Speaking at a press conference launching the Future Forward Party, key founder Thanathorn said the economy reflected a semi-monopolistic form of capitalism because of “many undesirable conditions” in society.

“I want to break those things ,” he said.

He added that he wanted to create an economic system that allowed people who want to create their own businesses to enter the market easier.

“They [should] need not pay economic rents or ask for multiple permissions from many government agencies ,” Thanathorn said.

He also criticised the four-year rule of the junta as “the greatest loss” of economic opportunities.

“We also will not accept an outsider prime minister. We will not join in that process,” Thanathorn said at the press conference launching the party.

He was referring to a mechanism, stipulated in the junta-written 2017 charter, which allows the Upper and Lower houses to jointly select a prime minister who is not elected or listed as a party candidate for the position.

The mechanism is seen by critics as paving the way for incumbent powers, most probably the ruling junta, to continue its term of power, similar to how Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda previously extended his premiership.

Founded by 26 local activists, academic and social campaigners, the new party’s stated intention is to build an inclusive society in which people’s voices will be heard and the “old faith in non-democratic power should end”, Thanathorn said.

The founders of the new party include the former director of Amnesty Thailand Chamnan Chanruang, education academic Kunthida Rungruengkiat, disabilities rights activist Nalatporn Krairerk and print labour union president Surin Khamsuk.

Due to the restrictions set by the junta’s ban against political gatherings of five or more people, Thanathorn and Piyabutr were unable to declare Future Forward’s policies or strategies ahead of the next general election, which the junta has promised will occur in February of next year, after multiple postponements.

However, they promised the party would be an alternative after “a decade-long political crisis and loss of opportunities, with the illegitimate use of power and unfair laws”, they said.

The press conference was held despite threats from the ruling junta that it could break the ban on political activities.

Thanathorn wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that the event would not break the prohibition because it was merely “discussion and coffee drinking”, while adding that the junta should soon lift the ban to allow all parties to engage more with the public.

AMID SKYROCKETING popularity, tycoon Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is pushing forward with his plan to launch a brand-new, “young blood” political party, despite threats from the ruling junta.

The 39-year-old billionaire will introduce the party in the company of 25 founding members today at a press conference, which he has referred to as “drinking coffee with Thanathorn and friends”, before going to the office of the Election Commission to submit a request for the party registration.

The party’s name, which will be officially announced today, is reportedly New Citizen Party.

Thanathorn also submitted a letter yesterday to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, notifying them of his resignation from the board of Matichon Group.

The prospective party, which was first mentioned by Thanathorn earlier this month, stands out not only because it is introducing a new generation to politics, but also for its tendencies identified as progressive, judging from the records of its founding members.

Besides law professor Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, who is known for his expertise on constitutional issues and the lese mejeste law, members include activists and campaigners for the rights of social minorities, academics and freelance writers. Most members are in their 20s and 30s.

The group has drawn attention not only from the public but also the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which earlier warned Thanathorn not to “cross the line”.Winthai Suvaree

Yesterday, NCPO spokesperson Colonel Winthai Suvaree said Thanathorn’s press conference might risk breaking the NCPO’s ban against political gatherings of five or more people.

“If the event happens as Thanathorn announced it would, it could be deemed wrongdoing. Responsible officers will have to evaluate and consider taking action,” Winthai said.

Another NCPO source said junta leader Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had not focused on the party’s debut.

“[Prayut] does not take it seriously, only saying that they should do it appropriately and it should not be ‘too much’,” the source said.

Thanathorn responded that the event would not break the junta’s ban because it was not meant as political campaigning or an announcement of party policies.

In a Facebook post, he said the event would be held simply to explain the party’s registration request, discuss on the country’s future and answer questions asked of his group.

“I urge the government and the NCPO to create an environment that supports people exercising their rights and freedom creatively, as well as to hold the election by their schedule,” he said.

“For a dignified election, I call on them to allow me and other parties to exercise our rights and freedoms to perform political activities on a normal basis, which should bring about creative discussions of our future and policy plans, enabling a quality election and politically educated people,” he said.

“These factors all contribute to a strong democracy.”

