"Yotchanan" He states his goal 200 MPs If unsuccessful, he will collaborate with like-minded parties, emphasizing rapid debt reduction alongside using science and technology to solve national problems, asking for the opportunity to make his aspirations happen.
Prof. Dr. Yotchanan Wongsawat, Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidate, spoke on the program "Open Up with Pakpoom" about the case involvingAnutin Charnvirakul,Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, who praised Prof. Dr. Yotchanan as highly knowledgeable and capable. He recalled consulting with him during his tenure as Minister of Public Health when Yotchanan was a university professor and medical device developer. They met several times to discuss promoting the medical device industry, as Thailand hasexcellent medical servicein treatment, among the best worldwide. However, when encounteringnew techniquesin medicine, if we develop and invent medical devices ourselves and sell them worldwide,
Regarding future cooperation, he confirmed that they can work together. Each party has its own policies,and the key to working together is to find a political party that shares the same vision and is considered suitable by the people. This guides decisions on collaboration.When asked which parties they might join to form government coalitions, whether orange or blue blocs, Prof. Dr. Yotchanan said there are no restrictions on alliances. Pheu Thai can ally with any party, provided their principles and policies align with Pheu Thai’s direction and party spirit, as well as public expectations.
Regarding Pheu Thai's expectations for this election,
how many MPs they expect to win,or whether constituencies might shift to other parties,Prof. Dr. Yotchanan said this relates to political stability. Since 2023, they have experienced challenges pushing their studied policies. Some think they have two years, but actually only one year each under Prime Ministers Srettha and Paetongtarn,each lasting one year.Countries with annual prime minister changes find it difficult to implement certain policies because legislation and other processes are required; it's not just a matter of deciding to do something.Ministers must work within each ministry and department, which takes considerable time.“Our lack of political strength has caused significant problems. Therefore, we set a target of 200 MPs to form a politically capable government able to push our policies successfully. We separate our goals from expected outcomes: our target is political stability; without it, governance is difficult. If we cannot achieve stability, we must choose to ally with parties sharing the same ideology and policy development direction,”he said.When asked if reaching 100 MPs is possible, Prof. Dr. Yotchanan replied that time is needed to prove this. He believes that if the public and everyone opens their minds and listens, since his launch he has communicated in detail that if given a chance to be seen as Yotchanan himself, with his lifelong experience and goals, and if party management allows him to enter, he is ready to realize what he wants to achieve. This reflects his sincere feelings.
When asked what problems he would address first if he became the coalition leader and prime minister in 4-5 months, Prof. Dr. Yotchanan said the problems are interconnected and require simultaneous policies. Besides the economy, the environment ministry is also an economic ministry because producing some goods that may harm the environment causes loan issues and export problems. It is thus difficult to succeed in tackling one issue at a time. He proposes enabling people to break free from burdens such as debt and daily expenses, prioritizing consumption, transportation, and housing policies to reduce living costs immediately. Secondly, Thailand’s potentials in agriculture, industry, manufacturing, and services must be enhanced right away using existing science and technology as the backbone to increase value in all sectors.
Thirdly, foreign investment must be linked, but with a difference: technology transfer must be hosted in Thailand, not just production bases. Whoever brings that expertise must be understood and balanced fairly.Research and development are essential to have our own technology, focusing on national structure and the overall picture to solve interconnected problems.Regarding polls showing people want economic and livelihood solutions first, if he becomes government, he stressed, “If debt is eliminated and necessary daily expenses are reduced immediately, people can recover. Then they will think about startinga new lifewith SMEs. The government has
plansto support them, includingseed varietiesand more,” Prof. Dr. Yotchanan concluded.