A combination of the Thaksin factor, appeal of a youthful image and repellence of old-style politics has contributed to one of the biggest surprises in the modern Thai political history.

 

Signs of a Move Forward election triumph were always there, but they were probably misinterpreted in 2019 when the better-than-expected performance of the Future Forward Party coincided with the dissolution of the Thai Raksa Chart Party, and were downplayed again before Sunday’s election due to the rumbling talks about a Pheu Thai landslide.

 

Sunday’s results were a surprise, yes, but it was a surprise because many things were either underestimated or ignored.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/why-the-idealistic-boy-won-and-why-he-has-to-keep-his-feet-on-the-ground/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-05-15

 

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Better take that word "boy" out of the headline and replace it with "man" if you want to stay in good graces with the upcoming regime, unless of course you purposely added it to demean the new PM.

11 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

Better take that word "boy" out of the headline and replace it with "man" if you want to stay in good graces with the upcoming regime, unless of course you purposely added it to demean the new PM.

He's old enough to be knowledgeable but with his youthful looks and fresh ideas, young enough to appeal to the youth.

Same old, same old. Yeh he will be great for a while right up until he sees how much money he and his party members can make just by towing the same old line. Yes I’m being cynical. Id love to be proven wrong on this though…..

Change is coming, I hope he talks with other like minded parties to formulate a convincing coalition.

The dinosaurs are out at last and a new era is about to start.

His election is a truly great thing for this nation and shows that the people are both sick of being led by highly ignorant dinosaurs, with no interest in progress, and interested in smart, young folks, who are serious, accomplished, capable of change, and interested in insuring that Thailand has a good future. Pita is exactly what this nation needs, at this point in time. This is a huge blessing. I am optimistic. I think he will stick to his promises.

 

This is a man who interrupted his studies at MIT, during an MBA program at Sloan to rescue his father's rice bran oil business, Agrifood, after this fathers death. He was successful, and is paying down the 100 million baht his father borrowed to start the company. This is a serious man. Very unlike the failures before him. He then went back and finished his MBA, at one of the top business schools on the planet. 

 

The most important part of this equation was 42 seats for Prawit and 37 for Cha Cha. It was a huge repudiation for the status quo. The people said no, I don't think so, you guys are dinosaurs, we don't want you, we don't like you you need to disappear off the face of the earth. 
 

Go, Pita, go. We are behind you, proud of you and trust in you. You are giving us real hope, for a change. 

 

 

Edited May 15, 20233 yr by spidermike007

Abhisit destroyed Thai democracy and the Democrat Party with his quivering, spineless, lying and inept political career. 
 

Pita is everything Abhisit isn’t.

 

Bully for Thailand.

Let's hope the corrupt Muppets in the courts and institutions don't allow the vote to be smeared with fake allegations etc...

 

Oh and as I am watching the news on the BBC, the interview on the election concerning such matters has just been blanked out.

 

A sign of things to come perhaps, I hope not as there will be blood on the streets after the surge for change.

Think I prefer boy to geriatric fossil any day and he should never need a dead friend to backup fairytales I suspect ????

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Change is coming, I hope he talks with other like minded parties to formulate a convincing coalition.

The dinosaurs are out at last and a new era is about to start.

Which other like-minded parties do you have in mind? 

Are there any other like-minded parties?

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

The most important part of this equation was 42 seats for Prawit and 37 for Cha Cha. It was a huge repudiation for the status quo.

I agree it was a great day for Thailand & hopefully it sticks

 

But....the bigger problem has yet to be solved. Yes The military got a good beating in the "Lower House"

But the Upper House (the BS 250 appointed seats)  is included next in who decides the next PM

 

Sadly the first thing that should have been done BEFORE this election was dissolve that upper house of un-elected/ appointed military stooges.

 

Because while Prayut, or Prawit only has small votes the truth is the next PM needs 376 seats

 

Because 500 lower house + 250 Upper house<sic> = 750/2 +1 = 376/majority rule

 

That is what is needed to win

So a coalition is needed but even if Future Forward & Pheu Thai join that is only 293 still 83 shy of the needed 376 to win

Also they do not agree on a few key thing like the lese majeste laws

 

If the Military cronies + Anutin make a coalition 147 + the 250 BS seats = 397 a majority & that 250 has never voted for opposition before

 

In any case I am holding my breath & hoping for once in their lives the un-elected/appointed vote the peoples choice but....TIT

 

One thing is for sure it is a powder keg & if it goes wrong I do not think it would be peaceful

Thai people are tried of this lost decade & want to move forward literally

Edited May 16, 20233 yr by mania

2 hours ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

Same old, same old. Yeh he will be great for a while right up until he sees how much money he and his party members can make just by towing the same old line. Yes I’m being cynical. Id love to be proven wrong on this though…..

