Looking over their shoulder
The People’s Party ( PP ) has a feeling of uncertainty just two days after it was used to rescue MPs from the disbanded Move Forward Party ( MFP ) from the chaos.
Researchers are also making predictions about how many parties they will need to switch to before the upcoming general election in three years.
These MPs have no previous experience with dissolution, and the PP may still be struggling despite fully welcoming former MFP MPs on August 9. More than 140 people emigrated to their new house and declared openly that their MPs have” shrugged their shoulders and did man on” in spite of the MFP’s fate.
These MPs ‘ stubborn spirit in the face of hardship is embodied in the informal PP phrase that was adopted. Before the MFP, its predecessor, the Future Forward Party ( FFP), was disbanded by the Constitutional Court in February 2020 over an illegal loan from its leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
This time, the party’s organized effort to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the der majeste law, reportedly threatened to destroy the constitutional monarchy, was the driving force behind the party’s dissolution. Eleven party executives were denied the right to elect and subject to a 10-year ban from politics by the contract judge.
During the party start on August 9, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut was named as the head of the reformist PP, and Sarayoot Jailak was appointed party secretary-general. They were incorporated into a remarkably small administrative committee, which also appointed celebration deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakul.
Ms. Sirikanya was not one of the 11 party managers who survived the MFP breakdown assault. The board of five directors for the PP represents a significant decrease in the MFP’s professional line-up.
Experts think there are two causes for this.
Second, 44 of the Members who switched to the PP, including Mr. Natthaphong and Ms. Sirikanya, are currently facing charges in the Supreme Court for a net misconduct in social conduct stemming from their involvement in the press for the Area 112 act. A life sentence from politics is imposed for the infraction. Installing a huge board only served to show poor justification for the possibility of sending many of its members to life sentences.
Second, given that many influential figures are now serving a 10-year social ban, such as party leader Chaithawat Tulathon and MFP chief adviser Pita Limjaroenrat, there may be only a few options for PP board executive positions.
The second explanation may be a direct sign of a major PP issue. Through a political restrictions, definition remove well-known numbers from prominent positions in their respective parties. This frequently prevents future politicians from being prepared for potential leadership, which can disintegrate a party’s line of succession, according to a political source.
” Parties and their replacements should n’t be disbanded too often. It can very much reduce their skill and appeal”, the resource said.
Dismantlement forced the FFP members and several future, young officials, including Mr Thanathorn as well as his so-called “lieutenants”, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul and Pannikar Wanich into a 10-year break.
Following the FFP’s fate, a second group of politicians, led by Mr. Pita, took control of the alternative party and named it the MFP, in the spotlight.
Eventually, Mr. Pita was implicated in the television media shareholding scandal, which resulted in his constitutional court’s suspension as an MP. Before being cleared of the incident, the MFP installed Mr Chaithawat as its new chief and Mr Pita was moved “upstairs” to be gathering general assistant.
The MFP’s fate was sealed, according to the cause, when the Constitutional Court decided on January 31 that its attempts to alter Area 112 were intended as a result of its desire to” device away” at and disrupt the constitutional monarchy.
Additionally, the court directed the party to stop all attempts to modify Section 112 and forbid it from changing it through any form of legislative procedure.
After that came a plea to have the MFP dissolved. The Election Commission made a recommendation to the Constitutional Court regarding the group’s breakdown. The MFP was determined to be in the wrong by all nine of the court’s magistrates, who disbanded it on August 7.
The latest breakdown has even invalidated 11 MFP managers, quite as Mr Pita and Mr Chaithawat, for 10 years. From the MFP’s remains rose the PP with the five directors appointed.
The next generation of politicians with a strong connection to Mr. Thanathorn stood out with Mr. Natthaphong and Mr. Sarayoot. But it may also show, pretty plausibly, that the “orange” parties may become confronting as a result of the dissolutions an exceedingly narrower choice of politicians to field as fresh party executives, said the source.
Orange serves as the FFP, MFP, and PP’s metaphorical color.
The cause believes that Mr. Sarayoot’s appointment as the PP secretary-general gave an indication that there was only a limited option for executives. He is alleged to have been a backroom strategist who had to step down from the Aug 7 purge in order to take on a more important role, despite possibly being better suited for less well-known ones.
