27 July 2024

A fissure has erupted in the newly-formed Future Forward party when its executive committee on Wednesday decided to suspend the activities of its Bangkok youth wing, known as the “New Gen Network” for alleged improper budget spending.

The party, however, said that the regional NGN groups would continue to function as normal and answerable directly to the office of the secretary-general of the party until the executive committee has appointed a new committee to oversee the NGN.

The party did not provide details of the alleged improper spending.

A committee member of the Bangkok NGN, Nana Wipapan Wongsawang, said in her Facebook page the accusation of improper budget spending against the group was distorted. She said she felt sorry for the executive committee’s decision and urged its to take a look at itself with a question as to in which direction it would lead the party members.

The party’s spokeswoman Ms Pannikar Wanich said it had assigned its legal and accounting unit to probe the allegations of misusing of budget by the Bangkok NGN and the result of the findings was presented to the executive committee which resolved unanimously to suspend the group’s activities with immediate effect.

She did not provide details about the alleged misspending by the group but maintained that the party could not compromise with any form of corruption.

The NGN is the youth movement set up by the party to woo young voters, especially the first-time voters.