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Published on December 21, 2007

Leading business people desperately want an honest government, according to a Thai Chamber of Commerce survey released yesterday.

Business leaders across the Kingdom want a government that offers honesty above populist policies, said Thai Chamber of Commerce president Boonchai Chokwatana.

"There has not been a single government that the people have been able to trust completely. Dishonesty makes people uneasy,"' he said.

The survey, titled "What sort of new government you want to see and what qualities do you want the PM to have", was conducted on participants at seminar at the Thai Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

Asked what quality they would most like to see in the new government, 31 per cent of the respondents wanted an honest government, 26 per cent wanted a decisive one, while 24 per cent wanted a government that understood the business sector.

Asked about which quality they most wanted to see in the next prime minister, 28 per cent said they were looking for an honest prime minister, followed by 23 per cent wanted one who understood the business sector.

"People are well aware that if we vote for dishonest political parties to run the country, they will end up being the losers and the country will have no future. How can we let our country suffer like this? If we want a good government, we must uphold politicians who have integrity," he said.

Boonchai said whichever party took over would have to immediately tackle the two most pressing problems - the depressed economy and rising oil prices. As for problems to be solved in the long term, the most important are education and labour skills. "If we have an honest and decisive government with strong leadership skills, the country's economy will definitely recover within three to six months," he said.

 The Nation