Phumtham says Thai Rak Thai spirit was never destroyed since 2006 coup

In a Facebook post on Friday, he described September 19, 2006, as a deep wound in Thai political history — a day that not only toppled a government elected with overwhelming support but also shattered the dreams and future of millions.

Phumtham argued that the Thai Rak Thai administration under former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had already proven that democracy could change lives, citing universal healthcare, education opportunities for millions of children, and economic programmes that gave farmers and workers access to credit and markets. 

These, he said, were more than policies — they lifted people’s quality of life.

The coup, however, halted everything, using legal reinterpretations to destroy the party’s leadership and personnel. Hopes were snatched away, society’s learning power was stifled, and the nation was dragged backwards, leaving scars that still linger in distorted constitutions and rules suppressing the future of Thais nearly two decades later.

Still, he insisted, the Thai Rak Thai spirit endures. Pheu Thai continues to stand firmly on the democratic path, believing in “tangible democracy” — one that transforms constitutional words into everyday reality:

• Economic democracy that ensures equal opportunity
• Welfare democracy that makes healthcare, education, and housing basic rights
• Information democracy that guarantees transparency and real accountability of state power
• Local democracy that lets communities determine the future of their hometowns
• Educational democracy that provides lifelong learning rights, leaving no one behind

“Thai Rak Thai may have been toppled by a coup, but the people’s power and democratic ideals can never be destroyed. Today, Pheu Thai continues to fight for the future of Thai democracy,” Phumtham concluded.