Thanathorn warns of political deadlock as 'certain groups' seek to halt democratic progress
Former Future Forward Party leader claims conservative forces are deliberately stalling Thailand's political evolution and warns military reform is essential to prevent future coups
- Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit claims conservative forces are deliberately pushing Thailand towards a political deadlock to preserve the current power structure and halt democratic progress.
- He points to a two-decade pattern of instability, including multiple coups and dissolved political parties, as evidence of intentional efforts to "stop political time."
- Thanathorn warns that without military reform to bring the armed forces under civilian control, the possibility of future coups remains a significant threat to democracy.
- He suggests that a referendum to amend the constitution is a key opportunity to break the deadlock and build a national consensus on how power should be divided.
- To avoid a stalemate, Thanathorn states his party is willing to vote for another prime minister and serve in the opposition.
Former Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has warned that Thailand's political system is being deliberately driven towards deadlock by conservative forces seeking to halt democratic progress and preserve the current power structure.
Speaking at Nation Group's "55 Years of NATION - Breaking Thailand's Deadlock" exclusive talk series on Friday, Thanathorn argued that certain groups are attempting to "stop political time" to maintain existing economic and political arrangements indefinitely.
"If all sides truly believed in democracy, politics wouldn't reach a deadlock," Thanathorn said. "There are attempts by several sides to push towards deadlock. We should see traces of that. This is what concerns me—if no one intended to create deadlock, it wouldn't happen."
Pattern of instability
The People's Party founder highlighted Thailand's two-decade cycle of political instability, noting that since the People's Alliance for Democracy protests began 20 years ago, the country has had nine prime ministers, two military coups, four major protest movements, at least nine dissolved major political parties, and two elections declared invalid.
"I ask whether this kind of society is one we want to pass on to the next generation," Thanathorn said. "The crucial point today is that we don't have a shared agreement on how Thai society should divide power—how much authority the executive branch should have."
He attributed the political crisis to the lack of consensus on constitutional arrangements, evidenced by Thailand having had three constitutions in 20 years.
"If we can't solve this problem, don't talk about fixing the economy, because solving economic issues without addressing political problems is impossible," he stated.
Military reform warning
Thanathorn delivered a stark warning about the possibility of future military coups, arguing that without serious military reform, Thailand cannot close the door on military intervention.
"As long as we haven't reformed the military, we cannot shut the door on coups at all," he said. "The possibility of coups can always occur. Who would have thought that after the 1991 coup, there would be two more coups?"
He emphasised that military reform must address two aspects simultaneously: ensuring the armed forces have combat readiness to defend the country at all times, and placing them firmly under civilian government control.
Budget allocation concerns
Discussing his party's role in Parliament, Thanathorn criticised the current budget allocation system, claiming it remains virtually unchanged across successive governments from General Prayuth Chan-ocha to Srettha Thavisin to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
"We need to make budget allocation align with the people and help move Thailand forward," he said, arguing that the current system cannot enable Thailand to compete globally, particularly in adapting to artificial intelligence and international regulations.
If given the opportunity to govern, Thanathorn said his administration would restructure the budget, increase human security, reduce unnecessary expenditure, and build the country's competitive capabilities.
Constitutional reform opportunity
Thanathorn welcomed recent amendments to the referendum law that could pave the way for constitutional reform, suggesting that the next election could include a referendum question on whether the public supports amending the 2017 constitution.
"Let's do a referendum together, with participation from all sectors, like during the 1997 constitution campaign using green flags, where all sides came out to campaign together," he said.
He stressed that addressing political corruption requires equal enforcement of laws across all social classes and restoration of the justice system to return the country to normalcy.
Future political alliances
When asked about potential coalition arrangements with other parties, Thanathorn said any decision would depend on two key factors: election results and acceptance of the People's Party's campaign policies as main government policies.
Regarding the current government's stability, he reiterated his party's position that it would be willing to vote for someone else as prime minister and move to the opposition if necessary.
"Don't let it reach deadlock," Thanathorn urged. "The People's Party leader has announced there's a way out. We're ready to vote for someone else to be prime minister and step back to be the opposition."
The opposition leader concluded by expressing confidence that the People's Party could exceed 250 seats in the next election, while acknowledging the different dynamics between national and local elections, where policy, individuals, and momentum play varying roles in determining outcomes.
