• 
• 

Published on October 27, 2007

Pua Paendin Party leader Suwit Khunkitti talked about his party's plans to Nation Group editor Thepchai Yong for the "Siam This Morning" news programme aired by Channel 5 on on Thursday.It is 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).

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 acting 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 root cause of today's grievances affecting grass-roots people as well as the upper crust of society.

Many political analysts feel that the election outcome will lead to a coalition government that might last less than a year.

It depends on the quality and determination of the leadership. If the leader devotes full attention to the job without harbouring grudges, I think the public trust will be restored and investor confidence will revive. Then there will be stability and the government can stay in office for a long time. I don't think the next government will be short-lived.

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

Pua Paendin is a new party but many have complained that it is filled with veteran politicians. There is no young blood to effect changes.

It is imperative that the country is 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 the vanguard and young blood. Pua Paendin has both veterans and newcomers. It has also accumulated a lot of experience in administering the country.

Many party leaders have said they covet the post of prime minister. Why don't you step forward to claim premiership?

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

I have confidence in my record. I have been sworn in office 14 times for Cabinet appointments, supervised six ministries and become deputy prime minister five times.

Do you think the people

in the Northeast and the North want former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra back in power?

I think policies will override sentiment about an individual in the upcoming election. Policies are the products of a team working together. Everyone, including myself, learnt a lot about policies while Thaksin was in power. After five years, Thaksin can no longer pursue his political career and live in exile in London. 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 non-irrigated zones remain poor.

The Nation