“Students thoughts towards the newly elected Prime Minister of Thailand”

By Pyae Phyo Zaw (6510096)

Elections are crucial for democracy as they allow citizens to influence their nation's future and
guarantee transparency, accountability, and peaceful power transfer. They impact economic
policies, social reforms, and international relations and provide a platform for civic engagement
and individual rights defense in national governance. Thailand held general elections on May 14,
2023, with the Move Forward Party winning the most seats, followed by the opposition party
Pheu Thai, which won the most seats in previous elections. But the parliament rejected Pita
Limjaroenrat, a Thai politician and leader of the Move Forward Party, as a house of
representatives and Prime Minister of Thailand, for many unbelievable reasons. That case raised
a lot of voices among Thailand’s people. But Srettha Thavisin, nicknamed Nid, the popularist
Pheu Thai, became the new Prime Minister of Thailand on August 22, 2023.

The result of Thailand’s election caused a lot of criticism between the Thai voters and students
and young people. One of the students explained what she or they think about the newly elected
prime minister of Thailand: "Regarding my nation’s recently elected prime minister, I disagree. I
don’t really concur because I have voted for the prime minister of Thailand as part of the
population, but the vote’s higher rank doesn’t take into account whether the majority of voters
agreed on the choice". And she continued, "I just did not follow the election and campaign of the
new prime minister following the unfair election", That means she or they did not follow the new
prime minister’s election and campaign. Another angry student said, "The policy stated by the
new Prime Minister’s party leader is that it will change the old style of government and end the
military rule that entered into a coup, but in the end, it’s not true."

And also, most students aren’t interested in the new prime minister’s promises or election-related
policies. One student said, "I would cast a vote for the Prime Minister who would resolve the
issues of today and remove the outdated system, which is no longer appropriate for the
circumstances of today. Pita Limjaroentar, I am voting for". Most of the people are angry about
the result".
The reason that people think the election of Thailand 2023 is unfair is because Pita got rejected
from parliament. The actions from parliament are so questionable because the old guard in
Thailand is overinterpreting the constitution and finding fault with its political opponents,
particularly Pita, to oust its political opponents. The move to amend the lese-majesty law, which
punishes defamation, insults, or threats to the King, Queen, Heir-apparent, or Regent, is a
controversial issue. The move also relates to a provision prohibiting politicians from holding
media shares, which has been included in the constitution since 2007. Pita's 42,000 shares
represent only 0.0035% of iTV's outstanding shares. The old guard is using the Senate's shield
and the judiciary's sword to block the progressive Move Forward Party from taking power. The
media share issue hounding Pita is an extension of past democratization stumbles and political
disputes in Thailand. The Thaksin faction has lost three prime ministers and seen three political
parties dissolved over seemingly minor charges. Move Forward's predecessor, the Future
Forward Party, was dissolved in 2020, and party founder Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was
suspended from civic roles for violating a law prohibiting excessive personal donations.

The old guard's weak defense against Move Forward has led to its stunning victory as the top
party in the general election. The old guard's attempts to force through unreasonable ideas will
likely arouse strong protests by supporters, leading to the rise of a second or third Pita or Move
Forward Party, especially among the younger generation.

"There is a 50% probability that international relations can be improved, I would respectfully
say. Pita Limjaroenrat gained the first vote. I saw his potential, and I was quite certain that it
would get better. I'm not so convinced about the new prime minister, though. In the same way
that it would also have an impact on foreign students studying in Thailand", the international
political student said that he or they thinks that under the new Prime Minister's government,
international relations between other countries can improve. Another student gave the answer,
"In my opinion, I do not think that it is going to improve much because he is not the one people
voted for".
Srettha can face a lot of pressure and trust issues from the Thai people while he is making
improvements to Thailand. Most of the Thai students don’t trust their newly elected prime
minister. One of the students said, "The issues the prime minister faces would be the population
in their country because there will be a lot of expectations and pressure" and he or they
continued, "I think he will face problems with public trust and whether he can be the prime
minister who leads the country to prosperity".

But the people hope the new Prime Minister may solve the challenges during his tenure because
they think that they have no choice. The student said, "I simply hope that it is the best option that
can help Thailand advance and improve in some way". Another student said, "I never saw his
performance before or took any action. That I know about. But I hope he may solve the problems
or issues during his tenure".

There is an interesting thing about the new Prime Minister’s promise "Cares about Human
Rights". Srettha promised economic stimulus, social justice, and good governance during his first
100 days in office. He aimed to address rising living costs, end military conscription, ensure
same sex marriage equality, and draft a new constitution. He introduced Pheu Thai's policy of
digital wallet handouts for 16+ citizens. It may have impacts on the young people or young
students in Thailand. "Since they remain in the nation, there is obviously an effect on youth or
students. It will have an impact on the entire nation. But I like his promise’s marriage equality
that he supports LGBTQ+", the interviewee student said. And students have some kind of needs
from the new government, one of the interviewee students said. "According to me, the
government should provide kids and young people with a completely new educational system.
As you can see, English speakers in Thailand are not in great numbers. Because all that Thai
schools teach students is how to use grammar correctly, they are not taught how to speak up
when the circumstance calls for it. They cannot because they are more concerned with proper
language than with simply creating a sentence that communicates". That shows students need
newly upgraded educational systems from their newly elected Prime Minister.

In conclusion, according to the interviewees, most of the students have negative thoughts
towards their newly elected Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, because of the unfair election.
They can’t believe the result of the election, and Srettha will face public trust issues, which he
has to solve and show off his contributions and improvements to the public. Only then can he get
commitment from the Thai people. If he can’t show off, he may encounter more and more
opposition from the Thai people.