By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PIYABUTR SAENGKANOKKUL today (Jan.22) encouraged the people to cast so many votes for the People’s that the reformist party will emerge as the largest elected one and can eventually set up a government of their own after the Feb.8 election, regardless of the powers-that-be who may only look to endorse less-elected camps.
The former secretary-general of the court-dissolved Future Forward called on prospective voters in Loie and elsewhere throughout the country to vote the People’s in both party-listed and constituency-based modes of the nationwide election so overwhelmingly that the reformist camp could come out as the largest elected one and deserve the first opportunity to set up a post-election government no matter if the unnamed powers-that-be would quietly plan to have a second or third largest elected camp steal it away.
Piyabutr reassured that a vast majority of pro-People’s voters can overwhelmingly outdo the powers-that-be and suggested that they be no longer contented with the unlikely phenomenon which occurred after the 2019 and 2023 elections to the extent that the largest elected parties, namely the Pheu Thai and the Move Forward respectively, were not given the due chance to set up a post-election government but were finally forced to leave it to the less-elected ones.
That referred to the 2019 election after which the Pheu Thai surrendered to the military-installed Palang Pracharath though the former had had more MPs than the latter, resulting in the retention of power by coup junta leader-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the 2023 election after which the Move Forward failed to get yea votes from coup junta-appointed senators for the naming of Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister followed by the dissolution of the reformist camp at the order of the coup junta-appointed Constitutional Court, leaving the chance of setting up the post-election government to the Pheu Thai under de facto party boss Thaksin Shinawatra.
Piyabutr recommended that the People’s should get some 50 MP seats more than the second largest elected party in the Feb.8 election to render the likelihood of the setup of a government by the reformist camp in lieu of any others where the unidentified powers-that-be may covertly endorse, according to the Progressive Movement secretary-general who was on an electoral campaign trail on behalf of the People’s.
“In the 2023 election, we got 14.4 million votes and 151 MPs but they did not only deny us the opportunity to set up a government but had our party dissolved. In the Feb.8 election, let’s vote the People’s so overwhelmingly, let’s have 200-plus or as many as 250 MPs of our own with some 20 million-plus votes nationwide so that nobody can stand in our way to set up the People’s government anymore,” Piyabutr told a cheering crowd in the northeastern province.
That compared to the previous election in which the People’s came out as the largest elected camp but with only 10 MP seats more than Thaksin’s camp – the numerical differential viewed by Piyabutr as not superior enough to come out as core of a post-election government.
Nevertheless, largely speculated to come out as the largest elected camp are either the Bhumjaithai, currently core of the caretaker government under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, or the People’s.
CAPTION:
Former Future Forward secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul canvassing for People’s in Loei. All photos – MNG Online
Also read:
‘Big House’ contestants battle against each other in Chachoengsao
‘Big House’, party-skipping contestants upping the ante to win: Thammasat political scientist
Survey shows Similan Islands coral reefs are in excellent condition
Raid on romance scam den at Muang Thong Thani nets 13 African suspects
