The Future Forward Party (FFP) has unveiled its election campaign policies targeting power decentralisation, flushing out corruption and downsizing the military.
At a press conference in Bangkok on Sunday, the party laid out the principal issues it plans to tackle. At the top of agenda are stopping power centralisation, promoting equality through comprehensive welfare programmes and reforming education.
Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit said the party champions economic advancements through breaking monopolies, promoting the flow of logistics and transport by train and introducing new farming technologies and ridding farmers of their debts.
He added the state must function with transparency, which is achieved by suppressing corruption and placing the power to monitor the government in the people's hands.
Mr Thanathorn insisted the armed forces must be downsized with a drastic cutback in troops, from 330,000 currently to 170,000, and the number of generals, from 1,600 at present to 400. Military conscription must also be abolished.
The authority to purchase weapons will rest solely with the government, not the forces.
The democratic pillar must be established, he said, adding the "legacies" of the coup makers would be undone and a new political order launched.
"Our policies will change the face of the country entirely. We're looking further, thinking deeper and most important of all, we are prepared to go to greater lengths to tackle the roots of the problems head-on," he said.
The party also proposed increasing maternity leave and tripling the old-age pension to 1,800 baht per month. The money to finance the hike will be drawn in part from cuts in the military budget.
Meanwhile, at least five members of the FFP have resigned after their bids to stand as MP candidates were rejected by the party, according to one of them.
The party was thrown into turmoil after three of the five former members held a press conference to express their frustration at the party's coordination office in Thon Buri Sunday.
Natthawat Patcharapornnukul said his group had called for fairness in the selection of party members who had gone through the primary voting and been nominated for the party's MP candidates.
Mr Natthawat said several members, including himself, had asked that their names be put forward in the party's primaries in various constituencies where the party plans to field MP candidates.
The constituency question are in some districts of Bangkok, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla and Kalasin.
Mr Natthawat, who sought a nomination in the primary voting in Bang Khunthian district of Bangkok, said his name had been replaced by someone else with no explanation given by the party.
He earlier urged the party to delay the primary voting for the district until the matter is clarified. However, the matter was not resolved and the primary voting went ahead on Dec 13 and 14.
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