PARTIES BROADEN POLICY OFFERINGS TO PUBLIC
CHARTTHAIPATTANA PARTY
Looking to tap into the votes of LGBT, elderly and half-Thai, half-foreign people.
Varawut Silpa-archa, a Chartthaipattana key figure, said the party will field candidates in all 350 constituencies and the party’s tentative campaign slogan is “Our policy is you’’.
“That is to say we will find ways to improve your lives, make you feel better and happier. But these are not yet official policies because we still cannot hold party meetings [due to the regime’s ban],’’ said Mr Varawut, son of the late veteran Suphan Buri politician and former party leader Banharn Silpa-archa.
As Thailand becomes an ageing society, the elderly need better state care, and one of the party’s policy pledges is to ensure that retirees who are still physically fit and mentally sharp can contribute to society, Mr Varawut said.
One tentative measure to support these retirees is to provide tax incentives for companies employing elderly people, or grant tax deductions and other welfare benefits to elderly people who find work, Mr Varawut said.
Still, further discussion is needed about what law changes may be needed, he said.
The next target is the middle-class who probably pay more tax than any income group in the country, though the party feels that they still do not receive the proper attention they deserve, Mr Varawut said.
In the future, the party foresees the possibility of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation taking over human jobs, likely to force people in the middle income spectrum out of work.
The party plans to help them with tax measures or by offering them training in new jobs so they keep up with a changing world, he said.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community also commands Chartthaipattana’s attention as it is full of artistic and creative talent, said Mr Varawut, the son of the late Suphan Buri politician and ex-premier Banharn Silpa-archa. The party supports the idea of legalising marriages of same-sex couples.
He said he also wanted to see luk khrueng — people of mixed Thai and foreign origin — such as Indian Thais, enter politics and become MPs.
“Our policy is how to help people attain happiness and equality and this must be in line with the law,” he said.