The rule of law means that all men and women are equal in the eyes of the law. Justice is available to all. No matter how rich and powerful you are, or how poor, the law will protect or punish you equally. There is one law for all.

For me this is the most important challenge our society faces today. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that the rule of law hardly exists in our country today, and without it democracy - this system of political organisation we are trying to make work - cannot possibly function properly.

If there is no justice, there can be no equality and certainly no democracy.

Some people will say that during the five years of the previous administration we had a functioning democracy. Citizens voted at general elections and the party with the most votes formed the administration of our country. That sounds like democracy, doesn't it?

But at the same time the rule of law came under fierce attack from the powerful, the rich and their cronies. Corruption washed through our government. Even the new independent institutions created by the "People's Constitution" of 1997 as a system of checks and balances to ensure good and transparent government were overwhelmed and failed to stem this tidal wave of greed.

Even Thaksin accepted that this was the case when he told Time magazine's readers around the world a few months ago that "corruption in Thailand won't go away, it's in the system".

What shameful words for any ex-prime minister of our country to say, especially one who had promised to wage a war against corruption.

I would like to ask you this: Do we want to allow those people with ill intentions to steal our nation's wealth day by day? I don't think we do.

I believe we all understand that corruption always favours the richer and more powerful. I believe we all understand that if we want a better life for all the citizens of our beloved nation, then we must eradicate this cancer called corruption by every means possible, but especially by strengthening the rule of law. Only by taking this path can democracy flourish and deliver its promised benefits and equal opportunities for all our citizens.

So this is the path I have chosen for myself, as your interim prime minister, and for my administration during this one-year transition period towards a free and fair general election by the end of this year. To attack corruption in all its forms and strengthen the rule of law in our land.

My battle plan consists of four strategies:

The first I announced soon after my appointment as your interim prime minister: the four operating principles of your Council of Ministers. In everything we do, transparency, justice, efficiency and the economical and sustainable utilisation of resources are the standards by which we judge our actions and our decisions.

In other words, although we may be old and slow, we put honesty and public service above all else.

The second strategy involves deterrence. If nobody is ever punished for committing corrupt acts or abuse of power, there is little reason for people to stop their wrongdoing. People need to realise that breaking the law carries the risk of punishment.

At least 13 major corruption allegations have been launched and each is being investigated thoroughly according to the due process of law. This is time consuming work but I have resisted calls to short circuit the investigative and judicial processes by using executive decrees because I believe that the law must be seen to work if it is to be credible.

To date, one case involving alleged tax avoidance from the sale of Shin Corp to Temasek has already entered the stage of criminal prosecution.

A second case involves the purchase of the plot of land at Ratchadaphisek Road from the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF). This case has been recommended for criminal prosecution.

A third case involves the purchase of the CTX 9000 scanners and the airport link project for Suvarnabhumi Airport. The Assets Examination Committee has endorsed charges of malfeasance.

I expect more of the cases currently under investigation to proceed to the prosecution stage. But I wish to emphasise that everything will be done strictly according to the due process of law. All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in the courts.

My fellow citizens, in all honesty I must tell you that this is as painful a process for me to oversee, as it is, I expect, for many of you to witness. A large number of you placed great trust and hope in the leaders of the previous administration, who you elected to the highest public offices. Only the courts can decide if these people have violated your trust for their own personal gain.

My third strategy to combat corruption involves a comprehensive review of all laws relating to corruption with a view to closing loopholes and promulgating new laws where necessary. This process is ongoing.

As you can imagine, any major initiative to reform the administration of justice in our country, to make sure it works, to make sure justice is available to every citizen, equally, must include reform of the Royal Thai Police.

This is the 4th component of my battle plan to make our country a more just society that our children can inherit with pride.

On November 13, 2006 I set up a Committee on Police Reform and invited several well-known "honest cops" to be members. This committee will constitute the most far-reaching reform of our national police force ever contemplated. They include decentralisation, an independent public oversight committee, amended laws and regulations, enhanced public participation in police work and improving the skill development and welfare, especially of non-commissioned policemen.

I have talked at some length this evening about two closely related challenges facing our country today, challenges which are the most important in my mind, challenges which require each and every citizen to make real choices.

The first is the individual citizens' responsibility to participate fully, peacefully and in an informed manner in the political life of our country. This is one of the duties of citizenship in a real democracy.

Each one of us has an equal voice, one vote each. We should choose to make up our own minds, not to blindly follow others. We should choose to look for good and honest men and women who we might support to become our elected representatives and leaders following the general election at the end of this year.

We as a nation will not achieve good and honest government if we allow corruption and disregard for the rule of law to continue.

If individuals seek political power to become rich through abuse of power and corrupt activities, this makes a nonsense of the idea of good government.

This is the second great challenge facing our beloved nation, not just in the coming months but also for the foreseeable future. Each of us must choose to say no to corruption, not just in politics but in every part of our lives. Each of us must choose to respect the rule of law as the very foundation of our society.

If we cannot achieve good and honest government we will never solve the single-most important goal of any government of our country, which must be to close the gap between the rich and the poor - in a way that is affordable for the country and sustainable over the long term, thus empowering our most disadvantaged citizens. Economists call it "income inequality". It reflects the great disparity of wealth in our country and it is the reason that our country is divided politically. So, in my opinion, whatever the political party make-up of our next government, that government will have to make a rapid and radical reduction in income inequality its top priority.

In this regard I wish to conclude my speech about the decision made 11 days ago by the Constitutional Tribunal, which comprised nine of our country's most senior judges.

For breaking the law, the Thai Rak Thai Party has been dissolved and the members of its Executive Committee banned from political life for five years. This is the price we must pay if we are to respect the rule of law. I ask all my fellow citizens to accept the Tribunal's judgement, which is final.

A political party should be about ideas, not people. In its short history the Thai Rak Thai Party has reshaped the political life of our country. Some of its major policies will become permanent features of our society, for example, universal access to affordable healthcare.

For these good policies we should thank the Thai Rak Thai Party, even as we accept the Constitution Tribunal's verdict to dissolve the party for serious wrongdoing.

To those of you, my fellow citizens, who have been supporters of the Thai Rak Thai Party, I want you to know that your voices have been heard, your grievances put at the top of the nation's agenda, and in the next general election I am sure you will find candidates to support, from whichever political party, who will continue to work for the improvement of your lives.