Srettha Thavisin, president and chief executive of real estate developer Sansiri Plc, could be one of the opposition Pheu Thai Party's prime ministerial candidates in the general election next year.
Mr Srettha last month confirmed his allegiance to the party, writing "I'm already with Pheu Thai" in a response on Twitter to a user who said Mr Srettha would be popular with voters.
Following his clear statement that he is indeed with the main opposition party, which was accompanied by his critical views on the current administration and its leader, the Bangkok Post in a special interview asked him to detail his views on how Thailand's business, social and political sectors could be further improved.
With an even grimmer economic outlook next year, and Thailand looking set to hold the election in May, the key policies of each party to woo voters will concern mainly economic issues, he said. And the new government is expected to deal with them more effectively.
Bread and butter issues
Economic policies will be a key factor in which party voters will support to lead the country.
"Personally, I believe we will have a new leader next year although the same old leader will fully be involved in the country's politics," Mr Srettha said.
"And despite the [grim] economic outlook, Thailand's economic situation will become even better than now."
He said he pays a great deal of attention to the economic situation because his business for one relies mainly on the country's gross domestic product, implying the GDP is the government's main responsibility.
The economy isn't actually his top concern but socioeconomic disparities are, he said.
Inequality, such as in accessing Covid-19 vaccines and education opportunities, are examples of the country's problems that are more difficult to solve, he said.
These and other key social problems have made many young people give up and become desperate to live in another country, he said.
Instead of accusing them of holding a grudge against their own nation, the government should provide sufficient space for them to express their opinions about the problems they face, he said.
One example of inequality in education opportunities is the tax-free privilege given to international schools that charge students a million baht a year in tuition fees, he said.
The government should at the very least force these schools to give back to the country by establishing a quota for underprivileged students so they can have a chance to study in these international schools, he said.
Change-maker
Speaking of the new government leader's potential to lead the country in a better direction, Mr Srettha said he believes that person must dare to introduce tough changes for the betterment of the country.
He was referring to the so-called stock tax, a system he believes will be a key government tool to optimise budgets to fund the work to reduce disparities in society.
With fewer socioeconomic disparities, the country's overall happiness index should improve while other economic mechanisms will be able to function better, he said.
"Don't ask me how to resolve all these [socioeconomic] problems because if I knew I would have become a politician already and volunteered to fix them," he said.
On one hand, Mr Srettha said he believes his knowledge and experience in running a business may be applied to the management of the country, even though the scale and composition of the two are different.
In a company, a leader manages shareholders, staff, customers and society, while in managing the country there are more elements involved, such as the military, royal institution, non-governmental organisations and the media and business sectors, he said.
On the other hand, he admitted that success in business management doesn't always translate to success in managing politics on the national level.
Being a leader of a business organisation may mean being the boss while being the leader of a government means being a person who serves the public and has to listen to different opinions, he said.
A truly democratic prime minister must be chosen by voters and listen to the opinions of all sides, including the military, he said. Like it or not, the military is an important part of Thailand and it deserves respect, he added.
The media is another crucial part of the nation as the government cannot live without communicating policies to the public, he said.
In terms of political stability, he said, every party wants a landslide victory to ensure its stability.
But in reality, political stability tends to rely more upon how well the ruling party manages its coalition partners and maintains a balance between protecting the interest of voters and that of the coalition parties, he said.
High voter turnout urged
Mr Srettha said he expects a voter turnout of 80–90% in the upcoming election while saying that whether Pheu Thai will win a landslide victory, as it aims to, depends on its supporters.
Personally, he said, he'd like to encourage voters to consider solely supporting a single party, whether it be Pheu Thai, Move Forward Party or Palang Pracharath Party.
"So, for the general election, I'd like to urge all voters to go out to cast their vote to choose their new leader," he said. "And no matter who wins the election, don't ever take to the streets to protest again."
He said by way of advice to the new government that it should be committed to taking equally good care of all groups and generations as its duty is to ensure everyone can live together in society.
"The new government shouldn't simply try to please only the young generation while ignoring the older generation as all generations still have to live together," he said.
As for the former military top brass who intend to fully contest as real politicians in the poll, he suggests they listen to the public and serve them well, he said.
"The new leader should be one who is selected by the majority of people and be accessible to all sides, not just key figures in the government," he said.
