Thailand Democrats pledge support for populist agenda
Thailand Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said today his Democrat Party was ready to give guarded support to plans by the new Thailand coalition government to resume the populist programmes of the former Thaksin Shinawatra government.
He said he agreed in general that such policies could help improve the economy within six months, but said his party wanted to see details of the programmes first.
Injecting money could stimulate the economy, but whether it would benefit the country on a sustainable basis remains an important issue, said Mr Abhisit, Any populist programmes that advantage the people would receive full support from his party.
Touching on a new Defense Ministry law which prevents the prime minister and the defense minister from making final decisions in reshuffling senior military officers during the annual military reassignments, Mr Abhisit said the military is part of the government mechanism whose duty is to support the government’s policy.
He said if the government could effect its policies without intervening with the military, there should not be a problem.
The Democrats, as the sole opposition party, are to set up shadow ministers to monitor the government’s performance and criticise the administration in a constructive way, said Mr Abhisit.
Shadow ministers may encounter obstacles because there is no law supporting them.
They have no power to persuade government agencies to assist them, but their roles are essential for countries ruling under the parliamentary system, according to Mr Abhisit.
The shadow ministers will speak out about problems which deserve attention from the first day the government presents its policy to parliament, he added. (TNA)
Thailand Democrats pledge support for populist agenda
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