Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the prominent leader of the Progressive Movement and former head of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, has asserted that Thailand’s economic woes are inextricably linked to two decades of political instability.
He called for urgent constitutional amendments and a sweeping reform of the national budget to address the nation’s deep-seated issues.
Speaking at the “55 Years NATION: Breaking Thailand’s Deadlock” event on Friday in Bangkok, Thanathorn argued that attempting to fix the economy without tackling the underlying political conflicts and power structures that have hampered the country is simply “impossible.”
He highlighted the absence of societal consensus, a lack of effective checks and balances, and the pervasive use of “legal warfare” as political tools. This environment, he claimed, prevents any government from achieving stable governance.
“Old problems like political corruption remain unresolved, and new problems like ‘legal warfare’ have emerged,” Thanathorn stated.
He explained that mechanisms designed for oversight in the 1997 Constitution are now being “used as tools for political destruction.”
He further suggested that “a certain group of people” are actively trying to “stop time” politically to preserve their own social order and economic interests, creating a significant barrier to Thailand’s adaptation to global changes.
Thanathorn painted a stark picture of Thailand’s economic decline, presenting GDP growth figures over three decades:
- 1990s: Average annual growth of 7%.
- 2000s: Fell to 5.3% per year.
- 2010s: Dropped further to 3.2% per year.
- Current decade (2020s): A mere 2% average annual growth.