Abhisit reiterated his concern about the nation's condition and interference in independent organizations. He urged the opposition to perform their duties fully, expressing confidence that no one would allow the country to remain in wrongdoing. He also sarcastically remarked on missing the chance to verify whether the food at Pullman Hotel was as delicious as the Prime Minister claimed.
At 9:30 a.m. on 29 August 2026, a seminar was held at Parliament under the project 'Opposition Leaders in the House of Representatives Meet the People,' titled “Thai Politics in a Crisis of Confidence: The Truth Society Seeks.” Originally planned at the Pullman Bangkok Hotel, the venue was changed to Parliament. Abhisit Vejjajiva, a party-list MP and leader of the Democrat Party, participated as a speaker. He began by jokingly criticizing the opposition leader for having the opposition whip invite him, which he accepted, thinking he would get to test whether the Prime Minister’s claim that the Pullman Hotel food was delicious was true. He said he accepted but ultimately did not get to try it. Former opposition leader and Nan MP Chonlanan Srikaew from the Pheu Thai Party suggested ordering food from Pullman, but Abhisit declined. He then encouraged all opposition members, saying that to determine whether a country is democratic, the key is whether it has an opposition, as without one, power becomes consolidated.
Abhisit continued that encouragement is needed because Thai society today is kind and conciliatory but does not fully understand or accept the opposition’s role. People often ask why the opposition objects to everything, but when the opposition agrees with the government, it receives little attention. He emphasized the importance of the opposition’s role in highlighting that most societal issues have two sides. When asked if he was worried, he said he was very concerned about the country's condition and current system. Previously, the fear was about power consolidation via parliamentary majorities, which would make parliament meaningless. The Thai system is unusual compared to other parliamentary governments, where clear boundaries exist on critical issues like budget bills and no-confidence debates, which government MPs must follow. On other issues, MPs may disagree without party whips enforcing votes. In Thailand, party-line voting is enforced almost always, removing checks and balances from parliament and placing them with independent bodies, as political self-monitoring is not strong enough.
“We hope independent organizations will remain neutral by maintaining ties to the people somehow, but they instead turn to using the Senate, which has faced problems throughout all eras. Honestly, the Senate is not neutral; it may start neutral but becomes biased and builds power networks. What is frightening today is how far this has gone, with many phenomena appearing in the justice process, making oversight very difficult. It seems like freedom rights are being used collectively to overthrow the government,” he said.
He added that he did not understand why Supachai Jaisamut, a party-list MP from the Bhumjaithai Party, felt compelled to respond to him, jokingly suggesting Supachai should calm his stomach. Abhisit expressed his concern about the country's state but said he was not worried about performing opposition duties. He recalled past struggles against the Pheu Thai Party, involving significant challenges both in parliament and beyond, but chose not to revisit old conflicts. The Democrat Party always emphasizes fulfilling its duties. Therefore, he urged no one to fear carrying out their roles and to use all legal and constitutional rights fully. Ultimately, he believes no one will allow the country to stand on incorrect grounds,” Abhisit concluded.
