About 120 members of the Future Forward party, including 30 former election candidates, resigned en masse today (Monday), accusing the party leadership of breaking promises.
The group showed up at the Office of the Election Commission this morning to submit their resignation letters to officials.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr. Nipon Chamchamrat, a former candidate from Chon Buri province, said that they had not made any new demands of the party, but merely wanted the party leadership to keep their existing promises.
He claimed the party today is different from the party prior to the March 24th general election and the group no longer shares the party’s political ideology.
Nipon, however, did not elaborate on the allegedly broken promises.
Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, however, shrugged off the group’s resignation, saying that the move will have no impact on the party because it has about 60,000 members. He added that any member has the right to quit if they are not happy with the party.
The firebrand admitted that the party, which is only 18 months old, was legally registered last October and, therefore, had only two months to screen the candidates for the general election “but situation and time have revealed who stands with the party, who shares the same ideology with the party,” said Thanathorn.
“What I am pleased about is that there are still many people who continue to come to us to apply for membership” said the Future Forward party leader, as he maintained that the resignations should not be blown out of proportion.
He asked for fairness and justice for the party. “I ask society a straightforward question. Is it a cardinal sin for us to set up a party calling for change in the parliamentary system, to demand democracy, equality, rights, liberties and human rights? Please consider my question seriously.”
