Nattapong criticized the government for lacking sincerity and refusing to clarify doubts in Parliament, pointing out that appointing Phiphat to lead the Center for Oil Policy Management (COPM) was justified by expertise but may involve conflicts of interest.
On 26 March 2026, at the People’s Party headquarters, Nattapong Ruangpanyawut, party leader, along with Veerayut Kanchuchat, deputy leader, held a press conference regarding the 6-baht increase in oil prices overnight.
Nattapong stated that yesterday (25 March), Parliament considered an urgent motion on this issue. Today, citizens nationwide are suffering due to a sudden 6-baht per liter increase in oil prices. Previously, the People’s Party consistently called for better management, urging the government to be more truthful with the public and to manage affairs in a way that builds public trust.
“The House of Representatives is the best forum for the government to clarify and resolve doubts, including potential conflicts of interest involving government officials such as Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, who also serves as COPM director. Questions have been raised about whether the government had prior knowledge of its policies and timing of the price hike, and considering the minister's possible involvement in energy businesses, there are suspicions that appointing such a person based on claimed expertise may actually be exploitation or corruption of power with conflicts of interest.” "
Nattapong also said that although the government has repeatedly claimed there was never a shortage of oil, many areas have seen citizens queueing for hours to fill fuel. Authorities are still searching for the main ringleader behind the masked oil hoarder, while police have arrested and announced the capture of minor oil hoarders. Therefore, it is believed that someone is benefiting behind the scenes from this situation amid the public’s hardship.
However, the government chose to provide explanations through controlled media channels rather than in Parliament, an important forum where it could present facts and regain public trust. During the parliamentary session, efforts were made to urge government representatives directly involved, including Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Minister Phiphat, to stand and clarify by invoking their rights to address members’ concerns. Yet neither of them rose to explain; only some government MPs spoke on the matter.
This led to the conclusion at the end of the debate that the current crisis is not only about the situation itself but more importantly the public’s loss of trust, which affects many people. Questions arise as to why oil prices suddenly increased and who benefits from the price differences. Was there prior energy hoarding? These are critical issues. The government has yet to restore public confidence, and Nattapong sees no clear solution to managing the crisis back to normalcy.