Your Excellency Mr. K Shanmugam, Minister of Foreign Affairs 
and Minister of Law of the Republic of Singapore,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to make my first official visit to the beautiful garden city of Singapore. It has been long overdue since Minister Shanmugam officially visited Thailand over a year ago. On this note, I wish to thank Minister Shanmugam for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements accorded to me and my delegation since our arrival in Singapore last evening. 

I am delighted to have the opportunity to preside over the Opening Ceremony of the 11th CSEP Meeting with Your Excellency. Thailand and Singapore share long-standing and multifaceted relations, dating back to the royal visit of King Chulalongkorn to Singapore in 1872.  The bonds between our peoples are also very close. 

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries in 1965, our relations have grown by leaps and bounds. Our bilateral relations are special in two respects.

First, it is free from any historical baggage, which allows us to sustain and further build on our cooperation without impediments.

Second, it is based on a common vision of looking beyond our bilateral ties by making best use of our bilateral cooperation to support the broader regional interest of an ASEAN Community.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On the occasion of the 11th Coordinating Meeting of the CSEP, I think it is worth mentioning that since the inception of CSEP in 1998, the programme has become an institutional hallmark in the bilateral relations between our two countries by promoting understanding, cooperation and the exchange of best practices between our civil service agencies. 

CSEP is also a forum where Thailand can learn from Singapore’s sterling example of good governance, accountability and responsible citizenship that places the needs of the community before oneself. I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Singapore on the excellent evaluation it has received from the 2012 Corruption Perception Index, which ranked Singapore eighth  among the 178 countries, as a shining example of a clean government.      
 
Over the years, CSEP has maintained its relevance by evolving and adapting to the changing domestic and regional challenges facing Thailand and Singapore. This can be seen at the 8th Coordinating Meeting of CSEP in Bangkok, where the meeting was conducted in a new format under a common theme, a format that has continued until the present. The conduct of the Meeting under a common theme should be encouraged and continued, as I believe that it stimulates cross-cluster interaction and creativity. It also creates awareness among our civil service agencies that in a globalized world, their work is interdependent, interrelated and supportive of one another.

The theme for this year’s Meeting “Good Governance in an Increasingly Complex World” is very timely in view of the increased importance of good governance in the administration and management of the civil service and the discussion between our two Prime Ministers during the official visit to Singapore by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on 8 December 2011.

In the era of globalization and digital communication, it is even more important for governments to adopt good governance by being transparent and accountable to its people and international community.  Good governance is one of the decisive factors in determining a country’s development and economic competitiveness, no matter how big or small a country is. 

The concept of good governance has been widely discussed and debated since it is subject to interpretation by each country depending on its respective social, political and economic contexts. However, I believe that countries have shared characteristics of and common understanding on the defined concept of good governance. Therefore, we can learn from each other’s experiences on this important issue. 

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific defined good governance as “the process of decision – making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented).” Government is one of major actors in governance. Good governance has eight major characteristics; namely, participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized and the views of minorities are taken into account. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society.                           

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Royal Thai Government attaches great importance to promoting and implementing good governance at the national, local and bureaucratic administration, particularly in decision making process of policies that have significant and far reaching implications on society and people at large. 

I am pleased to share with this Meeting the eight principles on good governance as set by the Royal Thai Government as follows: 

First, people are at the centre and heart of good governance. Good governance is about improving the well - being of the people;

Second, adopting a holistic approach in the decision making process and implementation of policies;

Third, the civil service must be transparent and accountable to the people;

Fourth, promoting public participation and inclusiveness from society in the country’s administration;

Fifth, promoting an “open government’ by using technology as a means to reach out and disseminate information to the people;

Sixth, streamlining the public sector in order to reduce redundancy and overlapping of work among civil service agencies;

Seventh, promoting a forward looking civil service and

Lastly, promoting meritocracy in the civil service and society.

In line with these principles, I believe that Thailand can learn from the experiences and best practices of Singapore on good governance. I have identified several areas on good governance which our two countries have in common and can cooperate on. These include the principles on the rule of law, ethics, meritocracy, and inclusiveness as well as the promotion of an open government.     
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thailand and Singapore are natural allies and partners. In view of the domestic and regional challenges facing Thailand and Singapore as we advance towards an ASEAN Community, I am confident that by working together our two countries have the necessary attributes to deal with both present and anticipated future challenges.  The 11th CSEP Meeting, focusing on cooperation on good governance, is another opportunity to move closer to this goal. 

I wish you all a fruitful and successful discussion.

Thank you.