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Published on February 1, 2008

"Our members will be selected to work alongside every ministry under Samak [Sundaravej]," he announced on the first day of a two-day party seminar in Pattaya.

Abhisit also spoke of a plan to change the party's structure after its failure in the elections.

The Democrats' shadow Cabinet will not only keep an eye on the government's work to tackle problems, it will also propose better solutions.

The formation of shadow governments is common practice in some countries, Abhisit explained.

One person will be assigned to monitor each member of the People Power Party-led Cabinet and to provide the Democrat's standpoint on each government decision.

Abhisit said the shadow Cabinet's line-up would be completed before the seminar concludes today.

Abhisit announced plans for a shadow Cabinet after People Power Party said yesterday it had made a final decision on the Cabinet line-up.

If a "shadow minister" does not agree with the government's policies, he or she will provide a new, and perhaps better, solution, Abhisit said.

The Democrats should show people that they have an alternative and that the party is ready and able to govern the country. The standpoints and solutions may be presented through the media or directly to the government, he said.

Abhisit went to say that members of the shadow Cabinet would not be allowed to head any parliamentary committees because they would need to dedicate all their time to their "shadow" jobs. In addition, they should also have time to keep in touch with their constituents.

He also said that the Democrat Party had discovered where it went wrong and why it did not win enough votes in the latest election, adding that the party was aiming to win more than 240 MP seats next time.

The party will also resize its organisation and change its regulations, all the while continuing with its projects that are a success, such as "Young Democrats" and "People's Assembly", he said.

All the adjustments should be completed in a few months, Abhisit said.

The party will also ask the government's Public Relations Department for radio time so that people can realise what the Opposition is all about, he said.

New Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej plans to host a radio programme every Sunday to "talk" to people.

Abhisit said the government should focus more on people's problems and avoid conflicts with others, especially independent organisations, which are also doing their jobs in

the checks-and-balances system.

He said the government should not interfere in the work of these organisations because they give a fair chance to those undergoing investigation.

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation

Pattaya