# Chris Potanan

Chris Potanan (born April 7, 1988) is a Thai lawyer and politician and the leader of the Zen Dai Party. He was one of the founding members of the Future Forward Party and the founder of Zendai Foundation, an organization focusing on addressing the COVID-19 crisis.

## Early life and education

Chris Potanan is the son of Miphat Potanan and Veena Varachotiset. Potanan completed his primary education at Udom Wittaya School, Ban Pong District, Ratchaburi Province, his secondary education at Ramkhamhaeng University Demonstration School, and completed his bachelor's degree in Public Law with honors from the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University in just three and a half years. During his studies, Chris was elected president of the Asian Law Students' Association (ALSA) and vice president of the Faculty of Law students.
Chris passed the Thai Bar Examination in the 63rd class. He then went on to study economics, earning a Graduate Diploma of Economics with merit from the University of Nottingham. He later received a Fulbright (Fulbright Program) scholarship to pursue an LL.M. in Antitrust Law and Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, United States.

## Career
### Academic Work

Chris has served as a research assistant at the King Prajadhipok's Institute and a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. He has also been a guest lecturer in the Master of Laws program, teaching Antitrust Law at the Faculty of Law, Ramkhamhaeng University, and has been invited to teach the TU101 course at Thammasat University.
Currently, he remains a special lecturer in the Department of Public Law at the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University, and at various universities in Thailand.

### Writing

Chris has written critical articles for various newspapers, mainly focusing on law, politics, democracy, and economics. His topics include supporting free competition and a market economy without state intervention. He was also one of the opponents of the blanket amnesty law, using game theory analysis. Regarding the political crisis in Thailand since 2005, Chris observed that the cause is the centralized power system of the Thai state. He believes that decentralization is the solution to the current political problems.
Additionally, he proposed that the tax exemption benefits for corporate income by the Board of Investment should be abolished, as they create unfair competition among entrepreneurs. His current writings continue to be critical of society.

### Political career
#### University

Chris led the political satire parade at Chulalongkorn University. He and his fellow students faced censorship from the university administration for criticizing the military's control over Thai politics.

#### Future Forward Party

At the inaugural meeting of the Future Forward Party, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the party leader, introduced Chris to the attendees, stating that Chris would be responsible for the party's economic policies.
In the 2019 general election, Chris ran for Member of Parliament in Bangkok's Constituency 6 (Ratchathewi, Phaya Thai, and parts of Chatuchak). He received 23,980 votes. Chris's campaign was noted for its innovative approach, focusing on engaging with the public both in person and online. His unique style included live-streaming his campaign activities on social media. One of his notable campaign initiatives was "888: Campaign Across the City," where Chris, candidate number 8, invited Surachet Pravinvongvuth, the 8th-ranked party-list MP specializing in transportation, to join him. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit personally saw them off on bus route 8 to discuss and address public transportation and traffic issues in Bangkok.
In 2020, the Future Forward Party announced its intention to push for the Progressive Liquor Act to free the local liquor industry from the monopoly of large corporations. Chris Potanan was responsible for drafting this legislation along with Taopiphop Limjittrakorn and other members of the Future Forward Party team.

#### Zen-dai Party

The Thai Citizen Power Party held its annual general meeting on February 19, 2023, to elect a new executive committee. The meeting elected Chris, a former founder of the Future Forward Party, as the new party leader and changed the party's name to the Zen-dai Party.
In the 2023 Thai general election, he ran for election in Bangkok's Constituency 6 (Phaya Thai, Din Daeng) but was not elected.

#### Parliamentary Work

Chris Potanan has been appointed by the House of Representatives to serve on the Special Committee for the Consideration of the Extension of the Expressway and BTS Concession Contracts. He has also served as an advisor to the Subcommittee on Training, Seminars, Public Relations, Contract Employment, Consultancy Fees, Scientific Research and Technology Transfer, Rent, Expenses, Overseas Official Travels, Operating Budget, Subsidy Budget, Other Expenses, and Revolving Fund. Additionally, Chris has been a member of the Special Committee on the Draft Bill for the Dissolution of the Secondary Mortgage Corporation. He also served on the Subcommittee on the Suppression of Corruption and Misconduct (Group 2). Furthermore, he was an advisor to the Chairman of the Labor Committee.

### Social Activities

Chris, along with his brother "Up VGB," established a volunteer group named "Zen-Dai" to assist COVID-19 patients and at-risk individuals by providing safe transportation to medical facilities. They collaborated with Kulshet Watthanaphon, who is the brother of Kulthep Watthanaphon, or "Up VGB," a pioneering gamer who passed away from COVID-19 due to lack of timely medical access.
Under the name "Zen-Dai," Chris and his friends established a volunteer organization with over 100 members in Bangkok and over 200 members nationwide. In June 2021, they assisted more than 2,602 individuals, providing over 2,200 trips to medical facilities and helping more than 1,500 people. They also conducted proactive testing for over 1,000 at-risk individuals, along with other support and relief efforts.

### Awards received

List of Awards and Nominations :
| Year | Award | Awarding organization | Result |
| 2021 | Prime Minister Award: Innovation for Crisis | National Innovation Agency | Received |
| 2023 | COVID-19 Social Media Award | Unite Health | Nominated |