'We switched camps to end deadlock and prevent a coup'

Do you think the Bhum Jai Thai's election loss in Sakon Nakhon points to the northeasterners' persistent faith and admiration for Thaksin Shinawatra?

I admit there is such a trend, but you can't imply it is true for all northeasterners. The area is adjacent to Udon Thani, where there are a lot of the red

shirts. During the election campaign, they took the red shirts from Udon Thani, Nakhon Phanom and Nong Khai. The red shirts could mobilise support in

the constituency; we were aware about it.

What do you plan to do to turn the tide in the next election?

We will have our candidates visit the constituency more frequently and extensively to tell the constituents our party sincerely intends to work for them.

We have a project to provide one ambulance for each health station in the rural areas. The ambulance can take seriously ill people to hospital in the city areas. We also plan to expand irrigation canals to villages, which would allow local farmers to grow rice two times a year. We had too little time [in the run-up to the by-election] to explain to the voters. From now on, we will let them know that if they vote for us, they will get those benefits. We are now in the government and we will focus on the benefits constituents will get.

We also understand about people's sympathy for the former prime minister. And we are not against his return to the country. He could come back tomorrow but he opted not to return. We were part of the people who made it possible for him to come back and kiss the motherland. As for the switch of political camps, we have to explain that we want the country to go ahead at a time of a deadlock. If we did not switch camps, there could be a coup again.

It seems your party intends to stay in power for as long as possible.

As a coalition partner, we can push for implementation of policies and make people aware of the benefits. Even if the government is short-lived, we will announce our policy platforms and ask for voters to give us an opportunity to resume those projects.

Do you think Thaksin's phone-in address would pose problems for your party in future elections as well?

A part of people believe us while there are others who sympathise with Thaksin.

That means Thaksin remains popular while Newin is branded a betrayer. What is Bhum Jai Thai going to do about it?

Newin is not a traitor; that's an untrue accusation. Rumours were spread and leaflets and CDs were distributed, which made damaging and false allegations against Newin. We believe the trend does not occur in all areas. We must let the people know that they should make a choice for their own future and happiness.

As a person who used to work with Thaksin, what do you think is the reason people still love him?

For me, it's rather sympathy. Isaan people tend to be sympathising.

There was some suspicion that certain coalition parties secretly worked with Pheu Thai to undermine Bhum Jai Thai's growth.

I don't think so and I don't have any information about that. I think a lot of the locals still have sympathy for Thaksin. We have found no evidence to point to any plan to prevent Bhum Jai Thai's growth in that area. But we got clear proof of a campaign to smear Newin. People were told to choose between Newin and Thaksin, and they believed the explosion near a Pheu Thai rally site was the work of Bhum Jai Thai.

Do you think Newin is a weak point for your party?

In fact, he is a strong point. That explains why he was chosen as the main target for the attack. They smeared Newin to make people sympathise with Thaksin.

Was the loss caused by the fact that the government has been unable to make obvious achievements, unlike when Thaksin was prime minister?

That was a secondary factor. In fact the government has done a lot and is going to do more. The major factor is the desire for Thaksin to return home. Almost all members of Thaksin's family went into the area to join the election rally and meet people in the villages. They went as far as that. But people who voted for Pheu Thai may have to wait and see if Thaksin will be able to come back.

Do you think the election result will cause possible defections from Pheu Thai, especially Isaan MPs, to have second thoughts?

There are a number of them who want to join us but they don't want to make it public now. They are afraid of being expelled from their current party.

So far none of them have told us they have changed their minds. By the way, it was just a by-election.

Is your party going to make any changes in the campaign tactics to deal with Thaksin's phone-ins in future elections?

People will know later if Thaksin's phone-ins can bring about any changes in their lives. We don't have to make any changes. Did Thaksin make any phone-in before? People would finally know if they would get anything from the election result. I don't think voters are the same in other areas. We still have time to explain to them and let them decide whether to choose a better future.

What did Bhum Jai Thai learn from the recent election?

We have learned that we got more than 40,000 votes from the area, which was a success for a new political party. The loss taught us to work harder to build up confidence in our party.

What is Bhum Jai Thai going to do next?

We will try to get closer to people and prove our worth by creating benefits for them and for the country. Our goal is to have as many MPs as possible [in the next general elections]. If we become the political party with the most MPs, we are ready to take the prime minister's job. It depends on the people and how much they trust us. We will accept whatever they give us.

Is Chaovarat Chanweerakul still the party leader in the next general elections?

The party leader will still be Chaovarat, with no changes at all.