Democrat Leader Defends Corruption Probe Despite PM Vote
Democrat Party deputy leader Wirojn Lakshanaditsh defended pursuing corruption investigations independently of political alliances, arguing that fighting graft should be principled rather than selective based on which party holds power.
On September 13, Wirojn Lakshanaditsh, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, posted a Facebook response to Pumitham Wechyachai, the former deputy prime minister and interior minister. Wirojn acknowledged that while the Democrats must accept responsibility for their decision to vote for a particular prime ministerial candidate—and that the public has the right to judge that choice—this responsibility is separate from the duty to investigate and prosecute corruption charges regardless of who holds power.
Wirojn stated that corruption remains corruption no matter who is prime minister, and no authority can whitewash wrongdoing or turn a mistake into a correct decision. He emphasized that if the Pheu Thai Party still believes the two major corruption cases are serious threats to the nation, as they have previously claimed, they should pursue action on both matters rather than abandon their stated principles because of the Democrats' political choices.
Wirojn rejected what he called a double standard, where a party would crack down on corruption only if they controlled the government but would ignore it once in opposition. He argued that fighting corruption should be a matter of duty and principle that transcends political calculation. He concluded that while political equations may change, the commitment to anti-corruption should not shift based on electoral outcomes, and he maintained respect for Pumitham while committing the Democrat Party to full accountability for its own decisions.
