Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra shrugged off growing demands for his resignation by saying yesterday he has personally steered the country to economic health and his critics were failing to see the big picture.
"The people who criticize me, and oppose me, are not looking at the big picture," Thaksin said in a speech marking the fifth anniversary of his tenure, which falls just days after the largest anti-government rally in over a decade.
Another rally is planned for tomorrow, amid growing complaints over the wealthy prime minister's recent business deals. Academics, students, former military officers and some members of the Bangkok elite have joined the rallies in the capital calling on Thaksin to resign.
During an hour-long speech to the National Economic Social Advisory Council, he urged critics to focus on his strengths.
"During the past five years in the office I have made the country healthier in all ways, on economic, social, security and political fronts," Thaksin said.
"My policies have made the economy grow from 4.9 trillion baht (US$123 billion) to 7.1 trillion baht -- this means that I have made the country healthier by more than 2.2 trillion baht in the past five years," Thaksin said.
"On social issues, I reducing the number of poor people from 12.8 million to 7.5 million, and I will eradicate poverty within the next three years," Thaksin said.
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