Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s party, the reincarnation of the Move Forward party, announced today that its mission is to form a “government of changes” in 2027, by winning an overall majority in the general election.
Natthaphong was chosen as leader of the People’s party at a meeting of former Move Forward MPs and core party members last night. A 5-member executive committee was also selected. All remaining 143 former Move Forward MPs have joined the new party, despite an earlier report that one of them may not.
The new party leader said that they will continue attempts to amend the lèse majesté law, claiming that the Constitutional Court does not bar the party from doing so. He stressed, however, that the party will be more cautious in its approach.
He explained that amending the law was one of more than 300 policies announced by the Move Forward party. On reflection, he said, the party’s efforts, from Future Forward to Move Forward, in proposing more than 60 draft bills to parliament, be they related to decentralisation of powers, labour protection or land rights, were intended to address the country’s most pressing problems.
The young party leader said that they would, however, be open to talks with other parties for cabinet seats, but without compromising the party’s ideology or the public interest.
He said that the party’s first priority is to open applications for party memberships, aiming at attracting an initial 100,000 members and, eventually, 10 million, adding that they will launch the membership and fund-raising campaign tomorrow.
He explained that they chose the name “People’s” [sic] for the new party because they want the party to become the party of the people and for the people and because they believe in the democratic system. The party logo is an inverted triangle.
The party’s five executive committee members are Natthaphong, Sarayuth Jailak, the secretary-general, Nutthawut Buaprathum, the party registrar, Chutima Kotchapan, the treasury official and Phicharn Chaowapatanawong.
