Pheu Thai reveals its big dreams for Bangkok as it unveils 33 MP candidates

The party is predicting a landslide win in the May 14 general election and expects to form a single-party government.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the party’s chief adviser on participation and innovation, took to the stage to explain the party’s “Think Big for all Bangkokians” policy.

This policy aims to “fix the mistakes of past governments that tried to limit urbanisation”, she said.

“Bangkok is a melting pot, with different people having different stories and dreams. Pheu Thai plans to develop Bangkok’s growth based on an understanding of this diversity,” she said.

Paetongtarn, who is the youngest daughter of former PM and Pheu Thai patriarch Thaksin Shinawatra, said that priority will be given to the new generation, who will be the capital’s future. As for Bangkok’s economy, it will be driven by innovation and technology, she added.

The party also plans to apply the “One Family, One Soft Power”, which aims to give every family access to knowledge and tools to improve their abilities.

Pheu Thai expects this scheme to generate up to 20 million jobs and give most families a chance to earn more than 200,000 baht per year.

Paetongtarn also highlighted Pheu Thai’s other key policies, including providing subsidies to families earning less than 20,000 baht per month, bringing minimum daily wages up to 600 baht, and setting 25,000 baht as the starting salary for bachelor’s degree holders within four years.

The party also unveiled Bangkok-specific policies such as capping BTS/MRT fares at 20 baht, establishing a major hospital in each of the city’s 50 districts, tackling PM2.5 air pollution problems and building islands and dams around Bangkok to prevent floods by 2032.

Srettha Thavisin, chief advisor of the so-called Pheu Thai Family, added that the party’s aim is to make Bangkok an international metropolis from three dimensions – economy, diversity and equality.

Pheu Thai has also promised to prioritise trade negotiations to penetrate global markets while getting rid of outdated regulations and corruption. Bangkok will become an investment destination that creates career opportunities and fund sources, Srettha said.

“Bangkok will become a city of diversity in ideas, identities and cultures. We will push for organising world-class festivals and gender diversity activities,” he said.

“Bangkok will also become a metropolis of equality, with leaders listening to what people need. The old system was built around connections and nepotism, which limited opportunities for a lot of people and created a government workforce that is full of mafia. We need to fix this. We will make people rely on the government again.”