Pita Limjaroenrat’s Vision for Thailand — New York Southeast Asia Network

In an article by The Diplomat, Richard Yarrow and Saly Sirothphiphat speak to Pita Limjaroenrat, a Member of Parliament of Thailand who led the Move Forward Party (MFP) into Thailand’s May 2023 election, about the way forward for the MFP and his vision for Thailand’s future.

“We could compromise on prioritization, the pace of change, but not the reason for our existence and values that we bring,” Pita said, “…[B]ecause there’s always fighting against the old political order or fighting against an inertia, we need to push ahead with our ideas so that people rally behind us to help.”
“If we compromise our values or compromise our political integrity or accountability – like, I take ballots and then slap people in the face and think, I can do whatever I want – then I would be better off not being a politician because it’s not a lifelong occupation, it’s a privilege given by the people over a short time. I didn’t plan to [be in politics] for more than 10 years anyway. I have no regrets about not compromising on my integrity and my values.”