The Democrat Party has vowed to resist Pheu Thai's push for charter amendments and the passage of a bill to borrow two trillion baht to overhaul infrastructure, labelling the government ''dictators in disguise''.
Speaking at a public forum to mark the party's 67th anniversary at King Rama VIII memorial park yesterday, Democrat chief whip and list-MP Jurin Laksanavisit said the party's major mission was to expose government corruption.
''As the opposition party, we are proud to do our job [in scrutinising the government]. The Democrat Party has been established for 67 years and no matter whether we are in government or opposition, we will do our best,'' Mr Jurin said.
He also used the forum to attack Pheu Thai's bid to rewrite the charter and to rush through a bill to borrow two trillion baht budget for infrastructure projects.
''Every Democrat member will fight against the move to the best of our capacity,'' he said.
The loan bill and charter amendments passed their first House readings on March 28 and Thursday respectively.
The Democrats opposed the bills during the parliamentary debate.
They said the government had no need to borrow such a large amount of money for infrastructure development, as it would create a hefty financial burden on the country for several generations.
The Democrats also claim the charter amendment bills are a thinly veiled push to grant an amnesty to deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said party executives were facing several legal challenges as result of their attempts to expose government misconduct. He claimed the charges were politically-motivated.
''In the past, our party had to fight against the military dictators, but today, we have to battle against elected politicians, who are dictators in disguise,'' he said.