All’s no well within the PPRP
Thamanat: May stick with PPRP
Unanticipated turns and turns within the coalition’s Palang Pracharath Party ( PPRP ) have been brought into the spotlight while all eyes are on the formation of the next Pheu Thai Party-led government under Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s leadership.
The PPRP, led by former deputy prime minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, has a limit of four cabinet seating, two whole ministerial jobs and two assistant posts, allotted to the PPRP.
In the Srettha Thavisin management, Pol Gen Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, Gen Prawit’s nephew and gathering director, was appointed natural resources and culture minister while gathering secretary-general Thamanat Prompow took command at the Agriculture and Agricultural Ministry.
The two deputy minister posts were given to Santi Promphat, who was made deputy public health minister, and Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn, a deputy agriculture minister.
Following the dismissal of Mr. Srettha as prime minister on August 14 for a serious ethics violation for appointing former convict Pichit Chuenban as PM’s Office Minister in the most recent cabinet reshuffle, the future of these politicians is uncertain.
Reports surfaced yesterday that Capt Thamanat had been cut from the PPRP lineup, apparently to spare Ms Paetongtarn from the same legal complication that her predecessor had to deal with.
Given his conviction and sentence for a drug-related offence in Australia in the 1990s, the PPRP secretary-general may be deemed unfit to hold a cabinet position. Ms. Paetongtarn runs the risk of losing the premiership if Capt Thamanat is found guilty of an ethical violation after approving his cabinet appointment in the Constitutional Court.
In yesterday’s reports, Pol Gen Phatcharavat was dropped from the cabinet line-up while Mr Atthakorn is staying put.
However, these are just the most recent changes to the PPRP’s cabinet quota.
Capt Thamanat announced he was leaving the party with party leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon over a contentious dispute regarding who the party should nominate for the cabinet seats, sparking a reportedly deep rift within the organization.
The dispute was beyond repair, leading to Capt Thamanat announcing on Wednesday:” It’s time for me to declare my freedom”.
” From now on, I am ready to leave, with other members in tow, for a place where there is happiness”, Capt Thamanat said.
” Let’s say that we separate ourselves clearly. But I wo n’t ruin the nation or the government”, he said, pledging support for the government.
Capt Thamanat and his group ca n’t afford to raise the stakes and abandon the PPRP to form his own party or join Kla Dharma, which was established as a potential fallback party, despite having around 29 of the 40 PPRP MPs on his side.
If an MP is expelled from the party they were elected to, they can move to a different party and still have control of their seats.
To move successfully with their MP status intact, Capt. Thamanat would need an expulsion order from PPRP executives in this situation.
However, it was reported most executives retain close ties with Gen Prawit.
Capt Thamanat spoke in a way that suggested he was resigned to the fact that despite not reportedly having spoken terms with Gen Prawit, he would still have to stay with the PPRP.
The Pheu Thai Party, which is currently in power, has been prompted by the rift by both Capt Thamanat and Gen Prawit to submit their own cabinet choice lists separately.
However, a source close to the matter said Capt Thamanat’s list, backed by the majority of the party MPs, was favoured over the list forwarded by Gen Prawit, whose nominations for cabinet posts were dropped.
The Democrat Party, rumored to be the most recent addition to the Paetongtarn government, has also been given the two cabinet seats in Gen Prawit’s quota.
In the PPRP quota, Akara Prompow, is poised to succeed his brother, Capt Thamanat, as the agriculture minister while Mr Atthakorn gets to retain his deputy agriculture minister post.
It was reported that Capt. Thamanat’s name was mentioned in the cabinet minister nominee list that Mr. Akara had submitted to Pheu Thai. Mr Akara was said to be an option in reserve should Pheu Thai, which has the final say on the cabinet line-up, find Capt Thamanat’s qualifications problematic.
The biggest twist, however, has to do with the Democrat Party taking Gen Prawit’s cabinet quota.
Pol Gen Phatcharavat and party secretary-general Dech-it Khaothong may also step down as deputy public health minister. Democrat leader Chalermchai Sri-on is considering taking the position of natural resources and environment minister.
Some pundits were already betting on PPRP disintegrating. Gen. Prawit left the PPRP and gave Capt. Thamanat the freedom to run the party, according to earlier reports.
However, Gen Prawit later denied the reports.