We standby hope for the best,  change is easy to throw out being Thailand he is surrounded by the swamp.  

He is just a face,  you got 72 provinces within each provinces there are district so forth and so forth all doing their own thing 

He was hand picked by a group all have hands within the old system all have self interest pulling his string like a puppet he will become. 

Vent the guy find out his net worth include every family member and advisor give it two years and it will be back to the same stuff. 

Change was sold in the Pattaya for Mayor same in Bangkok Governor after a year no where to be seen.

Prayut put into office within a year rumor to have a Swiss account of a billion U. S.  

Baht increase on hope and a dream.  Good luck AttaBoy. 

Edited May 16, 20233 yr by thailand49

Wish him well. Just worried about corrupt dinosaurs in cushy jobs whose positions are vulnerable and may resort to seeking military support to protect their businesses.  The new government needs to tidy these loose ends swiftly to avoid near future “special military operations”

2 hours ago, MrMojoRisin said:

Abhisit destroyed Thai democracy and the Democrat Party with his quivering, spineless, lying and inept political career. 
 

Pita is everything Abhisit isn’t.

 

Bully for Thailand.

Abhisit? Abhisit was a pretty weak PM but he didn't destroy democracy...as we can just see it is still here....Damage was done by Thaksin, but the military repaired it and gave democracy back.

22 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

We standby hope for the best,  change is easy to throw out being Thailand he is surrounded by the swamp.  

He is just a face,  you got 72 provinces within each provinces there are district so forth and so forth all doing their own thing 

He was hand picked by a group all have hands within the old system all have self interest pulling his string like a puppet he will become. 

Vent the guy find out his net worth include every family member and advisor give it two years and it will be back to the same stuff. 

Change was sold in the Pattaya for Mayor same in Bangkok Governor after a year no where to be seen.

Prayut put into office within a year rumor to have a Swiss account of a billion U. S.  

Baht increase on hope and a dream.  Good luck AttaBoy. 

I wound be utterly shocked if Prayuth, Prawit, Anutin, Phiphat and many others only stole a billion dollars each. I think they will eventually find it was Marcos level money that was stolen from the nation. Anything to do with the Thai army stinks of corruption. 

 

May they all rot in prison, or be sent into exile. 

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

The dinosaurs are out at last and a new era is about to start.

Don't count your chickens; count the guns/tanks.

3 hours ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

Same old, same old. Yeh he will be great for a while right up until he sees how much money he and his party members can make just by towing the same old line. Yes I’m being cynical. Id love to be proven wrong on this though…..

Bah! Humbug. 

2 hours ago, MrMojoRisin said:

Abhisit destroyed Thai democracy and the Democrat Party with his quivering, spineless, lying and inept political career. 
 

Pita is everything Abhisit isn’t.

Perfectly stated. Everything that Chuan built up Abhisit destroyed exactly the way Mojo said.

There is nothing wrong with optimism or idealism - in fact optimism, I have always felt, is one of the more attractive aspects of the Thai "national character".

 

And Buddhism, still basically adhered to in this society is a pretty idealistic creed.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I wound be utterly shocked if Prayuth, Prawit, Anutin, Phiphat and many others only stole a billion dollars each. I think they will eventually find it was Marcos level money that was stolen from the nation. Anything to do with the Thai army stinks of corruption. 

 

May they all rot in prison, or be sent into exile. 

No doubt, my comment was way back in 2015, the 1 Billion. 

We can only speculate if a lowly cop like Joe Ferrari can accummalate millions, head cop at Soi 9, while back donation over a million in baht to upgrade the station. Ten years back reported in Bangkok Post,  200 billion is lost to government corruption a year as you noted what is it now with these guys.  For me they are all the same including Thaksin he was dislike simply because those who were in power now wasn't get their cut. Prayut,  being in charge just shifted those brown envelopes to the Army from the BIB. Now there is going to be lots of kicking.  

Thailand isn't a country you can come from nothing rags to riches and be PM,  one way or another you know someone or supported by a group from the old swamp.  

They got a new look but the problem is their leader will always be in sheep clothing. 

But what does CP think?

21 minutes ago, John Drake said:

But what does CP think?

Which has huge investments in China. They sure don't like an anti China politics

Just now, h90 said:

Which has huge investments in China. They sure don't like an anti China politics

Precisely. CP effectively is China's channel of influence in Thailand. 

