The Democrat Party's deputy spokesperson countered Bhumjaithai leaders after they insinuated that the two-term former prime minister was slow to develop his hometown. He affirmed that "Chuan Leekpai" upholds principles of fairness, developing the entire country equally without preferential treatment for provinces with MPs from his own party.
On 6 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Natkan Chuchana, Deputy Spokesperson of the Democrat Party and assistant to Chuan Leekpai, publicly responded to comments by Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, a Bhumjaithai party leader, who implied that the southern region was underdeveloped despite having a prime minister from the area for two consecutive terms. Mr. Natkan stated that if this was a reference to former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai from Trang Province, it reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of his working principles.
Mr. Natkan explained that throughout the more than six years Chuan served as prime minister, he adhered to the belief that a national leader must develop all regions equally, not just those provinces supporting his own party. This is evident in nationwide projects such as four-lane highways across Thailand, the initiation of double-track railways, and the expansion of universities into 11 provinces, truly distributing opportunities to all citizens.
Regarding the development of Trang Province, Mr. Natkan emphasized that Chuan laid substantial foundations in educational infrastructure, including technical colleges and the Prince of Songkla University Trang Campus, as well as securing over 2 billion baht in budget for Trang Airport during the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration.
"Some residents of Trang may be unaware of these because Chuan never sought to claim credit or curry favor with the public, unlike some politicians who do, even though those budgets come entirely from taxpayers," said the deputy spokesperson. , Deputy Spokesperson of the Democrat Party stated.
Mr. Natkan concluded by reaffirming the key principle that regardless of who is in government or whether a province has MPs from the ruling coalition, budget allocations must be made fairly based on the area's needs and priorities, not influenced by the number of MPs held. He cited the 1.2 billion baht Thung Song grade-separated interchange project as an example, which Chuan advocated to ensure justice for southern residents after past governments neglected the region.