Puea Pandin Party
Motherland Party (Thai: พรรคเพื่อแผ่นดิน, Pheua Phaendin Party) was a Thai political party founded on September 11, 2007, by more than 200 politicians including defectors from the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT). Before the general election 2011, it merged with the National Development Party to form the Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party.
The Puea Pandin Party had a platform with progressive economic policies. In a further general election, the party expected to become a third party, independent of the Thaksin-backed For Thais Party, and Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrat Party. Its most notable members included Thaksin's former foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai, Suranand Vejjajiva and Preecha Laohaphongchana and notably it was composed of both former TRT members and former TRT opponents. Since former TRT executive members have been banned from politics for five years, a non-former TRT member led the party in the 2007 election.[1] Suwit Khunkitti and Watchara Punnachet have been elected party leader and party secretary general respectively. The party appointed Vatana Asavahame as the party chairman, and Police General Pracha Promnok as party chief adviser. General Panlop Pinmanee, adviser to the Internal Security Command Operation, accepted to become adviser to the party, overseeing security.[2]
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[edit] 2007 election
Motherland Party leader Suwit Khunkitti vowed to win more than 60 seats in Parliament and promised to implement nine policies to improve the state of the Thai economy.[3]
On October 28, 2007, the party had formed its finance and tourism team. The finance team consists in the form of the party's Academic Council, chaired by former Deputy Prime Minister, Surakiart Sathirathai. Members included former Governor of the Bank of Thailand Vijit Supinich, former Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Supachai Pisitvanit, former Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Bunpod Hongthong and Finance specialists Vichien Techapaiboon and Nithit Pukkanasud. Although Surakiart Sathirathai was one of 111 TRT executives banned from politics for five years, he said that the party's Academic Council only provides policy guidelines and is not part of the political party. The tourism team was led by former Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Juthamas Siriwan and former senators Suradej Yasawat and Jirayu Vasurut. All three were also deputy party leaders. Their main policy was to make Thailand a hub for tourism with expected earnings of 1.33 trillion baht in 2011.
Three days before the December 23, 2007 general election, deputy party leader Juthamas Siriwan resigned from the party amidst a bribery scandal stemming from her tenure as governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and president of the Bangkok International Film Festival.[4]
Let it be noted that Suwit Khunkitti could not even muster enough votes to be elected for his Khonkoen contiutency and only made it back into the house as a list MP.
At the end of the 2007-2011 term, 12 of the 32 Puea Pandin MPs had joined the Bhumjaithai Party, three had defected to Pheu Thai, two to the Democrats, two to Chartthaipattana, and one each to Matubhum and Tankun Pandin. The remaining nine representatives joined forces with their National Development Party colleagues and formed the new Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party.
[edit] Secretary General
[edit] Party Spokesperson
[edit] References
- ^ People's Daily Online - Veteran Thai politicians form new party, claiming neutral stance
- ^ The Nation, [1]
- ^ The Nation, [2]
- ^ Hollywood bribery scandal takes spotlight in Thailand, with prime minister vowing justice, Associated Press via International Herald Tribune; retrieved 2007-12-25
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