Regardless of the junta’s threats, Thanathorn yesterday did not make any changes to his plans, aside from omitting the phrase “attitude adjustment”, which was seen as mocking the ruling junta’s detention of critics, from the name of the event in a Facebook post.

Imposed shortly after the 2014 coup, a junta ban has frozen political parties from taking collective action, even after the political party bill was enacted last October.

To “facilitate” parties’ actions, the NCPO issued an order in December giving more leeway for new parties to get ready for the election, which has been promised for February of next year after multiple delays.

The order also required that prospective parties request registration starting on March 1, with more than 40 parties having already done so.

With many parties having a clear platform to support Prayut, or at least his agenda, many hope Thanathorn’s party will be a new alternative, including to the major, powerhouse parties that have been involved Thailand’s prolonged political crisis.

Thararat Panya (courtesy of Thararat’s Facebook account)

Thararat Panya, a 22-year-old feminist campaigner and party cofounder, told The Nation that she wanted to form a party that opened opportunities for the younger generation to create a culture of civic participation.

“We have lost faith in Thai politics after our voices were ignored,” Thararat said. “This significantly has led to false solutions to problems as our opinions were not heard and only the powers-that-be had a say.”

Once a sexual harassment victim at her university and eventually a successful campaigner advocating punishment of wrongdoers, Thararat said gender-based agendas should also be developed in the political arena.

“Those agendas have been given less attention, although they are actually political,” she said. “I wish to raise more social awareness about feminism, gender equality and sexual harassment, emphasising how they need to be given attention.”

NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE Assembly (NLA) vice president Surachai Liengboonlertchai has expressed concern that the next election might be delayed if the MP election bill was referred to the Constitutional Court.

His concerns were similar to those expressed by NLA president, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, on Tuesday. However, no reasons were given for either of their evaluations.

The NLA has approved the two bills regarding the election of MPs and selection of senators, which were amended by the joint law review committee last week. However, the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) has stated that some content in the bill was still contentious.

CDC chief Meechai Ruchupan has proposed that the NLA revisit the content of the bills and, if possible, petition the Constitutional Court for a ruling on the issue, on the grounds that he feared the bills might cause a new political conflict in the future.

Surachai yesterday said without elaborating that the legal interpretation by the court would affect the election road map.

The government’s legal adviser, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, said any legal interpretation and ruling by the court would delay promulgation of the bills to some extent, but he believed that would not affect the road map as feared.

He added that a problem might arise in the implementation of the laws, echoing Meechai’s concern.

The NLA will hold a meeting to consider the issue today.

Meanwhile, Democrat deputy leader Nipit Intarasombat posted on Facebook his doubts regarding the issue, including questioning why concerned lawmakers had just realised that the bills they had endorsed would entail problems.

Nipit asked whether there was a conspiracy going on as the NLA should have had confidence in the

bills that it had approved and should not be easily swayed by the CDC chief’s opinion, while the CDC should have known in the beginning what went wrong with the bills.

The court, he said, would take time considering the issue, but no one could be sure how long it would take. If the bills were ruled unconstitutional, the legal enactment process for the two bills would have to begin again from their very initial stages, which could result in another unspecified delay.

Nipit concluded that the election, which was recently announced for February next year after repeated delays, would not take place.

CAN YOU TELL US BRIEFLY ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?

I hail from Bangkok’s Taling Chan district. I am a farmer, a stock grower. As I helped my family with the work, I also got to go to school and managed to graduate from the Faculty of Law and Masters of Political Science from Thammasat University. In the 1990s, when I was about 40 years old, I ran for election as a member of the Palang Dharm Party led by Maj-General Chamlong Srimuang, but lost. So I changed course and developed the Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market. I developed this community and improved it.

WHY ARE YOU RETURNING TO POLITICS?

The country has undergone some changes in the past four years under the rule of the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO]. The new Constitution has already been promulgated and the election is going to be held soon. So, I discussed that with friends and old colleagues. These are experienced people who have been senators and members of the House of Representatives.

We have been in politics. We thought we should come back in a new form to try to prevent the country from going back to the old vicious cycle of chaos and violence. We cannot wait anymore.

WHO ARE THE CORE LEADERS IN THE PALANG PRACHA RATH GROUP?

