“REPRESENTS THAKSIN”
For many, Paetongtarn does not represent a break with Pheu Thai’s traditional policies even despite the talk of young versus old.
“It doesn’t matter whether she has management or political experience or not, as long as she represents Pheu Thai party, she represents Thaksin,” Chulalongkorn University political analyst Puangthong Pawakapan said.
Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck, Thailand’s first female prime minister, was dogged throughout her rule by perceptions that she was little more than her brother’s stooge and was eventually ousted in 2014.
To avoid a repeat with Paetongtarn, Puangthong said this time the party might use her during the campaign but ultimately push another less controversial candidate as their main choice for leader – most likely Srettha.
The youngest of Thaksin’s three children and educated in Thailand and Britain, Paetongtarn managed the hotel branch of her family’s real estate business before stepping into politics.
Her charisma and astute remarks on the campaign trail have taken by surprise many who had written her off as little more than a political adornment.
Supporter Porn Padklong, 70, who took part in the Red Shirt protests decades ago, said he backed Paetongtarn.
“She is the new generation, but she will have a direct line of communication.”