Madame Dear quits ruling Palang Pracharath Party over parliamentary games

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, she said she chose to resign after the organic law on MP elections lapsed as it failed to meet the 180-day deadline on Monday due to a lack of quorum in Parliament.

The bill would have changed the way party-list MPs are chosen and given small parties a better chance at winning seats. However, opposition leader Pheu Thai claimed this amendment was unfair and dug its heels in, refusing to let Parliament achieve a quorum to vote the bill in.

In her goodbye speech, she thanked Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also the party leader, and other party MPs for their kindness.

She said she joined Palang Pracharath because she wanted to see Thailand overcome conflicts.

“The country’s development has been slow over the past 10 years due to political instability,” she said.

She also said that people now have the authority to determine the country’s political situation, especially since elections are being held in Thailand again.

“Even though the regulations have changed, I still have faith that democracy will finally create equality in society,” Watanya said.

She added that in her three years as MP, she found that many parties used the Parliament to promote their ideology and work towards assisting the public.

However, she said, the lack of quorum in Parliament on Monday also proves that elected MPs cannot fulfil people’s expectations.

"A difference in ideology is common in democracy, and it is a good point as it allows all parties to propose their ideas to seek the best outcome for the country," she said.

"However, I still adhere to the principle of integrity by using the Parliament to find a solution."

She added that she accepted all comments in order to further improve her work.