We now have 18 members gathered to register with the Election Commission. We’re just ordinary people. If we have high-profile people, they may have some issues and may not pass the initial qualifications. We’ll see after the registration is completed who else we have in the party.

ARE YOU AWARE THAT THE NAME OF YOUR PARTY IS IDENTICAL TO THE GOVERNMENT’S GRAND SCHEME LAUNCHED LAST YEAR? 

Yes. But Pracha Rath is not a new word or concept. We thought hard about this. We think the name represents that the people and the state must join forces. Both are equally important in bringing about new politics.

It is the same with government policy. That is great so voters can be familiar with the name.

PEOPLE SAY YOURS IS A MILITARY PARTY. WILL THERE BE MANY MILITARY OFFICERS OR FORMER SOLDIERS IN THE PARTY?

People can say what they wish, but I want to say that so far there are no military officers joining us. We have only applied for registration. We do not have any soldiers. We don’t want to invite anyone now because they may not be sure yet.

Being a soldier is just another occupation. We don’t discriminate against them. They stage coups and are dictatorial? We cannot make such an inference. It’s not fair to them. People can be dictators regardless of their occupations. There is nothing bad about being in the military that we have to repulse them. They are not murderers. They can be in politics if people accept them.

However, we are more focused at the moment on the registration of the party name. We hope it passes and we can go on to the other steps.

HAVE YOU APPROACHED ANYONE TO JOIN YOUR PARTY?

Once the registration is done, we welcome everyone. I don’t want to invite anyone. I’ll let them decide. Not only General Prayut [Chan-o-cha], but everyone.

WILL THIS PARTY SUPPORT GENERAL PRAYUT IN THE NEXT ELECTION?

I don’t want to answer this question. PM Prayut has not yet responded to any invitation. It is up to him. But we have to discuss the matter in the party. Maybe some members don’t like that. So, it is the best that we wait for his response. Maybe he’ll decide to join some other party.

But I want to emphasise hate speech. Some people say we support dictatorship. This is an accusation. Is Prayut that bad? I don’t think so. We have to stop this hate speech or good people will not dare to enter politics.

HOW WILL YOU POSITION PRAYUT IN THE PARTY?

I don’t want to talk about that. He has neither accepted nor rejected the invitation. We will let him decide. And I don’t want anyone to take this issue seriously.

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN PRAYUT THAT MAKES YOU WANT HIM IN THE PARTY?

We see his work. He has done so much, so many initiatives, the reforms. It may not be perfect but he still does a lot. Most importantly, I’m happy he has stopped the violence in the past four years.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF LOSING THE VOTES OF PEOPLE WHO DISLIKE PRAYUT?

It’s okay. It is democracy. If you don’t like him, that’s fine. Just don’t use hate speech. Instead of seeing this as him clinging to power, why don’t you see that he could continue his work.

His expression echoed that of the NLA president, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, who put forward a similar view on Tuesday. However, no reason was given for this belief.

The NLA has affirmed the two bills regarding the election of MPs and selection of senators, which were amended by the joint law review committee last week. However, the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) holds the view that some contents of the affirmed bills are still contentious.

Its chief, Meechai Ruchupan, plans to propose that the NLA revisit the contents of the bills and, if possible, petition the Constitutional Court for a ruling, because he feared that the bills might cause a new political conflict in the future.

Surachai said the NLA has not yet taken the issue into consideration, as it has to wait for the CDC to submit its proposal first. He said the legal intepretation by the court would affect the election road map, without elaborating why.

The government’s legal advisor, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, said any legal interpretation and ruling by the court would delay promulgation of the bills to some extent, but he believed that this would not affect the road map as feared.

He said a problem might arise if the laws were in use – which is also Meechai’s concern.

The NLA will hold a meeting to consider the issue on Thursday.

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in December voted to approve the new national anti-corruption bill, which contained an amendment to allow some of the current anti-graft commissioners with qualifications prohibited under the charter to stay in office.

Some critics thought that this contradicted the spirit of the charter and that, in future, other lawmakers might try to exploit the ruling to use their endorsed authority to write bills that benefit their own interests and damage those of the public.

This prompted 32 NLA members to petition the Constitutional Court to rule whether it was constitutional. Last Friday, the court ruled that the clause in the bill as written was not unconstitutional.

