New Alternative Party suspends Mongkolkit to protect image and ideology

The New Alternative Party suspended leading member Mongkolkit Suksintharanon from his party duties, saying the move is aimed at protecting the party’s image and ideology.

Party leader Rachain Trakunwiang signed the suspension order and released the document to the public yesterday, February 24.

According to the document, Mongkolkit has been temporarily suspended from his role as party secretary and was asked not to take any action under the party’s name. The party said the suspension was intended to allow it to continue operating in an orderly and effective manner.

The party also said the decision was made to maintain its image and ideology, adding that another member would later be appointed to take over Mongkolkit’s position.

Mongkolkit later told media he believed his recent actions against the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) may have led to the suspension.

Mongkolkit suspended to protect party's image
Photo via Facebook/ มงคลกิตติ์ สุขสินธารานนท์

He said he had filed complaints with several independent bodies, including the Ombudsman and the Administrative Court, seeking a review of the most recent general election result and asking for it to be considered invalid.

Mongkolkit said his push could have concerned the party’s management board, which he believed may be worried the ECT would not approve the New Alternative Party’s Member of Parliament status. He said he had not left the party, but declined to give details about his next steps in Thai politics.

In a post on Facebook, Mongkolkit wrote, “I love justice so I call the previous election result to be invalid according to my personal rights. I owe the people who voted for me. If you are still stand for the right thing, do not dare to become an MP.”

New Alternative Party Mongkolkit
Photo via Facebook/ พรรคทางเลือกใหม่

He later posted, “You can lie to me but not to the public. Millions of young people will not accept that. ‘People are not stupid’.”

During the latest general election campaign, Mongkolkit drew public attention with a series of unusual proposals, including bringing back dinosaurs, allowing women to have four legal husbands, raising salaries for employees with daily push-ups, offering trips to outer space, creating a space force and buying 10 nuclear warheads.

Following the unofficial election results, the New Alternative Party secured one parliamentary seat. Mongkolkit said he would pursue the policies promised during the campaign.

New Alternative Party
Photo via Facebook/ พรรคทางเลือกใหม่

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.