Rival govt coalition ‘won’t function’
The Pheu Thai Party would play by the rules during the selection of the next House speaker and two deputies, party secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong said yesterday.
Mr Prasert was reacting to reports that the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) would nominate Suchart Tancharoen, an elected list-MP of Pheu Thai and ex-deputy House speaker, for the House speaker role.
Talk about Mr Suchart’s nomination comes as Pheu Thai and ally the Move Forward Party (MFP) wrangle over who should get the post.
It was reported earlier that Pheu Thai was open to letting the MFP have the speaker post as long as Pheu Thai was given both deputy posts. However, it later denied such a deal had been reached.
Mr Prasert said that after June 28, the tussle over the House speaker post will be settled, and Pheu Thai will stick with the decision and refrain from resorting to foul play.
Pheu Thai will finalise its stance on the issue during an internal meeting tomorrow before discussing the matter with the MFP on Wednesday, ahead of a planned meeting of the eight prospective coalition parties, he said.
Both parties are expected to settle their differences before the opening of parliament on July 3. Members of parliament are scheduled to select the speaker of the House, who will also serve as parliamentary president, and two deputies, on July 4.
He also dismissed as unlikely the prospect of the current government camp forming a rival coalition, saying that not only would the move be against the people’s will, but the rival coalition would be a minority government and could not function well.
In what was seen as an attempt to reaffirm the Pheu Thai-MFP partnership amid the House speaker dispute, Pheu Thai list-MP Adisorn Piangkate and MFP list-MP Rangsiman Rome shook hands at a forum on Saturday.
However, Mr Adisorn said if the House speaker role could not be settled before the selection, he insisted on a free vote.
“It’s a natural way to resolve the issue. In the House, when you can’t agree, you put it to a vote,” he said.