Abhisit vows to lead Thais out of poverty if Democrats win election
Abhisit Vejjajiva unveils Democrats’ campaign theme, pledging to lift Thais out of poverty and tackle debt, education and PM2.5.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday vowed to lead Thais out of poverty if his party wins the upcoming election, saying a Democrat-led government would help people move beyond the daily struggle of simply getting by.
Speaking at the Democrat Party headquarters, Abhisit unveiled the party’s official campaign theme, built around a wordplay on two Thai phrases: “Thon hai jai” (to endure life, day by day) and “Thai hai jon” (Thais no longer poor).
Campaign slogan built on Thai wordplay
Abhisit said the slogan was meant to reflect the Democrats’ mission to help people escape what he described as a “thon hai jai” existence — living from day to day with little security.
“All Democrat candidates, including the three prime ministerial candidates, must recognise this mission,” he said.
“Thais will not have to ‘thon hai jai’, but they will be ‘thai hai jon’,” Abhisit added.
Survey highlights frustration over debt, prices and unfair competition
Abhisit said the slogan was drawn from an online survey conducted by the party through social media, in which people were invited to share what they no longer wanted to tolerate.
He said the party received tens of thousands of responses expressing similar frustrations, including rising living costs, difficulty making ends meet and poverty.
Farmers, he said, reported feeling burdened by falling crop prices, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) said they were struggling with what they viewed as unfair competition from cheaper imported products.
He added that many respondents complained about high interest rates charged by informal lenders and loan sharks.
Concerns extend to PM2.5 and education reform
Abhisit said many also voiced concern about their children’s future, citing problems such as PM2.5 air pollution and what they described as an outdated education system.
“Now, it’s time for the Democrat Party to announce that Thailand must no longer tolerate these issues,” he said.
He argued that the party was prepared to pursue change because it had “clean hands” and no conflicts of interest, describing the Democrats as a political institution capable of delivering solutions so people would not have to “just live and breathe day by day”.
Abhisit added that, if the Democrats win the next election, the party would not focus only on economic measures. Education reform, he said, would also be a priority, arguing that better schooling and skills would help people break out of poverty.
