Leading Opposition Democrat Party Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday said since the government has lost legitimacy to rule, it should “show responsibility.”
Abhisit spoke on Thursday evening after a party meeting. He said the government had used many tactics to prevent people from joining the anti-government rallies.
Moreover, since the Prime Minister herself is at the centre of the conflict, she is not legitimized to organize peace talks. “The premier must first keep away, then society can find the solution,” said the Democrat leader.
“I insist that the Democrats will not take any position as a consequence of this struggle except within normal parliamentary procedure,” said Abhisit.
Reporters said that the protest leaders had proposed establishing a national assembly and insisted that they will not accept the dissolution of parliament or the resignation of the Prime Minister, and asked Abhisit what was the stance of the party regarding this issue. Abhisit replied that the government should “show responsibility” but he avoided elaborating.
“The Democrat Party is a political party and will play by the rules. However, the party must heed the people’s voice,” he said. “I insist that the party will not bar any reform and the fight to overthrow the Thaksin regime. We may have differences with the protesters over details, but we have the same big goals.”
“We want to support the [protesters] but today we’re still in the system. The same goal is that this government has lost its legitimacy and must first show responsibility. Then we will see how we can [reform],” said Abhisit.
Asked whether all Democrat MPs would resign to join the rally he said there will be the resignations in due time. However, the party can still work together [with the protesters].
Latest Contents
Prachatai English is an independent, non-profit news outlet committed to covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite pressure from the authorities. Your support will ensure that we stay a professional media source and be able to meet the challenges and deliver in-depth reporting.
• Simple steps to support Prachatai English
1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank
2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”