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Published on September 29, 2007

Chief adviser of the Democrat Party Chuan Leekpai talks to The Nation Group about his party and the upcoming elections.

Why does Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva remain unpopular even though Thaksin Shinawatra is no longer on the scene?

I don't want his [Abhisit's] popularity to increase dramatically. He is the real deal and should be allowed to ripen on the tree, rather than be aged artificially. It's better if he is recognised for his real qualifications.

Abhisit's unpopularity doesn't surprise me, because people have been given one-sided information for a long time. They have been told that only Thaksin's government is good and that they should not vote for the Democrats because they are a party just for the South, but I think if we try to explain people will understand and may change their minds, though it'll be difficult.

It is also a pity that the Council for National Security [CNS] did not grab the opportunity to correct the misinformation disseminated by the Thaksin government, especially the truth about the reasons for the coup.

Does a call for Supachai Panitchpakdi [Unctad secretary-general and former Democrat executive] mean that people are not quite confident about Abhisit's leadership?

Once Supachai enters politics, people will stop calling upon him. People outside politics are always treated better, but when they come into politics the story is different. Yet I don't think Supachai will leave the Democrats.

If the Democrats win the next election but Abhisit cannot gather other parties to create a coalition government, is it possible that you will come to the rescue by accepting the post of premier instead of Abhisit?

It's impossible. I think Abhisit has a chance. We are likely to win more seats. However, it can't be helped if we win the largest number of seats in the House but can't form a government.

Nothing is guaranteed.

Are you confident that your party will win the largest number of House seats?

I don't know. I do know that we are getting more and more popular in many areas.

What will you do in the Northeast, where you are the least popular?

This is because we've been painted as a party just for Southerners. We've told people taking care of the region to circulate the correct information and change people's beliefs. Maybe we have neglected this issue for too long and will have to work hard to fix it.

Are there any problems about your party's stance on the military coup?

No. People have tried to portray us as the blue-eyed boys of the coup-makers, but actually we raised all the issues which later became the reasons for the coup in Parliament long before the coup-makers did.

What can you say about the party's financial status?

We've been getting a considerable amount of funding. Many companies who've donated to our party don't expect anything from us other than good deeds, because they believe we can do the right thing.