BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s new acting innovator, Prawit Wongsuwan, represents little substantial change from suspended Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha regarding opposition forces trying to end what they decry as military prominence of politics.
For the ruling coalition led by the pro-army Palang Pracharat party, Prawit’s caretaker part represents stability until the Constitutional Court decides whether Prayuth’s time as a military chief from 2014 in order to 2019 counts in the direction of a constitutionally agreed eight-year term limit, as the opposition argues.
Prawit, seventy seven, who has been the deputy prime minister since 2019, is really a longtime ally associated with Prayuth and has been part of the military zirkel that ruled Thailand for nearly five years following Prayuth’s 2014 coup ouster of an elected government
Like Prayuth himself, Prawit is a former chief of the military and is known for his fierce loyalty towards the monarchy – both men served within the elite Queen’s Guard unit closely linked to the palace.
However , unlike Prayuth, he has tended to wield influence behind the scenes.
Prawit has long been seen as a power-broker both inside the Palang Pracharat party, which he co-founded, and among the wealthy elite that line up themselves with Thailand’s royal family and the military.
“Prawit has his energy through connection with business elite, ” Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the faculty of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University told Reuters.
“By becoming acting prime minister, Prawit can help stabilise the politics situation and combine the ruling coalition and related company interests ahead of the political election, ” Titipol said.
EXPENSIVE TIMEPIECES
While he may be most able at behind-the-scenes impact, Prawit has also offers faced public scrutiny.
He made it an anti-corruption analysis and fierce community criticism in 2018 after he appeared in a photograph within the diamond ring and expensive watch that failed to appear on his public asset declaration.
Activists later discovered at least 25 various other luxury watches the previous general was photographed wearing but hadn’t declared. Prawit stated the timepieces have been lent to him.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission later ruled there was not really sufficient evidence in order to press charges associated with false declaration associated with assets.
That will controversy, plus his close association with Prayuth’s junta, implies that even in an performing role, Prawit may face much of the same opposition as the man he is standing in regarding, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst and professor at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
“Prawit is going to be embattled from 1, ” Thitinan said. “He might be a fixer and an agent within the coalition plus Palang Pracharat… yet himself he is highly unpopular with the general public. ”
ARMY CAREER
Prawit and Prayuth rose through the ranks with each other, though Prawit was your senior officer with regard to much of their military careers.
Prawit was Prayuth’s superior when they were within the Queen’s Guard. Each also served in the Burapha Payak or even Eastern Tigers army clique with a strength base in far eastern Thailand.
Prawit rose to be key of the armed forces from 2004 to 2006 and after retirement has been defence minister in the civilian government through 2008 to last year.
But in days gone by year, there have been indications of tension between Prayuth and Prawit over the direction of the judgment party after this expelled 21 congress, led by a Prawit loyalist, Thammanat Prompao, a former deputy agriculture minister.
However , observers don’t see the change from Prayuth in order to Prawit as getting significant impact on the political trajectory completely outclassed by the royalist army elite.
“This is typical political conflict between factions, ” analyst Titipol said. “But by the end they will save each other and stay collectively. ”
(Writing by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Kay Johnson and Robert Birsel)