Commentary: How long Paetongtarn Shinawatra stays Thai PM depends on how she carries baggage of being Thaksin’s daughter

Taking ON THE Elegance

Whether Ms Paetongtarn will succeed in business until the next general election, expected by 2027, is another matter entirely.

She inherits substantial economic and political issues from her short-lived father, Srettha Thavisin. The digital wallet handout scheme, Pheu Thai’s premier economic stimulus program, continues to be content in terms of its fiscal viability and effectiveness, while economic growth continues to be slow.

The fact that Mr. Srettha was ousted by the Constitutional Court just last week underscores how determined conservatives are to fight against Thaksin’s attempts to influence state decisions more directly.

Furthermore, Ms Paetongtarn carries the special bag of being a Shinawatra family part. While some people doubted that Thaksin was always in power when Mr. Srettha became prime minister, the latter could at least rely on his trail history as a businessman to support the honesty of his opinions.

Ms Paetongtarn, who has made no effort to disguise her eagerness to find her father’s counsel in guiding, will be given even less benefit of the doubt than Mr Srettha actually was.

And perhaps this indicates how she will manage tensions with the conservative conservative camp for the rest of her time, no matter how brief they may be. No Pheu Thai prime minister can ever hope to escape its long-division, enable only his own blood and flesh. But why test?