Businessman-turned-politician Pita "Tim" Limjaroenrat has been chosen as leader of the reincarnated Future Forward in parliament, after the party was dissolved late last month.
Mr Pita is leading 54 MPs of the now defunct party to become members of the Move Forward Party, with the aim of keeping Future Forward's core ideology alive.
However, he said, some adjustments will be made to the party's approach, he said. Instead of focusing on leaders, the new party will gravitate towards a collective strategy. This new incarnation of Future Forward will be all about teamwork, working together to accomplish common goals, said the 38-year-old MP.
He was speaking in an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post in which he discussed the road ahead for the reincarnated Future Forward, the pressing challenges facing the country, and his vision for Thailand.
"It's not going to be about just two or three individuals anymore. For me, leadership is a constant struggle to manifest changes. No single person can make changes happen. Instead, our remaining 55 MPs will discuss, make agreements and work as a team to keep our momentum going," he said.
He admitted there were lessons to be learned from the party's dissolution, which was not catastrophic because it left the party streamlined with a smaller number of MPs who find it easier to function effectively.
"We are now a leaner organisation that can respond quickly. We will be able to begin afresh. The party is smaller, but of better quality and [will be able to] move faster in responding to required responsibilities," said Mr Pita.
However, the new vehicle for Future Forward will retain its ideology, including the goal of achieving a full-fledged democracy, he said.
Mr Pita said his party will maintain the movement's 12 core policies. These include ending centralised bureaucracy, reforming the education sector, scrapping conscription, ending the domination of major companies, and eradicating all legacies of the 2014 coup.
He said the party will also focus on urgent national issues, such as Covid-19, PM2.5 pollution, drought, employment opportunities for the younger generation and the economy. He added that the party has formed working groups to tackle the challenges of Covid-19.
Mr Pita insisted that though the new incarnation of the now-defunct party shares the same ideology as the off-parliament Future Forward Movement, led by banned former Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, it was completely independent.
"The ideology is the same, but the mechanisms and paths followed are different," he said, adding that each faction will have absolutely no influence on the other and that he will not be involved with the movement.
Mr Pita has experience in policy-making. Back in 2004 he worked on improving the national development policy under a team led by Mr Suvit Maesincee, who is now minister of Higher Education, Science Research and Innovation. He also worked with tech giant Grab while simultaneously running his family agribusiness. With experience in both public service and the private sector, Mr Pita believes he can strike a balance between both worlds and push the country forward in line with his vision.
When asked what he considers to be his selling point, Mr Pita answered: "I'm not going to promote myself, I'm going to promote the entire team. I'm going to promote the momentum and keep working towards what we have promised, because we are no longer about a single hero coming to the country's rescue. If we are victorious, it's not going to be my victory, my success. It's going to be the people's victory, the people's success."
He said the new party will continue making the public aware of important issues that need change.
"Our MPs need to talk to their constituencies about the need for democracy, decentralisation, and the need to demilitarise Thai politics."
Underscoring the importance of decentralisation, Mr Pita said Thailand can no longer be dominated by Bangkok, adding the country needs to become a fully functional democracy featuring effective participation, press freedom and the right to assembly.
"You have to have politicians who represent the hopes of those without hope and the voice of the voiceless. As such, we will unlock the potential of Thailand going forward in this modern environment of [technological] disruption."
Meanwhile the party hopes to avoid the "operational glitches" that brought about the demise of FFP by seeking funding from SMEs.