The previous prime minister’s first public address in Thailand on Thursday evening has drawn strong condemnation from his fervent supporters.
According to Jatuporn Prompan, a former leader of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship ( UDD ) and a key political ally of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, Thaksin, who returned last August after 17 years in self-imposed exile, was accused of acting as though the entire nation had been given to him.
At a conference titled” Vision for Thailand 2024,” which was held on Thursday night in Bangkok, the former prime minister addressed a group of politicians and businessmen.
In fact, Mr Jatuporn continued, Thaksin is one most people should avoid because he had admitted to committing fraud, expressed regret for his wrongdoing, and properly petitioned for a royal pardon.
” The first day he]Thaksin ] returned to Thailand, he asked for a chance to come home to take care of his grandchildren. Has he followed suit? He has n’t even spent a full day in prison since”, said Mr Jatuporn, who once was a key supporter of the Thaksin administration.
There is surveillance video demonstrating that Thaksin disregarded his obligations after receiving the royal reprimand, which reduced his eight-year word to a year, according to Mr. Jatuporn.
If we actually permit a corrupt people to have control over the state? asked Mr Jatuporn.
The former prime minister misled the public by claiming that numerous claims had been brought against him after his sentence was reduced and he was released on parole, according to Mr. Jatuporn.
” That was an attempt to paint himself. How may we possibly tolerate it? Is it morally correct”? asked Mr Jatuporn.
Mr Jatuporn also noted that Thaksin’s noticeable effect on his girl, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is likely to cause more harm to Thai society, considering the harm previously done by Thaksin’s “arrogance”.
” In a world where right and wrong are obscured by thoughts and cronyism, individuals are often misguided, and this will remain, which is the worst kind of evil”, said Mr Jatuporn.
Thaksin exemplifies careless elections, where politicians can always find excuses not to follow their word, according to Mr. Jatuporn, adding that Pheu Thai had broken its election promises to its 10 million citizens in the previous general election.
The former Democrat Party MP Thepthai Senpong claimed that Thaksin’s statement on Thursday evening was nothing more than an abbreviated version of the policy declaration that the Paetongtarn government will soon give in congress.
” Listening to Thaksin’s speech from beginning to end, I found nothing new… the Thai Kitchen to the World and the entertainment complex have been discussed for over 20 years”, said Mr Thepthai.
In regards to the government’s plan to distribute 10,000 baht of online currency to vulnerable groups, which was a concern in the digital budget plan that Thaksin also highlighted in his speech on Thursday, Mr. Thepthai noted that Thaksin may have forgotten his prior strong opposition to the flyer schemes of the previous government.
Based on Thaksin’s comments from Thursday evening, Mr. Thepthai claimed he was certain that he still had faith in the state and that he is still the same old Thaksin with his extreme self-assurance and propensity to enjoy.
Sera Wongmontha, another notable critic of Thaksin, expressed his frustration over when Thailand, its citizens, and the Thai media did really learn from past mistakes in choosing the wrong representatives to assist in parliament.
Given that most people seem to neglect his story of constitutional violations and permit him to direct the state in the name of democracy, he questioned whether Thaksin is really the only person with the demonstrated capacity to lead the nation.
Meanwhile, Senator Nantana Nantavaropas said that she believes Thaksin’s alleged influence over the government should be the subject of an investigation.