Former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij, who resigned from the Democrat Party on Wednesday, admitted Thursday night that he is in the process of forming a new political party.

He said the party, which has yet to be named, will be a springboard for him to push for changes.

Speaking on Nation TV, Korn said he has been engaged in talks with a wide range of people who share his passion in doing the country a service through politics.

He said the country needs people with knowledge and capability to prepare Thailand to cope with changes.   “We don’t have enough people in the political system who are knowledgeable enough to keep up with changes,” he said.

Joining him in the new party will be Atthawit Suwanpakdi, a former Bangkok MP who also resigned from the Democrat Party on Thursday.

“I have a lot of things that I want to do but time is limited,” he said when asked for the reason why he quitted the Democrat Party.

He said there would be more flexibility for him if he is not attached to the Democrat Party but declined to say what obstacles he faced in the party.

Korn refused to openly discuss what drove him to turn his back on the party. “I can say that I owe what I have today politically to the opportunity provided by the Democrat Party,” he said.

Korn denied having conflicts with Democrat leader Jurin Laksanavisith but admitted they had “different styles of working.”

It’s widely known that Korn’s role in the party has been largely reduced after Jurin took over the rein last May after winning a leadership election in which Korn also unsuccessfully contested.