People’s Party leader open to Kla Tham, Democrat joining opposition bloc
Speaking at the Rama Gardens Hotel, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said a 300-vote coalition led by Anutin Charnvirakul could be feasible and stressed that the opposition must keep pressing cases such as Khao Kradong and alleged Senate election collusion, regardless of how many seats it holds.
- People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut stated he sees no obstacle to the Kla Tham and Democrat parties joining the opposition to scrutinize the government.
- He believes that collaborating with other parties on government oversight would not negatively impact the People's Party's image.
- Natthaphong emphasized that the opposition's strength is not determined by its number of votes alone, but by its ability to present facts and debate effectively in parliament.
At the Rama Gardens Hotel, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, commented on reports of a “closed deal” to form an Anutin Charnvirakul government with 300 votes in parliament, without the Kla Tham Party and the Democrat Party.
He said it was possible, stressing that he would have no issue and saw no obstacle if the Kla Tham Party were to take on an opposition role and scrutinise the government intensively and straightforwardly.
He said he believed working together on oversight would not diminish the People’s Party’s image in any way.
Regarding talk of the “red and blue” joining hands, which could cause the Khao Kradong case and the alleged collusion in the Senate election case to go quiet, Natthaphong said that, in the current political context, pushing those cases forward is the opposition’s responsibility because the government cannot be relied upon.
Natthaphong also spoke about the opposition having around 200 votes, saying the strength of the opposition does not depend on numbers alone, but on presenting information, debating in parliament, and stating facts to the public.
He affirmed that the People’s Party would continue to uphold its standards and perform its duties even better than before.
As for the view that the “government-forming formula” remains the same, with only the prime minister changing, Natthaphong said he would rather wait and see how the government works and let the public help decide whether, if the election is not annulled, the government that emerges can truly solve the country’s problems.
However, the People’s Party reiterated its long-standing position that, so long as politics is not changed at its structural roots and source, it will be difficult to get a government that genuinely puts the “people’s voice” first, and real change cannot be achieved, so it will continue to watch going forward.
