001 in Thailand, our party members roamed the countryside and villages to listen to the needs and desires of the people. This feedback, in turn, was incorporated as an integral part for the Party's policies and platform. 

Those policies and platform laid foundation for the present Thai government's commitment to the philosophy of concurrent political and socio-economic development. We are fully committed to making economic prosperity and social development mutual and reinforcing components of each other. Poverty alleviation must be achieved by empowering the people, especially at the grass-root to build up strength and immunity as well as encouraging them to utilize local ingenuity and initiatives. Community entrepreneurship must be encouraged while their fundamental rights and freedoms must be protected. 

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Guests, 

Since all the political parties gathered in this room come from a broad spectrum of political beliefs, there is bound to be some debate regarding whether "more government" or "less government" is best for the people. Similarly, there is the long-standing debate about whether it is better to have a pluralistic system with many competing political parties or a more stable one with only a few major parties. 

We are unlikely to settle this argument once and for all at this meeting, nor do I think should we. In my personal opinion, however, if the people were given the choice to decide, they would probably reply that they do not care about "more" or "less" as long as it is "better government" and "better parties". If all the political parties were "good parties" dedicated to serving the people, and with a genuine understanding of the people's problems, I am sure the electorate would not mind whether there were three parties or thirty parties. The end result would be the same since all parties would be competing to solve the citizen's problems. 

This is why I believe that political parties in every country should not attach undue importance on who is in the government and who is in the opposition. It is unfortunate but true that political parties in many countries are overly preoccupied with maintaining the reins of power. Upon coming to office, many ruling parties try to do all they can to hang on to power, while those in the opposition try their utmost to topple the government and assume power themselves. Virtually anything initiated by the government is resisted by such opposition without considering whether the government's actions are in the best interests of the people. Such adversary politics may not be for the best interest of the people. On the contrary, it may be a betrayal of our social contract to the people. I am convinced that political parties, whether in the government or the opposition, do have many constructive means to serve their respective constituencies to ensure their prosperity and well-being, instead of locking themselves in perennial sterile confrontation. Serving our people is a job that we can do together, not separately. 

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Guests, 

Another major purpose of this International Conference of Asian Political Parties is to promote a dialogue on the different approaches for us to fulfill our political obligations to the people. At the same time, we seek to forge closer cooperation among all the parties with a view to making our region stronger. 

I believe the key to solving the problems of our respective countries is to find the ways and means for us to live together, despite all our differences, in a spirit of cooperation for mutual benefit. 

There is much that we can learn from and share with one another, given the abundance of expertise and wisdom represented in this room. Through the exchange of experiences and ideas, we can become enlightened by one another's successes and failures. This process can become our shortcut along the long and rocky road to success. 

I am convinced that under the present global environment, there is no consensus or unanimity regarding which political or economic theories are "correct."  Therefore, it is unlikely that any single approach would be appropriate for and applicable to every country and society. 

No single thought, no single theory can work for everyone. There is no "one-size-fits-all" cure for the problems of the world. Therefore, it is essential for us to help one another in finding innovative and constructive ways to co-exist and cooperate with one another in order to perform the duties that our peoples have entrusted to us. 

It should be noted that during the economic downturn in Asia, the economic theories and models of developed countries may not have helped in explaining the true causes of our problems nor in suggesting appropriate solutions. It has therefore been necessary for us to devise our own models that are applicable to the unique circumstances and backgrounds of developing countries, reflecting both the realism of our continent and the new paradigm shift in the world. In the case of Thailand, we have adopted a dual-track plus approach to drive the economy by both boosting the domestic economy and at the same time enhancing our international competitiveness. In this way, the Thai economy will be linked to globalization and at the same time be immune from any possible fluctuation of the world economy. 

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Guests, 

In developing this new model of economic development, reflecting the new Asian Realism, we must rely on our own strengths and potential rather than remaining dependent on external factors. Such externalities are highly elusive and beyond our control. 


We must turn our weaknesses into strength by combining and complementing our strong points. We must identify our indigenous assets and resources with clarity in order to transform them into wealth and prosperity for our peoples. We must fortify our domestic economy in order to be able to engage with the international economy in a position of strength. 

Such thinking is also behind the concept of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, or ACD, which Thailand had the honor of hosting the successful inaugural ministerial meeting last June. Characterized by positive thinking, the ACD is an open, evolving and incremental process based upon the comfort level of all participants. The ACD's strength is to build upon the multiple layers of partnerships by filling in the "missing linkages" of cooperative endeavors among the sub-regional groupings in Asia. ACD seeks to enhance Asia's competitiveness, open up business opportunities and make us a stronger trading and investment partner with other regions. The world stands to benefit as Asia becomes stronger. Since June, the ACD has made steady progress in two dimensions comprising cooperation on a wide range of projects and a dialogue on issues of common concern to us in Asia. 

In order for the ACD to maintain its dynamism, it will require the active participation not only of our governments but also our business community, academicians, non-governmental organizations, politicians, and peoples from all walks of life. This International Conference of Asian Political Parties is another important component of the framework of cooperation that is essentially needed in Asia. 

Excellencies, 

Distinguished Guests, 

Asia is a continent of rich diversity, resources, and abundance in virtually every dimension. We have seen days of great glory and prosperity, which have been almost forgotten in the light of recent developments. Sadly enough, we have also allowed a significant portion of our peoples to be mired in poverty despite our vast potential and capacities. 

As political parties, we owe to the people our fulfillment of social contract, our commitment to bring them better economic and social environment, and to ensure them prosperous future for the generations of their children. As Asian political parties, we owe to our people the full recovery of this glorified continent, the restoration of this continent to its rightful place in the international community, and the enrichment of this continent to strengthen the world at large. 

In declaring open the Second International Conference of Asian Political Parties, I have the full conviction that this meeting will rise to this occasion. 

The time is now for each and every one of us to act both in concert and individually to bear lasting fruits for Asia and its people. 

Thank you very much.