Move Forward urges voters to help it end vote buying
The opposition Move Forward Party is asking voters to help it create a new political culture free of vote buying and money politics, saying its goal for the next election is not just to replace the current government.
Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat made the appeal while campaigning in Pathum Thani province on Friday evening, saying:
“In addition to solving problems involving roads, people and canals for Pathum Thani residents, the Move Forward Party is presenting a political culture in our way. It’s a political culture [in which political parties] have no financiers behind them. It’s driven by party members and representatives who are ready to serve. No vote buying and no canvassers.”
Many canvassers are involved in vote buying as they have good ties with residents of closely-knit communities.
The upcoming election, tentatively scheduled for May 7, is critical for the country’s future, Pita told supporters in the province’s Klong Luang district.
The election is the “final chapter” for generals Prayut Chan-o-cha and Prawit Wongsuwan, two key figures in the post-coup junta and the current government, Pita said.
“The election involves the need for not only government changes but also a new political culture,” he said.
General Prayut caused “severe damage” to the country during his eight-year rule, Pita said.
“It’s time to put an end to the parasitic regime through the ballot box,” he said.
The ruling Palang Pracharath Party has failed to keep the promises it made before the last general election in March 2019, he said without elaborating.
Palang Pracharath nominated General Prayut as its sole prime ministerial candidate before the 2019 election. However, Prayut has defected to a new political party, Ruam Thai Sang Chart (United Thai Nation), which is expected to name him its sole PM candidate for premier for the next election.
