Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
Srettha Thavisin. Thailand’s new Prime Minister (PM). After the elections in May, Move Forward Party’s leader, Pita Limjaroenrat was unable to secure votes to become Prime Minister. That left Thailand without a PM for months. However, on Tuesday 22nd August, Srettha Thavisin was officially voted as PM after attaining 482 votes out of 727 votes. As Srettha takes charge, many Thais certainly have a lot of expectations for him to move the country forward and resolve key issues that have been plaguing the country. This essay seeks to discuss the political and economic expectations for Srettha Thavisin as he takes charge as Thailand’s new PM.
Firstly, politically, Thais certainly hope Srettha deviates from General Prayut Chan-o-Cha’s previously authoritative rule. Throughout the elections, many voted for the Move Forward Party in hopes for more democracy and greater freedoms. Interestingly, Srettha has been a vocal critic against Prayut’s regime before he started his political career in Pheu Thai. After Prayut’s coup, he was one of those who were summoned by the junta for interrogation. Many have already admired him after his involvement in protests to push for democratic reforms in 2020. Certainly, Srettha Thavisin can echo sentiments of many Thais who voted for change in the recent elections, and Thais can hopefully expect reforms and more freedoms under his rule. Now, the other political expectation might be a strong Thaksin influence. With Pheu Thai back in power, some political critics believe Thaksin might play a role in decisions concerning the governance of Thailand. However, Thaksin insists that he has no interest in politics and is purely back to serve his sentence and see his grandchildren. Only time will tell whether Thaksin plays a role in the governance of the country. Another worry would be Srettha’s experience, with Srettha having zero experience of holding a political position, leading to him being limited in performing his duties as a PM. Some also worry that he might face difficulties in uniting the nation, with some Thais annoyed at Pheu Thai’s partnership with the military elite. Such a partnership meant that Thailand could not fully escape military rule, with the possibility of some important portfolios held by military personnel. In addition, many of the pro-democracy Thais were not very pleased with Srettha’s rise, with some commenting “#NotmyPM” throughout social media site, X , as they hoped for Move Forward’s leader Pita to lead Thailand. Hence, though Srettha’s political views may align with many Thais, many challenges lie ahead for Srettha, and it will be intriguing to see if he can overcome these challenges and lead Thailand forward.
Next, economically, there are many challenges for Srettha to tackle as PM. Thailand has one of the worst inequality gaps, and Srettha will be looked upon to reduce it. Fortunately, Srettha has had a great track record in handling Thailand’s economy. After he stepped down from Sansiri, the company he owned, he became part of Pheu Thai’s economic team and advanced policies such as providing Thais aged 16 and above with 10,000 baht in digital money. That policy helped Srettha to further gain popularity among young Thais. Furthermore, he has pledged to tackle poverty and inequality, with him citing that these two problems are his biggest enemies. Also, he mentioned how big businesses and billionaires should contribute to reducing inequality in Thailand. One area of focus for the economy for Srettha is tourism in Thailand, as tourism has always been a very important industry for Thailand. However, some do have reservations about Srettha’s ability to reduce inequality and connect with the rural poor in Thailand, with him being a wealthy property developer. Yet, Srettha has made efforts to target many of the working class, rural farmers and residents of Bangkok’s biggest slum community. Under Srettha, some Thais speculate that policies to be similar to Thaksinomics, but we will never know until Srettha officially outlines his policies. What we do know is that Srettha has mentioned that he is not a Thaksin loyalist. Nonetheless, Thais can expect some improvements to the economic situation in Thailand, as Srettha’s business acumen and his promising plans for Thailand’s economy could help Thailand recover economically from the pandemic. Thus, there is hope for improvements in Thailand’s economy under Srettha Thavisin’s reign.
In conclusion, as Thailand gets a new PM, there is much for Thais to hope for. With Srettha, they get a PM with good business acumen and political views that align with many pro-democracy Thais. However, challenges like his lack of experience, the influence of the military, and public confidence lie ahead, and it will be up to him to tackle these challenges and lead Thailand to a new future.
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