Suttasitt Macky Pottasak is a typical candidate of Thailand's People's Party: young, idealistic and hardworking. He gave up a career in TV drama production in Bangkok to run in the last election, winning a rural seat near his home city of Nakhon Ratchasima from an old, established political family. He has adopted the hat and flag of Luffy, the main character in the Japanese anime series One Piece, which has featured in recent youth protests in Asia. He makes light-hearted videos about his party's policies every day, which are getting millions of views on social media.
Politics is something past generations made boring. I want to make it fun, he says. That's why I brought in Luffy and my video mini-series. We don't have money to buy votes. We are just ordinary citizens, but with a strong determination to solve the long-standing problems. I think the villagers can see that. Opinion polls suggest that much of the Thai public agrees with the People's Party. They are polling consistently ahead of their rivals as the election on Sunday draws near.
But in Thailand, winning an election is never enough. The last election, less than three years ago, produced a surprise win for the progressive Move Forward party, which had campaigned on promises of root-and-branch political and economic reforms. Powerful conservative forces, particularly the unelected Senate and the constitutional court, blocked Move Forward from forming a government, dissolved the party and banned its leaders from politics. The court ruled that its proposals for the lese majeste law amounted to an attempt to overthrow the entire political system.
Now, after three tumultuous years of short-lived coalition administrations, the sacking of two prime ministers by the constitutional court and a border war with Cambodia, the reformists are making another bid for power, this time under a new name, the People's Party. Their youthful energy and idealism still draw large and excited crowds. At a rally in Nakhon Ratchasima, the new party leader, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, a 38-year-old former software engineer, was mobbed like a rock star, with people queueing for selfies with him and wrapping him in garlands of flowers.
Macky and his assistants tour his constituency on e-scooters, passing irrigation canals, rice fields and the simple wooden houses characteristic of northeastern Thai villages, listening to the concerns of the residents. The village head, La-or Kohsantea, says there are few decent jobs in the area, so young people have to leave to find work, highlighting the acute economic stress on society. The People's Party stands out for its ambition to transform Thailand with priorities like amending the constitution and streamlining bureaucracy.
However, the party faces considerable challenges. The two main rivals, Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai, have focused on crowd-pleasing policies, while the People's Party aims for deeper systemic reform. Despite the enthusiasm and support from the youth, there is skepticism regarding the feasibility of their ambitious plans amidst continued political constraints set by conservative factions.
Ultimately, the road ahead remains fraught with challenges as Thailand's political landscape teeters between the potential for reform and the resistance from established powers. The upcoming elections will reveal whether the People's Party can convert its popular support into meaningful political change, or if it will face the same fate as its predecessor.
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