Election won’t change anything, says first-time voter

“The roots of Thailand’s political problems lie in our flawed education system. No matter who wins in this election, there would always be a vocal group that would oppose them,” he said

Poompetch urged voters to judge parties based on their economic and education policies and to have a clear understanding of the economy.

“Less educated voters may not understand that some short-term gains from the policies proposed by different political parties may lead to long-term problems for the Thai economy,” he argued.

For example, hiking the minimum wage may only bring short-term benefits for the poor, but may lead to inflation, higher cost of living and high unemployment in the long-run, he said.

“For these reasons, progress in Thai politics may be slow as misinformation, fake news and poor education are widespread,” he explained. “We can only hope for long-term gradual change at this point.”

Poompetch echoed the younger generation’s discontent with the current administration, calling for a change in the way the country is governed.