Page 71 - PAAT_Journal_V1-2019

PAAT Journal Vol. 1, No. 1, (June 2019)

industries failed to cope with the changes had to pay high prices including enormous debts

and bankruptcy. Disadvantages or weaknesses of the Thai government in the 1990s were
another reason for the shift from conventional public management to the new public

management. Deterioration of the government system had become rotten. When combines
with a lack of good governance, the entire public service system became non-competitive and

hindrance to the national social and economic development.
The original intention of the NPM in Thailand was therefore to strive for excellent

efficiency of the government services. The idea was to deploy similar concepts and practices
adopted by the private industry which was proven to be highly competitive. These included
focuses on results, professional conducts, cost-effectiveness, lean and mean organizations,

participation of the private sector in working with the public sector, more liberalized market
competition, and inclusions of ethical and moral principles. The main principle is to ensure

high quality, efficiency and effectiveness to the serviced provided to the society and the
public. Under the Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration, the Government Administration Act

(No. 5) B.E. 2545 was promulgated in 2002 (Royal Gazette, 2002:15). The Act was intended to
focus on 5 main service principles; (1) quality service to the public, (2) decentralization

administration from the central to provincial units and more administration freedom for state
agencies, (3) implementation of performance management including the use of key
performance indicators (KPIs) and bonuses to reward good performance at all levels of the

public system, (4) creation of system supports for all public service units including personnel-
related such as training, compensation and moral support, and technological supports to

ensure achievement of the results against the plans, and (5) generation of thoughts on
competition, between and among public sector and against the private industry. The Act also

provided the establishment of the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission
(OPDC) in charge of continuously improvement of the government system.

A Royal Decree on criteria and procedures of good governance was officiated a year
later in 2003 (Royal Decree, 2003:16). All the public service units were instructed to strictly
adhere to the following principles.

1. Maximum benefits to the public.
2. Effective results to the government.

3. Efficiency and worthiness to the government work processes.
4. No unnecessary work.

5. Updated government missions I response to the changing environment.

่
63 สมาคมรัฐประศาสนศาสตร์แหงประเทศไทย