Watcharapol said the country adheres to the rule of law, and as such the ruling should not pose a problem.

With the ruling, Watcharapol said, the NACC commissioners could proceed with their work smoothly, and implement the new law that provides them more clearcut work processes and timeframes.

NACC commissioner Wittaya Akompitak said he felt relieved when he heard about the court ruling. The public would no longer question the commissioners’ qualifications, and they could proceed with their work without any worries.

The ruling, he said, is final, and abides by the charter.

The so-called “young blood” announced his intentions on Facebook on Wednesday.

The billionaire is expected to join forces with Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, an academic from Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law, to set up the party.

Thanathorn, 39, is vice executive chairman of Thai Summit Group, a multi-billion-baht automotive parts maker. He is also the nephew of Suriya Juangroongruangkit, who was transport minister in the Thaksin Shinawatra government.

He is promising “progressive new alternatives”, pledging to fix what is wrong with the politics of the old. However, critics have asked whether Thanathorn has real intentions to serve the country or is just a rich person who wants to become a politician to serve his business interests, as other wealthy business people have done before him.

Social-media fans of Thanathorn have sought suggestions for a name for his new party.

The hashtag #helpThanathornnamehisparty became a top Twitter trend last week. Tweets with the hashtag range from serious and playful name suggestions to pitches for products for sale. There were even messages from foreign Twitter users who have no idea who Thanathorn is.

Chief charter drafter Meechai Ruchuphan suggested that the bills on the election of MPs and Senate selection, approved by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) last week, might contain some points conflicting with the 2017 constitution which, if enacted, could cause further legal complications.

Among those is the way in which future senators would be selected. The NLA changed the stipulation that candidates be independent to allow for a mixture of independents and people proposed by organisations, a point that the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) thought might be deemed unconstitutional.

Agreeing with Meechai, Prayut said that these points should be made clear from the start and the court would finish its job in time for the promised election timeline to proceed.

“The election will be held by next February unless there are uncontrollable factors,” the premier said during his weekly press briefing. “Can I tell the court what to do?”

The election date has been shifted four times since the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) came to power after the military coup in 2014. Most of the delays have been blamed on “legal constraints” from legislative bodies appointed by the NCPO itself.

The election date is now set for February 2019, three months after the date of November this year promised by Prayut last year. The election delay has been caused by the NLA’s decision to delay enforcement of the organic law draft on the election of MPs by three months.

Chartchai Na Chiangmai, a CDC spokesman, said the petition process would not take long and the road map to the election should remain unaffected.

He said Meechai should have already submitted a letter of concern to the NLA regarding the bills and the NLA could lodge the petition with the Constitutional Court next week.

“I think that the court would take no longer than seven to 10 days to rule whether the bills are constitutional. It doesn’t take much time at all. The road map remains just the same,” he said.

Meechai agreed with Chartchai, saying the process would not affect the road map. But if the laws were left unclear, and were in use after the CDC had left office, any legal consequences from then would take the situation back to square one.

NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said he had decided to withdraw the bills he was expected to submit to the government today following the CDC’s proposal. However, it would be up to the NLA members whether they would petition the Constitution Court, and if that was the case, his personal view was that the election of MPs bill would cause a delay in the election.

Meanwhile, Prayut remained reluctant yesterday to say whether he would join or advise any political party, as speculation continued to swirl that the Palang Pracha Rath Party would invite him to be its adviser.

“They haven’t invited me yet. I don’t know how I will decide. There is still time for politics,” he said. “It depends on how people would like their country to be.”

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam also reiterated that Prayut was legally eligible to become a political party member but he said the premier would not be able to stand at the next general election, as the charter required Cabinet members to resign within 90 days of the constitution coming into effect last April.

Chuan Chujan, leader of the group, said he had not yet contacted Prayut or anyone in the government to join his party.

“I don’t want to put pressure on them. So, I don’t think I will invite them to join us. But if they’d like to, they are welcome,” he said.

Palang Pracha Rath group is reportedly a military party formed especially to support Prayut at the next election.

Chuan did not confirm or refute this. He just said that people of any occupation could be in politics.

“I don’t see anything bad about the military institution or General Prayut. If they are good and capable of improving this country, why would we have to repulse them?”