New party to woo young voters
The Democrat Party has lost one of its most reputable assets — former finance minister and long-time member Korn Chatikavanij — and it looks like he has jumped ship at the most opportune time.
However, Mr Korn’s departure seems to have churned a vortex of discontent, with many supporters saying they fail to comprehend why some Democrat stalwarts are underplaying his resignation.
Many Democrat luminaries have already exited, and Mr Korn’s decision to turn his back on the country’s oldest party may be confirmation that something is sorely amiss with the leadership of Jurin Laksanavisit, who is also commerce minister.
Observers say that Mr Korn may have been pushed out of the Democrat orbit after not being given a cabinet seat when the party signed on to be part of the Palang Pracharathled coalition last year.
Mr Korn was not given what observers believe was his rightful job of directing the party’s economic team, a job now filled by Prin Panichpakdi, and many of his supporters have been upset by suggestions that the party bleeding key members is nothing out of the ordinary.
Supporters maintain it is time the party recognised the need to forge unity and restore public faith, especially after its poor showing in the elections last year. The Democrats only managed to garner 53 seats in parliament, far fewer than expected.
Just hours after announcing his decision to quit, Mr Korn was booked for media interviews, during which he laid out plans to register his own party.
Observers believe this might be the best time for Mr Korn to step out of the Democrat Party’s shadow and set up his own party, which will likely pull in other familiar Democrat names.
Mr Korn has reportedly been meeting with many young entrepreneurs, who are expected to contribute to shaping his party’s manifesto.
Atthawit Suwannapakdi, another veteran who quit the Democrat Party the day after Mr Korn did, said the new party will champion results-oriented, practical policies that can divert people’s attention from the longstanding social and political divisions.
Mr Korn, meanwhile, is calling for the public to come up with potential names for his party but wants to break from tradition and avoid conventional prefixes like pracha (people) being included.
Political experts believe the new party will aim to woo the younger generation, many of whom support the Future Forward Party (FFP).
Mr Korn’s new party should emerge as a worthy competitor of the FFP, especially since FFP’s future is in the balance with the many court cases it is facing and members and supporters looking to switch parties.
Though Mr Korn is not a new face in politics, unlike many FFP members, experts predict his party will appeal to the relatively young, middle-class pool of voters.