Bangkok: "Natthapong" accepts responsibility and reiterates that the "Orange, No Gray" campaign remains unchanged. Natthapong explained that it was an unforeseen circumstance for his Bangkok candidate for Bang Phlat district to be charged with drug money laundering. He clarified that a background check revealed no such charge because the arrest warrant was issued only later. He affirmed that they will find a replacement and reiterated that the "Orange, No Gray" campaign remains unchanged. He stated that the People's Party (PPP) does not protect its cronies and emphasized that political standards must be higher than the law, and that even if a case is not yet concluded, the candidate's name will be immediately removed. He also questioned whether other parties have experienced similar situations and, if so, why they continue to promote such cases.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Nattapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the People's Party, commented on the arrest of Mr. Boonyarit Raorungroj, a People's Party candidate for Bangkok's Bang Phlat district, on money laundering charges. He stated that the main details of the case have already been partially released by Mr. Pijarn Chaowapatanawong, a member of the party's executive committee. Regarding the People's Party, he said this case serves as an example that, upon investigating an incident and identifying a wrongdoing, even if the legal process is not yet complete, they take immediate action. He emphasized the party's commitment to the principle that those holding political positions must have a higher standard of responsibility than legal responsibility. Politicians must be more accountable to the public than merely citing incomplete legal processes as an excuse.
"Regarding what Mr. Phicharn stated this morning, I must express my regret and apologize once again to all the parents, siblings, and the public. We have done everything to the best of our ability, improving the candidate selection process. It is clear that what happened was partly an unforeseen circumstance," Mr. Nattapong said.
Mr. Nattapong explained that the arrest warrant was issued on December 17th and the arrest took place last night. He stated that they had previously checked the suspect's criminal record, but because the warrant was issued on December 17th, his name was no longer in the system. He also mentioned that the public consultation process had been ongoing for a long time, and the information submitted to the party did not concern any issues related to the arrest warrant. Therefore, he considered it an unavoidable circumstance, which he is not using as an excuse. He simply wanted to offer an apology and pledged to do things better in the future.
When asked if a new candidate could be selected, given that according to the process, Mr. Boonrit's name was already included under the People's Party banner, Mr. Natthapong stated that constituency and party-list candidates have different characteristics. He confirmed that primary voting within each constituency and the submission of applications to the Election Commission (EC) in time is still possible.
Regarding the legal possibility of having their names withdrawn, Mr. Nattapong stated that it depends on whether the applicants themselves lack the necessary qualifications. He believes they should still be able to submit their applications. The party's legal team has informed them that this is still possible. Currently, the party is in the process of finding suitable candidates, and the public can rest assured that this situation will not happen again.
When asked whether other candidates would be further vetted, Mr. Nattapong said that since there are only two days left for registration, it might not be enough time. If they were to nominate a replacement, it would have to be someone that both the party and the public can trust, who adheres to the party's ideology and has no tainted record.
And if there are legal obstacles that prevent us from fielding candidates, will it be a loss of political opportunity because we won't get a landslide victory in all 33 Bangkok districts? Mr. Natthapong said that if there are indeed legal limitations of that nature, it would be something he would regret. It would mean missing the opportunity to field candidates as choices for the people in district 33, and they would have to wait for clarification.
Regarding whether the news will affect the main campaigns, such as "Orange Party Against Gray" or "We Have No Gray," Mr. Nattapong stated that, concerning the elimination of gray areas from the country, he reiterated that it is impossible to completely eradicate corruption within the first day. However, refusing to tolerate corruption and not protecting cronies from the outset is achievable. The party's statement, made immediately upon learning of the arrests that morning, demonstrates their clear stance. Even if it involves a candidate or someone within the party, they will investigate, and even if the case is not yet finalized, they will not protect anyone. He emphasized again that this news will not affect the "Orange Party Against Gray" campaign in any way.
"I believe that if we had previously checked and found any criminal records in the system, such as prior summonses, we would definitely not have submitted the applications. But this time, there were no prior criminal records before December 17th. Furthermore, during the consultation process, no one submitted any requests to the party. You can see that during the registration period, there were changes in the names of candidates, both for constituency and party-list seats, to demonstrate a comprehensive process of gathering feedback from the public," said Mr. Nattapong.
Mr. Nattapong emphasized that, in the past, they have truly listened and tried their best, but they are not using this as an excuse. He apologized, stating it was an unforeseen circumstance. Once the incident occurred, all they could do was to do their best, without protecting their own allies or trying to cover it up for fear of damaging the party's reputation. Conversely, acting straightforwardly and swiftly, without protecting their own candidates, is what assures the public that there is genuine honesty and no favoritism.
When asked whether some candidates from certain political parties had already raised this issue, Mr. Nattapong said that he would like to ask the media and the public to ask the same questions to all candidates from every party in every area. He said he could not ask them directly because it would be considered a direct accusation and a violation of election laws.
'Question yourself: do any of the candidates or representatives nominated by each party have a prior criminal record? If so, even if the case hasn't truly concluded, why are you forwarding it? But I reiterate that the standard of being a representative of the people, political accountability, must be higher than legal accountability. The People's Party has already demonstrated that even if a case hasn't been finalized, we remove them as a candidate,' said Mr. Nattapong.