Anutin may give up politics if the latest opinion poll giving Bhumjaithai Party 3% proves correct

[webfact]

A confident Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, on Monday, told reporters that he believes in himself when it comes to opinion polls and in the Bhumjaithai Party candidates throughout Thailand.

 

by James Morris and Son Nguyen

The discrepancy between different opinion polls, studies and reputable political punditry that has talked up Bhumjaithai’s prospects of becoming Thailand’s second-largest party while a major opinion poll consistently shows the party struggling with marginal levels of support is one of the great conundrums of this General Election and an unknown for which we will finally have answers on May 14th next. 

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, on Monday, suggested he may resign from politics if his party only polls at the 3% to 3.75% level as indicated on Sunday in a nationwide NIDA opinion poll. The Minister of Public Health in the current government who is controversially credited with legalising marijuana in the kingdom by ministerial fiat, in June 2022, told reporters that the poll that mattered to him was in his head. ‘I believe myself,’ he said as he singled out the party’s 400 candidates nationwide for praise and dismissed the anti-Bhumjaithai Party campaign of activist Chuwit Kamolvisit who is currently touring Thailand in opposition to the coalition government party and its cannabis policy.

 

Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, on Monday, told reporters that if the opinion poll published on Sunday showing his party at 3% to 3.75% proved to be correct after the May 14th General Election, returning something like 12 MPs to parliament then he will no longer be the leader of the party and suggested he would consider halting his involvement in politics altogether.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/04/18/anutin-may-give-up-politics-if-3-per-cent-nida-poll-election-support-is-right/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2023-04-19

 

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[chrisgdr]

My heart would break into a million pieces. How can people not see the great leader he would be for the country ? ????

[AustinRacing]

If the pot business he started is doing well for him, then he’s achieved his goal. Why bother with the rest such as pretending to care about Thailand. 

[djayz]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out. 

[ikke1959]

I hope they will even get less than 3%

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, on Monday, told reporters that if the opinion poll published on Sunday showing his party at 3% to 3.75% proved to be correct after the May 14th General Election, returning something like 12 MPs to parliament then he will no longer be the leader of the party and suggested he would consider halting his involvement in politics altogether.

Consider.... with his arrogance that's laughable.

[h90]

Not a fan of him, while he did not great during Covid-19, there was much less hate in Thailand than in other countries.
He allowed Kratom and Marijuana, so over all he did OK...there could be worse people who again start to put people in jail because they have 3 Kratom leaves in their pocket.

[sammieuk1]

The discrepancy stop reading there! just buy some more opinion polls ????

[actonion]

FIngers crossed              goodbye 

[mikebell]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

he would consider halting his involvement in politics altogether.

And concentrate on the only thing he knows about: construction!

[Gecko123]

Enlightened visionary, my rear end. In terms of public policy administration, he was totally in over his head, totally lacking the training, education, and experience to administer governmental affairs properly.

 

Regardless of where you stand on cannabis decriminalization, you need only look back at how chaotic, ill-thought out, and out of touch with public sentiment the rollout was to quickly see how incompetent an administrator he is, and what a disaster he would be as prime minister.

[ignore it]

Exemplary pointing.

[Pedrogaz]

The first sensible thing Anutin has ever said.....yes give up, the country has rejected you.

[Can samui]

Bottom line is that he has a very poor opinion of non-thais. Xenophobic and racist.

[spidermike007]

We hope and we pray you give up politics. Do something good for your people and move on. You have been a disastrous health minister. Go back into construction. Get out. Get out now. See ya! You won't be missed. At all. 

[brommers]

Nasty little man who has run a construction firm renowned for being over budget, over schedule and well below quality. Did the same as a minister. Thailand will be all the better for seeing the back of this egotistical pygmy.

[klauskunkel]

What's he pointing at?

 

 

[h90]

31 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

We hope and we pray you give up politics. Do something good for your people and move on. You have been a disastrous health minister. Go back into construction. Get out. Get out now. See ya! You won't be missed. At all. 

What is disastrous? He gave Kratom and Marijuana, which is an outstanding thing.
Beside talking a lot nonsense during Covid, Thailand didn't do too bad and prevent the extreme split in society other countries had. I wouldn't call his management good, but I wouldn't call it disastrous as well. Disastrous were his comments, if he could shut up sometimes he wouldn't have been that bad.

[spidermike007]

1 minute ago, h90 said:

What is disastrous? He gave Kratom and Marijuana, which is an outstanding thing.
Beside talking a lot nonsense during Covid, Thailand didn't do too bad and prevent the extreme split in society other countries had. I wouldn't call his management good, but I wouldn't call it disastrous as well. Disastrous were his comments, if he could shut up sometimes he wouldn't have been that bad.

His management of the vaccination campaign was a disaster. Their decision to stall on the vaccines and refusal of the offer of assistance from the international community was an arrogant abomination. Then their decision to go with Sino, the lowest efficacy vaccine available, was unfathomable. In addition, the highly selective nature of the economic shutdowns, favoring crony manufactures, the inability to use the army to stem the tide of Burmese crossing the border, the Samut seafood outbreak, and the refusal to shut down that area.

 

I could go on for days, citing his failures. He is and was a failed leader. He is not qualified to do anything other than work related to cement. 

[h90]

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

His management of the vaccination campaign was a disaster. Their decision to stall on the vaccines and refusal of the offer of assistance from the international community was an arrogant abomination. Then their decision to go with Sino, the lowest efficacy vaccine available, was unfathomable. In addition, the highly selective nature of the economic shutdowns, favoring crony manufactures, the inability to use the army to stem the tide of Burmese crossing the border, the Samut seafood outbreak, and the refusal to shut down that area.

