Pua Paendin is confident in overcoming Thaksin legacy:Suwit

Thepchai: It becomes confusing - one day reports say your party is linked to the old power in London and the next day you are said to have ties with the Council for National Security (CNS).

Suwit: The fact of the matter is our party has no linkage with anyone. There are efforts to link us to London or the military. I can confirm we are not linked nor act as a nominee. The party will not quarrel with anyone. I see bickering as cause for social divisions, which will adversely impact on the economy and the investor confidence. This is the rood cause of today's grievances affecting the grassroots people as well as the upper crust of society.

Thepchai: Many political analysts view that the election outcome will lead to a coalition government which may last less less than a year.

Suwit: It depends on the quality and determination of the leadership. If the leader devotes full attention to do the job without harbouring grudges, I think the public trust will be restored and the investor confidence will resume, hence there will be stability and the government can stay in office for a long time. I don't think the next government will be shortlived for one or two years.

What I say about leadership, I don't mean just a prime minister but a teamwork. In my party, we have a lot of capable individuals. I think the people will place their trust in us. Politicians do not want to contest the elections frequently because they have to endure and overcome hardship for each vote.

Thepchai: Pua Paendin is a new party but many have complained that it is filled with veteran policians. There are no young bloods to affect changes.

Suwit: It is imperative that the country must be administered by experienced hands. Inexperienced politicians may encounter many difficulties because they are not familiar with the bureaucracy. A good political party should be a mix of vanguards and young bloods. Pua Paendin has both veterans and newcomers. It has also accumulated a lot of experiences in administering the country.

Thepchai: Many party leaders have announced to have coveted the position of prime minister. Why don't you step forward to claim premiership?

Suwit: I think it's up to the people. They will say who they want as their prime minister. In my experience, many have aspired but failed to become prime minister. My late mentor MR Kukrit Pramoj advised me to leave it up to the people to decide my fate. He said with the people's support, you could not fail to secure the position but your job was to demonstrate your capability to tackle problems in order to win that trust.

I have confidence in my records. I have sworn in office 14 times for Cabinet appointments, supervising six ministries and becoming deputy prime minister five times.

Thepchai: Do you think the people in the Northeast and the North would want former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra back in power?

Suwit: I think policies will override the sentiment on an individual for the upcoming election. Policies are the products of a team working together. Everyone, including myself, have learnt a lot on policies while Thaksin was in power. After five years, Thaksin can no longer persue his political career and live in London exile. In contrast, I am ready to implement and improve on many policies.

I will continue any policies proven to be good and introduce new ones, such as the water tunnel system for the Northeast. A study has shown that poverty persists in only 10 per cent of irrigated areas while 80 per cent of nonirrigated zones remain poor.