Olarn warns the Dom Som faction to stop belittling people from the provinces, noting that the 'urban privilege' mindset is a barrier to electoral success.
On 9 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Olarn Thinbangtiaw, a political science lecturer at Burapha University, posted on Facebook analyzing the aftermath of the People's Party's crushing defeat in provincial areas, despite sweeping seats in Bangkok. He cautioned that supporters should reconsider structural issues rather than blame the majority of the population.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Olarn also said some supporters explain the defeat by disparaging provincial people as easily swayed or lacking access to democracy. This reflects a mindset of 'intellectual privilege of city dwellers'—believing urban residents are more rational and educated. Such attitudes, which deny provincial voters' political autonomy, resemble traditional elite rhetoric that scorned the public, except now voiced by groups claiming to be the 'progressive democratic faction.'
The political science lecturer added that rejecting the political logic of people outside major cities denies democracy’s fundamental principle of equal citizen dignity. If the People's Party and its supporters continue to view Bangkok as the sole intellectual center and look down on the majority populace, this defeat will not be accidental but a structural failure likely to repeat due to attitudes hostile to most of the country.