Pro-junta New Alternative Party will support PM candidate of party with the most seats

By POLITICAL DESK 
THE SUNDAY NATION

 

 

AS THE FIRST NEWLY registered political party to receive the junta’s approval to convene meetings, the New Alternative Party has come under the media spotlight and been closely watched by political observers.

 

With the permission of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), New Alternative held its first general assembly on March 24 at a Bangkok hotel.

 

In an interview with reporters covering the event, party leader Rachen Trakulwiang said New Alternative was not a military party and his party’s MPs would support the candidate of the party that wins the most House seats in the next election to become the next prime minister. 

 

However, he added, if MPs could not agree on the next head of government, his party might support General Prayut Chan-o-cha to return to office when senators join MPs in selecting the new prime minister.

New Alternative aimed to win at least 50 House seats, according to its leader. The party’s slogan is “Dare to think, dare to do, and really do it” with the stated ideology of “Loving the country, religion and the monarchy and doing everything just for the people”.

 

Rachen, 55, said the party had been founded by a group of people who loved the country, religion and the monarchy and who wanted to defend the interests of Thai people as well as maintain faith in a democratic system with the King as head of state.

 

Rachen first came to the public’s attention as president of the Federation of Thai Defenders of the Monarchy. In 2011, he led a campaign against a group seeking to amend the lese majeste law in Article 112 of the Criminal Code. He has also filed complaints with police against several red-shirt leaders accused of insulting the monarchy.

 

In late 2013, Rachen joined anti-government street rallies organised by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), describing himself as a PDRC leader from Nonthaburi, his home province. Rachen also joined monk Phra Buddha Isara, a key PDRC leader, to organise a rally at Government Complex, but later withdrew from the effort.

 

Rachen has subsequently ended his role as a PDRC leader while continuing his role as president of the Federation of Thai Defenders of the Monarchy. He decided to enter politics two years ago and eventually turned the federation into the New Alternative Party.

 

A resident of Bang Kruay district in Nonthaburi, Rachen has several businesses in the province. His wife hails from the South. 

 

“I volunteer to be the driver to steer the New Alternative Party to a great goal to work for the country. It doesn’t matter whether we will be successful or not. What matters is we must do something for the country,” Rachen said.

 

He announced his political intentions on Facebook, which he uses to communicate with party members around the country. He plans to hold Facebook Live broadcasts at 8pm every day to talk about the party’s activities, while the timeline on his Facebook wall shows that he has been visiting several provinces to set up party branches and recruit party members.

 

Those activities are surprising because the NCPO still enforces the ban on political parties, prohibiting them from carrying out political activities. But New Alternative has been actively recruiting party members, prompting opponents of the NCPO to think that the new party has strong connections with the junta.

 

While visiting provinces in every region, Rachen has promoted a policy to grant loans to registered homeowners, which he said would help them easily access government loans, which they would be allowed to repay at their convenience. He added that the project was not a populist policy like the revolving village fund project, but a “Thai-ism” undertaking.

 

He also expressed confidence that the policy would help his party win in the election.

 

After New Alternative’s first party meeting, Rachen told reporters: “Our party is ready in every dimension. We are fully prepared in all positions. We are ready to become the government, but we are not ready to become the opposition.” 

 

His statement was straightforward, although he failed to make it clear that he believed his party had popular backing. New Alternative’s ambitions could trouble another prominent new party, Future Forward, a progressive alternative to traditional parties led by the young business tycoon Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30342704

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-08

 

17 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

““Dare to think, dare to do, and really do it”Loving the country, religion and the monarchy and doing everything just for the people”.

Same old claptrap then!! 

 

"Dare not to think" should be their  motto

Edited April 7, 20188 yr by kannot

19 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Those activities are surprising because the NCPO still enforces the ban on political parties, prohibiting them from carrying out political activities. But New Alternative has been actively recruiting party members, prompting opponents of the NCPO to think that the new party has strong connections with the junta.

"...Those activities are surprising because the NCPO still enforces the ban on political parties,..."

 

Those activities are surprising? To who exactly?

 

This is yet another 'Yellow' shirt who cheats like all the 'Yellow' shirts cheat.

 

Never forget the mantra of Thai politics, "Yellows and Greens are cheating cheaters who cheat. They cheat often, they cheat endlessly, and they do not stop cheating. They are cheating cheaters who cheat."

 

And, BTW, they are cheating...

 

Edited April 7, 20188 yr by Samui Bodoh
Lack of coffee

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Rachen first came to the public’s attention as president of the Federation of Thai Defenders of the Monarchy. In 2011, he led a campaign against a group seeking to amend the lese majeste law in Article 112 of the Criminal Code

Says it  all !!!!!!!!!!!

36 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

would support the candidate of the party that wins the most House seats in the next election to become the next prime minister. 

 

However, he added, if MPs could not agree on the next head of government, his party might support General Prayut Chan-o-cha to return to office when senators join MPs in selecting the new prime minister.

wolf in sheep's clothing

21 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

THE FIRST NEWLY registered political party to receive the junta’s approval to convene meetings

Big surprise! A pro-junta Party for the elite is the first Party to receive the junta's approval to hold meetings. Presumably any Party which is non-supportive of the PM or the junta has to wait until the junta is good to ready to give them approval.

Which might be the day before the election or perhaps never, depending on their level of unsupportiveness. 

Democracy at work junta style.

A post using foreign language has been removed as this is the English language side of the forum. 

First party get permission, support Junta.

What coincidence!

Really wish I could comment but will have to bite my tongue on this one.

Hahahaha.....the right wing vote has irrevocably splintered.

All these pro-junta parties are going to achieve is nothing other than destroying each others vote and paving the way for a Thaksin landslide.

 

BTW - a pledge to support the candidate who's party wins the most seats is a pledge to vote for Thaksin's PM candidate. 

Who really believes these anti-democratic, pro-military ex-democrat nutters will do that???? Just another lie by a lying liar on the unpopular and unwanted losing side of every election.

they trying to rig it with small parties and the anti-democ-democracy party plus all the 'chosen senators' which in numbers will affect any new government. Then if any new government tried to break the chains of lunacy its 'demo' street time from this lot

 

 

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

doing everything just for the people

Somehow I doubt that.  The Thai people have rarely been taken into account.