Question: Yesterday Samak characterised you as an underweight, unworthy to debate him. Do you perceive your young age and political experience as a handicap?
Abhisit: I believe the debate is a right of the people to access information. It is an international norm for election candidates to debate policy issues. Under Samak’s logic, of ruling out a debate between two candidates with unequal experiences, the United States could never organise a presidential debate between an incumbent office holder and a challenger.

Question: In your opinion, why did Samak want to avoid you?
Abhisit: Possibly, he was afraid of losing control. I think he tried to cite my age and experience as a pretext to cover up his feeling of insecurity.
I have always asked the people to render their judgement if they want changes from the oldstyled poli¬ticking that led to abuse of power in the past five to six years. The December 23 balloting will be a chance to overcome the political tur¬moil.
In my view, a debate is a venue to showcase vision statements. It should not be compared to a fight or a boxing match. Politicians must demonstrate that they are ready to answer any questions posed to them.

Question: Many see you as young and inexperienced.
Abhisit: I have been working with many veteran politicians, such as Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silapaarcha. I don’t find any prob¬lems as I accord due honour to every¬one. Let’s suppose I become the next prime minister, I plan to govern the country by a coalition alliance forged under a new style of leadership and not to strike a deal based on vested interests.
Coalition allies are expected to agree to the Democrat Party’s peo¬ple agendas, such as free compulso¬ry education and a pension scheme for the elderly. I may allocate the agriculture portfolio to Chart Thai under the condition that my coali¬tion partner will agree to implement a shared goal of the coalition gov¬ernment.

Question: Do you think coalition allies will adopt the policies designed by the Democrats?
Abhisit: If the people give their mandate to the Democrats to form the government, other parties have to respect the voice of the people. Should the people opt for other par¬ties, like Chart Thai, I will heed their judgement.

Question: Once the balloting is complete, attention seems to be focusing on the negotiations for power sharing and not the campaign platforms.
Abhisit: This was true in the past. Politics has changed. Recent opin¬ion polls have indicated that the peo¬ple are now interested in policy issues. The people are fed up with factional infighting and power struggles. They will vote on December 23 in order to chart their future. They are concerned about their education opportunities, the sluggish economy and the southern insurgency.

Question: Democrat campaign posters often depict your picture with villagers. Is this because you are concerned about your image with the people, as you grew up abroad?
Abhisit: Am I a farang? I have always cherished Thai culture even though I spent 10 years of my life abroad. I am a shy and quiet person, hence I may appear a bit awkward whenever I meet with my con¬stituents. But I have been reelect¬ed six times and stay close to the peo¬ple through my extensive trips across the country.

Question: If you are elected to lead the country, what do you expect to achieve in the first six months?
Abhisit: I will definitely have a government running complete with policies and a timeframe for imple¬mentation. For an urgent issue like the southern insurgency, I should have mechanisms in place to tackle the problems.

Question: You are known to be a smooth talker. But will you manage to be a decisive leader?
Abhisit: I see myself as a good lis¬tener. I try to involve other people in the decisionmaking process. I fac¬tor in differing opinions. When the time comes to make a decision, I will not hesitate. I have proved myself decisive in several critical incidents. I made many decisions when I was not in power – this is, to me, a tougher call than giving out orders from a position of power.