Politicians, business leaders share thoughts on Thailand’s future

Participating in the event, held on Monday at the Centara Grand Convention Centre, were veteran politicians like Jurin Laksanawisit, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, Dr Uttama Savanayana, Varawut Silpa-archa and Korn Chatikavanij, and political newcomer Sirikanya Tansakun.

Shine Bunnag, CEO, The Nation Group mad epening remarks at the Nation Dinner Talk

It’s been two years since The Nation held a dinner talk due to the Covid-19 crisis. And today, The Nation is very pleased to welcome you back to speak under the concept, “Thailand Future 2022”. 

For the past two years, humanity has been challenged by a natural calamity and it may be considered one of the toughest challenges in history.

Over 482 million people have been infected and more than 6 million have lost their lives to this epidemic, which froze economies and the way of life for the whole world. Both education and public health have entered a crisis.

It’s been more than two years, and the Covid-19 virus still exists, and with the Russia-Ukraine war pushing up prices, it has become a crisis inside a crisis. 

Plus the problem of traditional management structure delaying reform has affected development, while the country's competitiveness has dropped. This, coupled with the political situation facing a crisis of faith, is making people lose hope. 

In line with all these factors, we often hear questions about Thailand’s future and what it should look like. 

Nation Group, as a media organisation, has set up “The Nation Dinner Talk: Thailand Future 2022” as a platform to share ideas and visions for the future. It is also serving as a medium for two leading CEOs, who drive their organisations with social responsibility, as well as leaders of political parties to share their views on the fields of economy, society, education, public health and environment. If they were to run the country, what direction do they see Thailand taking?

Also sharing their perspective on the subject of the “Future of Thailand that Everybody Wants to See” were Siam Commercial Bank’s chief executive officer Arthid Nanthawithaya and PTT president Auttapol Rerkpiboon.

While speaking on the subject, Arthid said Phuket could be converted into a digital hub, while Chiang Mai could follow in Chinese city Chengdu’s footsteps and transform into a tourism hub. 

Auttapol, meanwhile, believes Thailand should shift its focus to green energy and cultivating value-added agricultural products. He also said Thailand could transform into the Detroit of Asia through the expansion of the EV industry, become a medical hub in Asia as well as a centre for e-sports and the metaverse. According to him, the up-and-coming trends now are sustainability and health. 

Meanwhile, each politician was given seven minutes to put forward their thoughts on the direction Thailand is headed and where it should go. Here’s what they said: 

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit 

Democrat Party leader

The Democrat Party’s aim is to focus on developing urban areas and injecting money into the economy. Inequality, which is a big problem in the country, has to be reduced and to do this political parties need to modernise their viewpoints. At present, Democrat is the only party that has an economic team. Political parties must be the first to introduce changes and adopt new economic mechanisms like e-commerce, blockchain, metaverse, etc. Thailand also needs to build a balance between democracy and a healthy economy if it wants to survive. 

Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan

Thai Sang Thai Party chairperson

We must rebuild Thailand’s strengths, such as the tourism and health sectors, and its world-famous cuisine. We also need to make the most of the new era and work towards turning Thailand into a digital hub. For this, we need to invest in building a population that is armed with a good, top-quality education that can help improve people’s quality of life and open the door to more opportunities. The public also requires better healthcare and pension schemes, because our society is ageing and if this is not done, we will be a country full of poor old people with medical problems. Finally, all political parties must be transformed into people’s parties that work for the people. 

Dr Uttama Savanayana

Sang Anakot Thai Party, founder

The development and future of the Thai people are being hindered by the lack of reforms. It’s time for us to come together and drive change, so the young have more opportunities to work with experienced politicians and build stronger, better futures. Today, I invite everyone to come together to build Thailand’s future based on five guidelines: 

• A strong economic foundation, 

• A strong industrial sector 

• A developed digital economy 

• A just and supportive society 

• A public that is ready for rapid changes and can help build constructive politics that does not create dissension. 

This will help Thailand turn into a true democracy. 

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa 

Chartthaipattana Party, chair of policy and strategy committee 

For the past two to three years, Thailand has suffered from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and political turmoil. But as minister of natural resources and environment, I have learned that though Thailand is a small country, it has an abundance and can become the breadbasket of the world. However, old farming techniques such as using chemical fertilisers is no longer applicable. To strengthen Thailand’s agricultural sector, it needs new technology. 

Chartthaipattana proposed the idea of using new farming technology combined with old-school knowledge. For instance, Thailand is coordinating with Germany to implement new concepts in rice cultivation that uses less water and more organic fertilisers to result in a bigger harvest. The plan is to export top-quality produce that has the least impact on the environment. The goal is to move forward by creating new strengths and developing a greener economy. 

Former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij

Kla Party, leader

Thailand is facing an economic crisis that is far different from the problems in the past, such as the 1997 Tom Yum Kung crisis. People today are suffering from a drop in income and a soaring cost of living. And these problems are not just limited to the poor, the middle class is also in serious trouble. Thailand’s hope was to build a bigger middle-class population, but the young people who are about to graduate are feeling hopeless because there are no opportunities on the horizon. 

Over the past two years, the Thai economy has taken a hit from the Covid-19 crisis and now it’s facing a crisis sparked by the Russia-Ukraine war. 

Policies set in the past do not work any longer. The quality of education must be improved and personnel must have access to technology and training in innovative thinking systems. However, this will not be possible if Thailand maintains its red tape. The government must be digitised and fit in our mobiles – it should be of better quality and cost less. 

Sirikanya Tansakun

Move Forward Party, policy director

With the ongoing crises and challenges, Thailand requires a government that has the potential and capacity to solve people’s problems. With up to 40 per cent of the country’s annual budget going towards medical care, pensions and salaries of government officials, very little is left behind to tackle real issues. Also, this government is focused on helping big companies, when in reality it should unlock the local economy and create more opportunities for the people. 

Separately, when the panel was asked if the current government would be gone before Thailand hosts the Apec Summit in November, only two politicians spoke up. 

Khunying Sudarat said she believed this government would see through the summit before dissolving because it would wait to reap the benefits of the international event. Also, she said, it will have more funds to launch new populist schemes to ensure a clean sweep in the next elections. 

Jurin, meanwhile, said it would depend on the government’s stability, though he saw no signs indicating House dissolution before Apec 2022.