 

I could go on for days, citing his failures. He is and was a failed leader. He is not qualified to do anything other than work related to cement. 

I think the decision to use a proved vaccine technology over a new one, was good. I think all the shutdowns were wrong, I agree on that...that was very bad for many companies. But that handing out money worked very well and easy. People I know loved it. Yes on the crony manufactures, but I think in this case he had no choice. I would blame someone else for that.
Now when you make me remembering things I have to agree more with you. I just remember the disaster when he decided over night that on the next days only vaccinated people are allowed in, than dropping it at 9AM. That was really bad from every aspect. But still many other countries were worse. If I ignore his stupid talking, I give him a medium performance. When you look at other Asian countries, you saw some extreme idiotic things. My worry is that the other parties find someone far worse.

[Burma Bill]

1 hour ago, h90 said:

What is disastrous? He gave Kratom and Marijuana, which is an outstanding thing.

IMO totally disastrous and it will be his downfall!

[ftpjtm]

1 hour ago, h90 said:

I think the decision to use a proved vaccine technology over a new one, was good.

Was over paying for a vaccine shunned around the world, but manufactured by a powerful friend a good decision? 

 

Was disallowing and refusing pleas from hospitals and Dr's to import the vaccines medical experts worldwide deemed most effective a good decision?

 

Allowing people to choose their preferred vaccine would have been the best policy. Anutin absolutely failed by that measure. 

 

And pushing the ganja agenda through in a chaotic manner that's very likely to be overturned is another example of poor administration skills and decision making. 

 

 

[h90]

23 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

Was over paying for a vaccine shunned around the world, but manufactured by a powerful friend a good decision? 

 

Was disallowing and refusing pleas from hospitals and Dr's to import the vaccines medical experts worldwide deemed most effective a good decision?

 

Allowing people to choose their preferred vaccine would have been the best policy. Anutin absolutely failed by that measure. 

 

And pushing the ganja agenda through in a chaotic manner that's very likely to be overturned is another example of poor administration skills and decision making. 

 

 

I can not remember the prices but I think the Chinese vaccine was cheaper. It does not work well, but as we know now the other vaccines the same don't work well. That homebrew AstraZeneka is most probably something he had no choice, not his fault.
I hope the ganja won't be overturned, but I worry that you are right and it will....For one time Thailand is modern and understands that putting people in jail for smoking ganja is no solution. But I see how it angers many of the hardcore shoot first ask later right wing narcotic hardliner.

[ftpjtm]

1 minute ago, h90 said:

I can not remember the prices but I think the Chinese vaccine was cheaper. It does not work well, but as we know now the other vaccines the same don't work well. That homebrew AstraZeneka is most probably something he had no choice, not his fault.
I hope the ganja won't be overturned, but I worry that you are right and it will....For one time Thailand is modern and understands that putting people in jail for smoking ganja is no solution. But I see how it angers many of the hardcore shoot first ask later right wing narcotic hardliner.

Sinovac was cheaper worldwide, but Anutin was paying a premium for it. More than AZ and about the same as Moderna and Pfizer while refusing to allow them to be imported. 

[ftpjtm]

8 minutes ago, h90 said:

..For one time Thailand is modern and understands that putting people in jail for smoking ganja is no solution.

And yet the current administration and Bhumjaithai aren't modern enough to understand that putting people in jail for criticizing them isn't the solution 

[h90]

2 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

Sinovac was cheaper worldwide, but Anutin was paying a premium for it. More than AZ and about the same as Moderna and Pfizer while refusing to allow them to be imported. 

Ah OK, I did miss that.....if it is true, than it is clearly corruption and I have to agree that better away with him.

[h90]

1 minute ago, ftpjtm said:

And yet the current administration and Bhumjaithai aren't modern enough to understand that putting people in jail for criticizing them isn't the solution 

I agree on that.....But it is a different topic....I am total on your side with it, I am a free speech absolutist.

[h90]

45 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

And yet the current administration and Bhumjaithai aren't modern enough to understand that putting people in jail for criticizing them isn't the solution 

Maybe an additional point: I recall during Thaksin all internet traffic had to pass a state censorship server and you got sometimes an error message when it could not keep up with it. And he boasted that he hired 10.000 people to check/block/censor internet and I frequently saw foreign newspapers blocked. I am sure they still block some gambling or p*rno but I can't remember to ever again saw any message. It was a bit Chinese style. Don't know when it ended, but for sure it is not worse than before.
But agree every bit of censorship is bad. Don't know for TV and local newspaper as I don't own a TV but on Internet outside of Thailand I don't see anything blocked in my usage

[newnative]

Buh bye bye

[ftpjtm]

26 minutes ago, h90 said:

Maybe an additional point: I recall during Thaksin all internet traffic had to pass a state censorship server and you got sometimes an error message when it could not keep up with it. And he boasted that he hired 10.000 people to check/block/censor internet and I frequently saw foreign newspapers blocked. I am sure they still block some gambling or p*rno but I can't remember to ever again saw any message. It was a bit Chinese style. Don't know when it ended, but for sure it is not worse than before.
But agree every bit of censorship is bad. Don't know for TV and local newspaper as I don't own a TV but on Internet outside of Thailand I don't see anything blocked in my usage

Any idea which parties do and don't support harsh enforcement of lesse majeste laws? AKA jailing those who speak out against royalist governments?

 

In my mind, jailing the opposition is a little more harsh than internet censorship, which I recall being most severe immediately after the coup