"Dashai" slammed the government for flaunting electric cars as toys for the rich on a day when villagers can't afford to fill their fuel tanks, complaining that the government has left people to bear unbearable burdens.
At 12:40 PM on 7 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Dashai Ekpathapee, MP for Lampang District 2 from the Kla Party, spoke about the cost of living crisis, especially the soaring diesel prices directly impacting rural citizens who still depend on diesel pickup trucks for their livelihoods. Although fuel supplies are currently sufficient at all stations, the real problem lies in prices that exceed the means of grassroots people, particularly farmers, merchants, and informal workers who bear daily fuel costs. People in my home provinces still rely on diesel pickups for work. High diesel prices are not just numbers—they mean survival for the entire country.
Mr. Dashai added that he saw Mr. Chaichanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, praising Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for using an electric car to reduce energy use. While this is commendable, it is a luxury only the wealthy can afford. Ordinary citizens, especially the poor, have no such option because electric cars remain too expensive, and rural infrastructure is not yet ready. Most Thais still struggle with traditional energy costs.
"This is not merely an oil price crisis but a crisis of the government's failure in national management. Who exactly is the government managing the country for? While grassroots people are barely breathing, the government pushes the dream of electric cars, which most cannot afford. Some don't even know where to find money to fill fuel to get to work tomorrow," he said. Mr. Dashai said.
He continued that the current situation is eroding the entire grassroots economy because when fuel prices rise, transportation costs increase, product prices go up, and ultimately the entire population bears the unavoidable burden. The villagers ask, "Have you become rich enough yet?"