Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai party leader, has vowed to rejuvenate the party through a major internal overhaul, to enable its party members to exploit their full capabilities and to welcome newcomers of all ages to re-establish itself as a party that delivers hope to the people.
She dismissed the negative remarks by some critics, claiming that the Pheu Thai party is going extinct, noting that the party could have disappeared a long time ago, after its predecessors, Thai Rak Thai and Palang Prachachon, were dissolved by the Constitutional Court and all its executive committee members were banned from politics for ten years, with its two prime ministers, Thaksin and Yingluck being toppled by military coups.
Yet, the party has managed to survive, albeit under new names, and has grown stronger after each political crisis, said Paetongtarn, as she summed up the party’s main changes on October 7.
She said there will be an office for parliamentary affairs, which will coordinate all its MPs and parliamentary committees, an office in charge of research and study, the office of the party secretary-general, which will spearhead the overall management of the party, and an office in charge of strategic communications.
After about two years in office during her administration, the former prime minister said that she has realised the shortcomings of the government bureaucracy which, she stressed, needs to be overhauled, with the possibility of private experts and specialists being brought in to help the bureaucrats.
She also complained that the Pheu Thai party and its predecessors have been subjected to unfair treatment and political persecution, which saw its several prime ministers, including herself, unseated and the party forced into opposition.
The party held a major event yesterday to unveil its 185 potential election candidates and the appointment of Suriya Juangroongruangkit as the election director, in preparation for the next general election about four months from now.
