Prawit to end political strife by ‘opening his heart’ to all sides
If he becomes the next prime minister, General Prawit Wongsuwan will end decades of political strife in Thailand by setting up a committee to welcome expertise from all political parties, he said on Wednesday.
The deputy prime minister and leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, made the pledge in the last of a six-part series of essays posted on Facebook.
His government will respect the voice of the majority while also heeding the opinions of the minority, he wrote in an essay titled “Conclusion: Leaving conflict behind”.
His former ally, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha – who has left the ruling party – said he doubted that Prawit wrote the essays on his own, explaining that they sound like the views of his close aides.
In previous essays, Prawit said he would end the series by providing a real solution to solving the decades-long political conflict between conservatives and progressives, describing the former as a powerful and influential elite.
The committee will select good campaign policies from all political parties for implementation “without prejudice, hatred or divisiveness”, he wrote in Wednesday’s much awaited conclusion to the series.
“There will be no absolute winners or losers, but all sides must realise the urgent need to unite to rehabilitate the country so that Thailand can move forward and catch up with global changes,” he wrote. “The country can only move forward democratically, but democracy is open for all sides to have a role. I’ll respect the majority voice, but I’ll open my heart to listen to the minority who have knowledge, capability, and good intentions for the country.”
Prawit, who took part in the coup ousting the government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014, wrote in the essay that he decided to convey his messages through writing because he was not good at public speaking.
In previous essays in the series, he criticised the seizure of power by “elites and the military”.
