Abhisit Vejjajiva clarifies misunderstandings about Weeraphong's resignation from the Democrat Party, criticizes the government's ineffective handling of the energy crisis and inflation, advises the Finance Minister to address problems precisely, critiques the Prime Minister's adherence to private-sector management styles, and warns the government against overconfidence in its authority.
15 Apr 2026 GMT+7 Abhisit Vejjajiva, party-list Member of Parliament and leader of the Democrat Party, gave an interview on the "Meet at Noon" program on the Ma Phow Ban Facebook page regarding former Democrat Party deputy leader Weeraphong Prapha's resignation from the party to accept the position of Thailand's trade representative as part of the advisory team to Commerce Minister Supachai Sutthammanoon. He said they agreed that to avoid accusations, one must resign from the party when taking such roles. However, when news came out, there were contentious and distorted statements claiming that one should contribute to the nation rather than remain in the party.
He clarified that the resignation was necessary because each party must act in the nation's best interest. The issue is that if a Democrat Party member holds an important official position under Prime Minister's Office regulations, with status equivalent to deputy prime minister or minister and receives an official salary—even if not the final decision-maker—they must clearly define negotiation frameworks regarding free trade areas, which have both positive and negative aspects. Therefore, opposition criticism has limits. Serving the nation can be done in administration or oversight, but whichever role one takes must be executed fully.
Meanwhile, Abhisit also assessed the economic situation and criticized the government's work, saying it has been slow to respond to the energy crisis and misdirected in tackling inflation. The rapid deregulation of fuel prices without supporting measures has led to the waste of over 40 billion baht from the oil fund. He noted that the government's relief measures amounting to only 2 billion baht are very limited compared to the impact. He recommended urgently restructuring energy pricing, implementing windfall tax mechanisms, and advised the Prime Minister to change the country's management style, which is overly focused on private-sector approaches.
Furthermore, he said the government should expedite legislation to reallocate budget spending, shifting funds from less essential projects to support systems that help citizens and reduce excise tax on fuel. Regarding the rising refining margins, the government should impose a windfall tax or special fees to collect excess profits from refineries into the oil fund. This is a global principle adopted by many countries and is preferable to laws forcing refinery price cuts, which may create liquidity problems and slow production.
He also called on the government to urgently review the power purchase formula linked to global gas prices, which has allowed private companies to earn high profit margins as gas prices rise, even though actual production costs may not correspond. The Energy Minister has so far avoided clarifying this issue.
Abhisit further remarked that this economic crisis differs fundamentally from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, as it stems from cost-push inflation impacting households and producers directly, not foreign debt problems. Therefore, solutions should avoid measures that depress the economy to control inflation. He recommended abandoning broad stimulus measures like “Khon La Khrueng” and instead directing budgets to targeted support for vulnerable groups, low-income earners, and the transport sector bearing heavy costs, which would better address the situation.
"Part of the government's problems arises because the Prime Minister may be stuck with a private-sector management style focused solely on maximizing profits, dividing tasks among departments to handle and finish. However, governing a country involves diverse and often conflicting social goals. When disagreements arise between ministries, such as Commerce and Energy, the national leader must intervene to resolve issues and provide clarity, not allow prices to float freely. I advise the Prime Minister to communicate policy directions more with the public rather than engage in political rebuttals," he said.
Asked about analyses of this government's tenure, Abhisit said stability depends not on parliamentary votes but on performance in managing public hardships, and that corruption and ongoing legal concerns are factors that could bring the government down quickly. If the government becomes complacent or overconfident in its power, it could harm itself further. Nevertheless, during the Songkran festival, he offered encouragement to the people and wished the Prime Minister success in leading the country’s problem-solving efforts. He said everyone hopes the government succeeds by upholding the public interest, honesty, diligence, and commitment to serving the people with dedication.