Rogue MPs to answer why they broke ranks
PUBLISHED : 24 Aug 2023 at 05:00
The 16 Democrat MPs who voted to support Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai Party as prime minister on Tuesday defied the party’s resolution to abstain, caretaker Democrat Party leader Jurin Laksanawisit said yesterday.
They have been asked to explain their actions at the next party meeting and could face an internal investigation if members call for it, he added.
Sources say the 16 renegades had been hoping for an invitation to join the new government coalition and belong to a faction led by Chalermchai Sri-on, the caretaker party secretary-general.
Before the vote on Tuesday, their leaders — Det-it Khaothong, a Songkhla MP, and Chaichana Detdecho, a Nakhon Si Thammarat MP — talked to Phumtham Wechayachai, a Pheu Thai deputy leader.
They told Mr Phumtham they were ready to vote for Mr Srettha if it looked like he’d fall short of the needed 375 votes in return for being included in the coalition.
While the vote was happening in the chamber of parliament, the 16 sat outside, waiting.
When support for Mr Srettha exceeded 375, they told Mr Phumtham they would vote for Mr Srettha anyway.
They allegedly offered to fill in, in the event the Bhumjaithai Party, with 71 MPs, withdrew after failing to get a premium-grade ministry.
The 16 Democrats then entered the parliament chamber and voted for Mr Srettha, the sources said.
Mr Jurin said a Democrat Party meeting on Monday, ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary vote, had passed a resolution that its MPs should abstain from voting for Mr Srettha, except former party leaders Chuan Leekpai and Banyat Bantadtan, who asked for permission to vote against Mr Srettha’s nomination.
Sathit Pitutecha, a caretaker deputy party leader, said the 16 MPs had committed serious misconduct, but whether they would be expelled rested with an investigation panel.
Mr Chuan, a party list MP and former party leader, said it was “unbelievable” the 16 MPs had voted in defiance of the party resolution.
He had received party permission to vote against Mr Srettha’s nomination because the Democrat Party had been at odds with the Pheu Thai Party over the distribution of development budget funds to the South, the Democrat Party’s traditional support base.
Mr Chuan accused Pheu Thai of curtailing funding to the South, saying it was an act of persecution.
After Tuesday’s vote for prime minister, 15 of the 16 renegade Democrat MPs made themselves unavailable for comment.
The exception was Pol Maj Gen Surin Palare, a Songkhla MP.
Pol Maj Gen Surin said only that he voted for Mr Srettha because he wanted the country to move forward.