New Economics Party MP and former party leader Mingkwan Saengsuwan announced his resignation in an address to parliament during the mid-year censure debate last Thursday (17 February 2022).

Mingkwan Saengsuwan (Picture files)

During the debate, Mingkwan said that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has stayed in office long enough, while the Thai economy has been in continuous decline during the last 8 years, and he raised questions about Prayut’s vision and leadership.

He said that the failures of the Prayut government have left the country in debt, with increases in both household and public debt, while its mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to increasing inequality.

Mingkwan also asked what Gen Prayut had done to make other MPs in his party change their position, since the New Economics MPs had previously agreed that they would not join the government coalition. But the other MPs in his party voted for Gen Prayut to become Prime Minister. 

Mingkwan then announced his resignation, saying that he has not been happy during his 2 years as MP, and that he had asked the New Economics Party to expel him but the party would not. He said that he will continue in politics and will prepare for the next election.

Mingkwan’s resignation adds another vote to the government coalition. As leader of the New Economics party, which won 6 party-list seats in the 2019 general election, Mingkwan was reported to oppose to joining the government coalition led by Palang Pracharat Party, but other MPs in his party were ready to do so. In May 2019, Mingkwan resigned as party leader, but remained an MP.

While Mingkwan voted against the 2020 national budget bill, the 5 other New Economics MPs voted for it. In January 2020, the party executive board announced its decision to leave the opposition coalition and operate independently.

On Friday (18 February 2022), a day after Mingkwan announced his resignation, New Economics Party leader Manoon Siwapiromrat said during a press conference that the party has decided to join the government coalition to “protect the monarchy.”

Manoon said that the party decided to leave the opposition coalition and join the government because the party wants to protect the monarchy and because their position differs from other opposition parties. He also said that if they stayed in the opposition coalition, they would not be able to put their policies into practice.

He insisted that the remaining New Economics MPs had not been bought, but joined the government coalition mainly to make a stand about issues relating to the monarchy, and to work on their economic policies.

An announcement was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday (21 February 2022) that Mingkwan is to be replaced by the next person on New Economics Party list, Jiraphon Nakdilok.