The Future Forward party aims to transform Thailand into a more livable society, where its people are not divided by hate politics, the military is democratic, with a decentralized bureaucracy and no monopolization by big business. This was the central message from Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit as he gave his vision speech at Thammasat University today (Saturday), on the first anniversary of the founding of the party.

Noting that the next battle, to restore the power to the people, will be tougher, and he pleaded for support from the people to push for new ideas in order to put to rest the politics of fear, the politics of yesterday.

“Our Future Forward party’s politics are about hope. They said, if the country is without Khun Loong (Gen Prayut), it will collapse. If anyone talks about fear, we should tell them that, if we are afraid, we will never be able to step forward.  Their politics is about yesterday, but ours is about tomorrow.  Their politics means that we must not mess with their power, but if we don’t mess with it, they will just carry on reaping the benefits,” said Thanathorn.

However, he assured the public that the party is not aggressive and will not seek to turn everything upside down and inside out “but move Thai society forward whereby democracy is not an alternative, but the only path for the country.”

“We must resist politics of hate and introduce politics of love. We must try to persuade the people on the opposite side to have faith in democracy. We cannot dream big and call hundreds of thousands of people onto Rajdamnoen road.  We will work in a new way, walking together on a long journey. If we want victory, we must be prepared to overcome obstacles. To lose once will not demoralize us or change us,” said Thanathorn in his emotional address.

The firebrand Future Forward party leader vowed to shake up local politics by sending candidates to contest, in the initial stage, 10-20 provinces when local elections take place end of this year, in order to put an end to nepotism, with the parents being members of parliament as their children become local administrators.

Thanathorn apologized his supporters for the party’s failure to stop the junta from retaining its grip on power, but insisted that he and his party members were not demoralized.

He also attacked the 2017 Constitution as being at the core of Thailand’s problems.