“Ekniti” delivered a major speech for the Bhumjaithai Party, revealing his decision to leave a promising civil service career to volunteer to lead the nation out of crisis. He affirmed there will be no populist policies that create debt burdens for future generations, promoting the “10 Plus” plan and “10 Medicine Pills” policy, pledging to serve the Thai people with honor and dignity.
At 18:05 on 6 February 2026, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok. Mr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Bhumjaithai Party campaign assistant, gave a major closing speech for the Bhumjaithai Party ahead of the 8 February 2026 election, under the theme “Choose Bhumjaithai, Get Professionals to Transform the Economy and Overcome the Global Crisis #TeamThailand.” He said he never expected to enter politics but left his civil service career—where he had six years left, including a chance to become permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance—because his mother expressed concern about the country. He decided to abandon everything, fearing another crisis. Having experienced the 1997 Asian financial crisis, seeing unemployment, failed businesses, and friends forced to drop out of school, he felt Thailand cannot allow such events to happen again. Although many Thais talk about these issues, few act. He volunteered to act, warning that if everyone only talks and no one acts, Thailand will face a crisis.
What worries him is that three global credit rating agencies have warned that Thailand’s fiscal stability is negative and poor, with a high risk of crisis. So, in his first 73 days in government, the first action he took was to recover debts owed to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), which had not been repaid for years. He created a fiscal sustainability plan to prove Thailand is not as poor as critics think. Starting work on 30 September 2025, he asked the prime minister to use remaining funds to repay past debts. Then, on 13 November 2025, the global rating agency S&P upgraded Thailand’s credit rating to stable. He has no regrets about his work saving Thailand from crisis.
Mr. Ekniti continued, saying Thailand is like a car stuck in a rut. The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) reported that Thailand’s economy would barely grow by 0.3 percent in Q4, which means hardship for ordinary people—loss of income, insufficient earnings, and rising debt both inside and outside the formal system. He asked the prime minister to implement projects like “Khon La Khrueng Plus,” “Thai Teaw Dee Mee Khuen,” “Secondary City Tourism,” and accelerated public spending to improve government spending efficiency. These efforts raised the Q4 economic growth forecast from 0.3 to 1.8 percent, giving people more income. This is why he does not regret leaving civil service.
Additionally, there were programs to quickly resolve debts and support SMEs’ liquidity. He arranged for the Revenue Department to refund 60 billion baht to SMEs in Q4. All the money spent was from approved budgets; he did not cause new debt but used funds efficiently to stimulate the economy repeatedly. He did everything while maintaining fiscal discipline. As head of the economic team, he affirmed that Bhumjaithai will not implement populist policies because such policies create debts that burden future generations. He called on all political parties to avoid populism and expressed pride in helping lift Thailand’s economy out of the rut.
“But I am still uneasy and worried. Foreigners say Thailand will be Asia’s new patient. I cannot accept that. I have taken Thai businesses out of the ICU, but I remain concerned about how to strengthen them to compete globally and pull the country out of the rut. I volunteered to continue working. I had the opportunity to lead the private sector team—Team Thailand—to bring Thai business and government to the world stage at Davos, Switzerland. I saw the world fragmenting and witnessed powerful leaders using every means to rally allies. Where will Thailand stand? We must find allies. That is why I led Team Thailand to negotiate and secure a seat at the global table. I was pleased to attract investment. The most powerful message at Davos, which resonated back to Dao Kanong, was: If you do not sit at the negotiation table on the global stage, you will become the food they consume. I have proven that in 73 days I led the team to the negotiation table and attracted investment of no less than 500 billion baht. We must also help Thai people develop skills with new technology.”
Meanwhile, he and the Bhumjaithai economic team have developed the “10 Plus” economic policy to help the ailing economy recover. The first five “medicine pills” to make Thais wealthier include adopting modern technology in agriculture, using electronics to promote Thai products, green economy and clean energy, applying AI plus free AI training for Thais, and speeding up investment approval without delays. Last year, Thailand’s investment promotion requests reached 1.8 trillion baht, a 63 percent increase. The other five pills aim to ensure equitable income distribution rather than wealth concentration by empowering small earners through online sales skills training, creating income without relying on hope, the “Community Plus” project bringing jobs to communities, increasing opportunities for Thai SMEs to avoid foreign exploitation, the “Senior Plus” project training elderly people to use AI for income generation without burdening their children, and improving access to medicines.
“My 10 Plus economic policy and 10 Medicine Pills aim for inclusive, quality economic growth at full potential while maintaining fiscal discipline. The last train is coming; this may be Thailand’s final chance. Being Asia’s sick patient, if we do not rise to make Thailand the strong Asian nation standing on its own, we risk being left behind. That is why I ask for the chance to continue working. Why Bhumjaithai? Because it gives me the opportunity to serve the people and the country. Few are capable, committed, and truly dedicated to the nation. I volunteer to serve here. I have worked 73 days; if reversed, that is 37 days. I ask for votes for number 37. I promise to work for the Thai people and Thailand with the honor of Ekniti.”