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

His election is a truly great thing for this nation and shows that the people are both sick of being led by highly ignorant dinosaurs, with no interest in progress, and interested in smart, young folks, who are serious, accomplished, capable of change, and interested in insuring that Thailand has a good future. Pita is exactly what this nation needs, at this point in time. This is a huge blessing. I am optimistic. I think he will stick to his promises.

 

This is a man who interrupted his studies at MIT, during an MBA program at Sloan to rescue his father's rice bran oil business, Agrifood, after this fathers death. He was successful, and is paying down the 100 million baht his father borrowed to start the company. This is a serious man. Very unlike the failures before him. He then went back and finished his MBA, at one of the top business schools on the planet. 

 

The most important part of this equation was 42 seats for Prawit and 37 for Cha Cha. It was a huge repudiation for the status quo. The people said no, I don't think so, you guys are dinosaurs, we don't want you, we don't like you you need to disappear off the face of the earth. 
 

Go, Pita, go. We are behind you, proud of you and trust in you. You are giving us real hope, for a change. 

 

 

 

Good god, i could hear the bloody theme music rising to a crescendo as you typed this

It ain't over till the fat lady sings ............  An interesting summer is lying ahead of us. Some of the possible scenarios would include 

MFP to lobby a minimum of 69 (Prayut-appointed) senators. Potential Kingmaker is out of the question due to conflicting policies. Latter could be watered down Thai-style to please the Kingmaker. 
A re-explaination by MFP on a controversial law; for decades misused by various politicians and business moguls. The suggestions there, I understand, are that only the directly affected can invoke a complaint filing. 
PT has a change of heart, groups with everybody else and runs the show - the dinosaur senate might favour a lesser evil. 
Banning of Pita due to its leader's worth- and voiceless media shares in a company, which went bankrupt 16 years ago. 
Public "disturbances" in town and bonfires all over the land; lasting disadvantage to economy, currency and tourism. 

As I said, "faites vos jeux" - an interesting summer ahead of Thailand indeed. 

34 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Precisely. CP effectively is China's channel of influence in Thailand. 

Previously CP had the power to make or destroy governments but mostly kept out of it and handed out money to every party.

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I wound be utterly shocked if Prayuth, Prawit, Anutin, Phiphat and many others only stole a billion dollars each. I think they will eventually find it was Marcos level money that was stolen from the nation. Anything to do with the Thai army stinks of corruption. 

 

May they all rot in prison, or be sent into exile. 

1 billion that is 1000 Million Baht.....I guess every serious politician who was a longer time in power in Thailand has stolen that...not really a big number.
I would be surprised if someone didn't do that. As the Russian salesguy for fighter airplanes once said in an interview.....10% for the decision maker is always no matter what country, what seller or what buyer the international standard. For civilian airplanes from Boeing and Airbus it is 5 and 7% (I can't remember which is the 5 and which the 7) for the decision maker. If you don't have a billion in 8 years you made something seriously wrong. Or from the other side...where does the money come from that all parties hand out for vote buying?

11 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

It ain't over till the fat lady sings ............  An interesting summer is lying ahead of us. Some of the possible scenarios would include 

MFP to lobby a minimum of 69 (Prayut-appointed) senators. Potential Kingmaker is out of the question due to conflicting policies. Latter could be watered down Thai-style to please the Kingmaker. 
A re-explaination by MFP on a controversial law; for decades misused by various politicians and business moguls. The suggestions there, I understand, are that only the directly affected can invoke a complaint filing. 
PT has a change of heart, groups with everybody else and runs the show - the dinosaur senate might favour a lesser evil. 
Banning of Pita due to its leader's worth- and voiceless media shares in a company, which went bankrupt 16 years ago. 
Public "disturbances" in town and bonfires all over the land; lasting disadvantage to economy, currency and tourism. 

As I said, "faites vos jeux" - an interesting summer ahead of Thailand indeed. 

Someone had the idea: The senators block it. Than PTP comes and takes over and makes Thaksins daugther premier without MFP, but support of most of the other parties. And in exchange Thaksin can come home.....First it sounded more like a weird idea but at the end it is Thailand everything is possible.
And while MFP might buy some senators on the other side the opposition may buy some of the coalition members and reduce the votes.

Maybe I have been in Thailand for too long, but I cannot see any way Pita will become PM and lead a coalition government. With the Senate, EC, CC and military all dead set against losing power and risking a new and fair constitution becoming a reality, I cannot see he will not be disqualified, his party disbanded or some other dirty ploy to keep him out of office. As I say, maybe I have been here too long. 

7 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Change is coming, I hope he talks with other like minded parties to formulate a convincing coalition.

The dinosaurs are out at last and a new era is about to start.

This is only based on the unofficial result and may change when the official results are released.

 

As my Mum told me long ago,

 

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.