
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's first public address in Thailand on Thursday night has drawn sharp criticism from his staunch opponents.
Thaksin, who returned last August after 17 years in self-imposed exile, was accused of acting as though the entire country had been handed over to him, according to Jatuporn Prompan, a former leader of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and a key political ally of the ruling Pheu Thai Party.
The ex-premier took to the stage to address a crowd of politicians and businesspeople at a forum titled "Vision for Thailand 2024", held in Bangkok on Thursday night.
In reality, Mr Jatuporn continued, Thaksin is someone most people should avoid because he had admitted to committing corruption, expressed regret for his misconduct, and successfully petitioned for a royal pardon.
"The first day he [Thaksin] returned to Thailand, he asked for a chance to come home to take care of his grandchildren. Has he done so? He hasn't even spent a full day in prison since," said Mr Jatuporn, who once was a key supporter of the Thaksin administration.
According to Mr Jatuporn, there is security camera footage proving that Thaksin had neglected the responsibilities imposed on him upon receiving the royal pardon, which reduced his eight-year sentence to one year.
"Should we really allow a person convicted of corruption to gain power over the state?" asked Mr Jatuporn.
After Thaksin's sentence was cut and he was released on parole, the former prime minister misled the public by claiming that many charges had been falsely brought against him, said Mr Jatuporn.
"That was an attempt to whitewash himself. How could we stand it? Is it morally right?" asked Mr Jatuporn.
Mr Jatuporn also noted that Thaksin's apparent influence on his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is likely to cause further damage to Thai society, considering the harm already done by Thaksin's "arrogance".
"In a society where right and wrong are obscured by feelings and cronyism, people are always misguided, and this will continue, which is the worst form of evil," said Mr Jatuporn.
Thaksin exemplifies irresponsible politics, where politicians can always find excuses not to honour their promises, said Mr Jatuporn, adding that Pheu Thai had failed to fulfil its promises to its 10 million voters in the last general election.
Thaksin's speech on Thursday night was nothing more than an abridged version of the policy statement that the Paetongtarn government will soon deliver in parliament, said former Democrat Party MP Thepthai Senpong.
"Listening to Thaksin's speech from beginning to end, I found nothing new… the Thai Kitchen to the World and the entertainment complex have been discussed for over 20 years," said Mr Thepthai.
As for the government's plan to hand out 10,000 baht in digital money to vulnerable groups, a priority in the digital wallet scheme that Thaksin also highlighted during Thursday's speech, Mr Thepthai noted that Thaksin must have forgotten his previous strong opposition to the handout schemes of the previous government.
One thing Mr Thepthai said he was certain of, based on Thaksin's Thursday night remarks, is that Thaksin remains the real power behind the government and is still the same old Thaksin with his excessive self-confidence and tendency to boast.
Seri Wongmontha, another prominent critic of Thaksin, expressed his frustration over when Thailand, its people, and the Thai media will truly learn from past mistakes in choosing the wrong representatives to serve in parliament.
He questioned whether Thaksin is truly the only person with the proven ability to lead the country, given that most people seem to overlook his history of legal violations and allow him to lead the government in the name of democracy.
Meanwhile, Senator Nantana Nantavaropas said that she believes Thaksin's alleged influence over the government should be the subject of an investigation.