Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked the public and parliament to have faith that the government, under his leadership, will perform its duties to its best ability for the people and with honesty and transparency, while maintaining the rule of law and financial discipline.

In his address at the end of the two days of debate on the government’s policy statement, the Prime Minister said that it had been his first opportunity to get to know the legislators, even though some might not like him.

He said that mutual respect is important and he offered an apology for his emotional outbursts during the debate while stressing that, from now on, there will be no time for bickering.

Referring to the Opposition’s observation that the government’s policy did not mention the source of the funding required to implement its policies, the Prime Minister explained that funding would come from the national budget and loans, with the Finance Ministry, the Budget Bureau and the National Economic and Social Development Board working jointly to set the budget needed.

He thanked MPs for their constructive comments, which he promised to take into consideration.

For the next step, he said the government will hold a meeting next month of all relevant agencies for a briefing on the government’s policies, so that they can be translated into action.

In a closing speech, Parliament President Chuan Leekpai said he sympathized with those MPs who did not get the opportunity to join the debate, adding that the parties must manage their allotted time carefully, otherwise the last speakers on the list miss the chance to make their contribution to debates.

He then thanked the Prime Minister, the government and members of parliament for their cooperation.

The 34 hours of debate ended at 3.33am today (Saturday).