Prawit seeks chance to rebuild democracy, patch political rifts in Thailand

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Prawit pointed out that new electoral rules are created after every coup, yet the coup-makers are always defeated by the pro-democracy camp in subsequent elections.

Prawit was part of the 2014 coup that ousted the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

In the post, he stopped short of mentioning the current charter that was drafted and enacted after the May 22, 2014 coup.

The electoral rules in this charter are seen as designed to help the coup leader, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, stay in power for at least eight years. These rules such as the one-ballot election system and the senators’ power to name a PM after the election. The rule granting senators this power will expire in two years, while the voting system has been changed to people casting two ballots to choose both constituency and party-list MPs.

In the post, second of its type, Prawit said he believes the country is polarised due to the elite, including senior permanent officials, big businessmen and investors.

He said the authoritarians dismiss the idea of politics and try to recoup their investments while in office as they believe the public is incapable of electing good people to run the country.

This attitude, he said, makes the chance of a coup d’etat a constant threat in the country.

However, he said, after entering politics and working closely with politicians, he has realised that politicians work for the people. These people, who are rejected by authoritarians, understand people at the grassroots level and their problems well, he said.

Prawit has been serving as deputy PM since the 2019 general election.

The authoritarian belief that poor people cannot choose a good leader is wrong, he said, adding that his time in politics has taught him that democracy is deeply rooted in the country.

He said he now understands why political parties that support authoritarians are always beaten by pro-democracy parties.

“It seems they have no chance of winning even though they, the pro-authoritarians, created rules and appointed their own men to control the rules that favour their side,” Prawit said.

He added that this proves that the country should always stay on the side of democracy and the voices of the majority should be respected.

However, he said, he also respects the knowledge and capabilities of the elite and they should play a part in Thailand’s development.

“And it is this idea that prompted me to work on ending this polarization,” Prawit said.

The post wrapped up with a promise that the next article will be on how this political polarization can be ended.

Prawit’s aide, Thammanat Prompow, had indicated last month that it may be possible for PPRP to join the same coalition as Pheu Thai.

However, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who leads the Pheu Thai Family Project, dismissed a claim later aired by former politician Chuwit Kamolvisit.

Chuwit said the two parties were working on a secret deal to form a coalition government after the election.

The general election has been tentatively set to be held on May 7.

Previous report:

Prawit seeks ‘chance to end rift between conservatives and liberals’