PUBLISHED : 1 Oct 2023 at 04:00
Political activist Srisuwan Janya plans to petition the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to look into the expulsion of Deputy House Speaker Padipat Santipada from the Move Forward Party (MFP).
Padipat: Looking for a new party
Like many political observers, Mr Srisuwan believes the controversial expulsion of Mr Padipat is merely a tactic employed by the MFP to hold both the deputy House speaker’s position and the opposition leader’s post at the same time.
He accused the MFP of violating the ethics code for parties and politicians, stipulated in Section 234 (1) of the 2017 constitution.
“If found guilty, not only will the MFP likely face legal action, but so will any party that accepts Mr Padipat as a member after this dubious expulsion approved by the MFP’s executives,” said Mr Srisuwan.
He described the expulsion as a form of collusion.
On Thursday night, the MFP issued a statement saying Mr Padipat insisted on remaining a deputy House speaker, so the MFP decided to expel him to enable it to lead the opposition.
However, the move was widely seen as a win-win for the main opposition party as it allowed the MFP to take on the role of opposition leader while simultaneously having a sympathetic deputy speaker to chair meetings in the House.
Pitipong Temcharoen, leader and the only MP of the Fair Party, said yesterday he would welcome Mr Padipat with open arms if he decided to join the Fair Party, as some in the media have predicted.
Mr Padipat still has time to decide which party he will join as he has been given 30 days to find a new political home, or he could risk losing his MP status, said Mr Pitipong.
In the event that Mr Padipat chooses to join the Fair Party, he will function as a Fair MP and no longer as an MFP MP, said Mr Pitipong, dismissing speculation the Fair Party would serve as a temporary shelter for Mr Padipat, who would in practice continue acting as an MFP MP and as the deputy House speaker in parliament.
Mr Pitipong said the “hidden agenda” theory was mere opinion by the media and the public and was not a reflection of what’s really happening.