The People's Party held its first shadow cabinet meeting, with "Teng" emphasizing its role as a mechanism to elevate government oversight. The party warned that the land bridge project risks repeating the Eastern Economic Corridor's experience by placing Thailand under the shadow of great powers, and pointed out that issuing a loan decree risks unprincipled use of borrowed funds.
On 6 May 2026 GMT+7, the People's Party, led by party leader Natthapong Ruangpanyawut, held its first shadow cabinet meeting, emphasizing that the shadow cabinet functions as an agenda-driven mechanism. (agenda-based) to enhance government oversight and offer policy alternatives for public consideration. The meeting concluded with the following points.
1. The party called on the government to compensate the transport and fishing sectors, which bear the highest energy costs yet have been neglected. The energy crisis impacts various sectors differently according to their cost structures. The shadow cabinet urged the government to manage the country using empirical data to maximize the efficiency of budget allocations for compensation, ensuring no neglect of fishing and transport operators, who form the economy's upstream and influence consumer goods prices. Representatives from both sectors attended the meeting to share their hardships and discuss targeted and appropriate assistance.
2. The party warned that the land bridge project risks repeating the Eastern Economic Corridor's pattern and may place Thailand under the influence of great powers if the government proceeds based on geopolitical factors, as the financial rationale lacks viability. They stressed caution against relinquishing key economic and environmental futures to any single great power.
3. The party expressed concern over the preparation of a 400-billion-baht loan decree, warning it risks unprincipled spending—borrowing to distribute funds short-term for popularity without readiness for prolonged conflict scenarios. The shadow cabinet proposed that the government act transparently and prudently, avoid scattergun budgeting, and present a clear public plan for debt repayment.
The People's Party affirmed that the shadow cabinet mechanism will operate in parallel with the government to demonstrate that governance centered on public interest can improve Thai people's quality of life on a weekly basis.