Srettha steps on stage for Pheu Thai at rally that draws 20,000 people
Property-tycoon-turned-politician Srettha Thavisin took the stage for the first time as a member of the Pheu Thai Party at a rally in Phichit province on Saturday that drew an estimated 20,000 people.
He called on them to vote for the party and its candidates if they want a brighter future for Thailand, and painted a bleak picture of the country’s current condition.
Opportunities have been squandered. Incomes have fallen. Prices have risen. Drugs are peddled nationwide. Capable people are migrating to other countries, Srettha said.
The situation is so bad that young couples do not want to have children because they cannot see a positive future for them, he told the crowd at Phichit Technical College in Muang district.
Srettha said the blame lies with one person: Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Srettha is tipped to be one of Pheu Thai’s three candidates for prime minister. Saturday’s rally marked the first time he walked onto a campaign stage for Pheu Thai.
He left the property business behind him to join politics because he loves democracy and shuns dictatorship, Srettha said.
He was joined by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, head of the Pheu Thai Family project, Nattawut Saikua, director of Pheu Thai Family, and Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew.
Srettha said he would use his 30 years of business experience to serve the country and the people.
Thailand has lost its status as an Asian economic tiger and has been overtaken by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam in terms of GDP growth, he said.
Pheu Thai has accumulated administrative skills from its predecessors, the Thai Rak Thai and Palang Prachachon parties, and now has policies to develop the country under the slogan of “Think Big, Act Smart for All Thais”, he said, adding:
“We did it before and we hope to have a chance to do it again."
"I came here to beg the people of Phichit to help us reach our goal of a landslide victory so that the country will have a [bright] future and a light to guide our children to it,” Srettha said.
Paetongtarn assured the audience that the country's economy would definitely improve if Pheu Thai leads the next coalition government with Srettha serving as her adviser.
Pheu Thai has policies to help farmers, including a three-year debt moratorium and allocating unused state land to landless farmers, she said.
