Prawit says talks ‘have yet to begin’
The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) has yet to approach former deputy prime minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula who is seen as a potential candidate to become the ruling party’s new economic mastermind, party leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon said on Friday.
Gen Prawit said no formal talks between the party and MR Pridiyathorn had been conducted so far about the former’s intention to invite the latter to become its economic team leader.
Although MR Pridiyathorn is recognised as a leading economist, the PPRP still is reluctant to initiate talks as it is uncertain how he would react to the invitation, said Gen Prawit.
He insisted he has always had a good relationship with MR Pridiyathorn and they have never had any personal issues as rumoured during Gen Prawit’s luxury wristwatch controversy.
MR Pridiyathorn testified he wasn’t aware of the existence of the luxury watch in question on the list of assets of Gen Prawit’s friend, who Gen Prawit claimed had lent him the watch, so he saw no need to declare it as one of his assets, said an informed source.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declined to comment on the Pridiyathorn matter on Friday.
On Thursday, PPRP MP for Nakhon Sawan and chief government whip Nirote Sunthornlekha made headlines when he expressed his wish to see the PPRP find a new economic team leader with expertise in macroeconomics.
“An ideal candidate is MR Pridiyathorn Devakula who is very much needed to help lead Thailand’s strategy to cope with the lasting economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic at the macroeconomic level,” he said.
Mr Nirote had also said he believed the PPRP executives and Gen Prayut were well aware of the need to find a strong leader for their economic team.
As for the party’s preparation for the general election, he said a clearer development on the new election’s actual schedule might be known after next month’s Apec summit in Bangkok.
At this point, Mr Nirote said, he had no idea as to whether Gen Prayut would allow the coalition government to finish its four-year term, or if he would announce the dissolution of parliament before that deadline.
The Constitutional Court, meanwhile, is expected to hand down its ruling on the organic laws on the election of members of parliament and political parties sometime after New Year, he said.
This means it remains uncertain as to whether these amendments to the election regulations will be approved by the court and could be adopted in the coming election, he said.
Weerakorn Khamprakop, a PPRP MP for Nakhon Sawan and member of the party’s strategic committee, urged the party to urgently adjust its strategies in preparation for the next polls.
Although the PPRP could at this point expect to win more seats in the Central Plains and the South, its races in the North and the Northeast are expected to be extremely tough with the Pheu Thai Party predicted to win by a landslide in its strongholds, he said.