Pheu Thai ‘trying its best’ to overcome political hurdles
The Pheu Thai Party, now leading the formation of a new coalition government, has admitted the mission represents a major political crisis which the party is trying its best to overcome.
The crisis stems from the time limit of the government’s formation, legal limits associated with the constitution, the country’s problematic governing structure and persistent conflicts among different groups, said Pheu Thai deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai yesterday.
“The situation makes government formation no easy job and we, as the leading party, need to be firm on our stance and leadership, otherwise we will never be able to deal efficiently with the differences among coalition partners and lead the country out of this crisis,” he said.
Thailand, its people and political landscape have changed dramatically over the past eight to nine years, as a result of various internal and external factors, he said.
Under the circumstances, Pheu Thai is now committed to implementing those policies promised to voters in the May 14 election for the betterment of the country while leading the new government, he said.
“We’re not making our problems the country’s problems or protecting our own interests over public interests,” he said.
And as Pheu Thai is working on a rather realistic yet gentle approach to defusing the political crisis, it calls for more cooperation from all sides concerned and hopes for the best, he said.
Even before the second prime ministerial vote, initially set for Friday, was adjourned, Pheu Thai was confident it had mustered enough support for its prime ministerial candidate, said party secretary-general Prasert Chantararuangthong.
The postponement of the vote now means the party will have more time to ensure the new coalition government it is forming will have greater stability, he said.
Asked if former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s postponement of his announced return, originally planned for next Wednesday, to Thailand would complicate Pheu Thai’s bid to form the new government, Mr Prasert said Thaksin returning or not has nothing to do with the party’s affairs. Thaksin said his doctors have called him in for a medical check-up.
According to a source, Pheu Thai, after breaking away from the Move Forward Party (MFP) with whom it hoped to form a governing coalition, is now in a real dilemma as to how to avoid losing support from voters if it sides instead with those parties currently in the caretaker government, seen by some as the conservative camp.
If Pheu Thai decides not to include the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and United Thai Nation Party (UTN) in its coalition to avoid being perceived by some sides as switching from the pro-democracy camp to the conservative one, it will likely secure at most only 263 out of the 500 House seats, said the source.
However, if Pheu Thai opts to include the PPRP and the UTN in its coalition, the total number of MPs in the new coalition will come to 310, meaning it will only require 66 votes from senators in the next PM vote, said the source.
A Pheu Thai source said the party is still negotiating with senators whose votes are needed and could help the party win the PM vote without having to side with the PPRP and UTN, regarded by some as military parties in disguise and a potentially undesirable coalition partner.
The final decision thus depends on how many senator votes Pheu Thai has in hand before the next vote, said the source, adding the party listens to public opinion as to who should and should not be in the new coalition.