• 
• 

Published on September 26, 2007

But True president and CEO Supachai Chearavanont has shown a perceptive eye in sifting through the dust and zooming in on two political parties that he believes deserve his company's financial support.

True is one of the companies of the Charoen Pokphand Group, which has donated Bt60 million to the Democrat Party. And True's own contribution amounts to Bt15 million.

The other party to qualify for the company's financial backing was the Chat Thai Party.

"Through this financial support, I hope we'll be improving the political parties, so that the situation improves," he said, adding that he was also willing to found a party for a new breed of politicians if they emerged to work together. Supachai did not say whether the process of deciding which political parties should receive the company's financial backing was a difficult one. But he did reveal the criteria: True takes into account a party's size and economic and social policies.

That must have entailed screening many of the existing political parties.

Why were some big parties like the People Power Party left out?

Supachai laughed at the query but opted to remain silent.

Hypothetically speaking, it is uncertain whether Thai Rak Thai, had it existed today, would have received such financial backing, considering it was big as well as famous for so many good social and economic policies that have been continued despite the party's dissolution.

achara_d@nationgroup.com