By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER PRAYUT Chan-o-cha was suggested today (June 29) to consider stepping down if any individual cabinet members are intensely grilled for their alleged wrongdoings and barely given a yea vote in an approaching censure/no-confidence motion.
Thai Economic party leader Thammanat Prompao advised that Prayut claim full, prompt responsibility by resigning for possibilities that any of the 10 cabinet members targeted under the censure debate might barely survive with a subsequent vote of confidence in comparison to that of no confidence.
The censure/no-confidence bid which is expected to last no less than four days in a row by the middle of next month will see the premier and 10 other cabinet members grilled for their allegedly error-ridden, corruption-prone or futile performances ranging from the economic slumps, the people’s soaring costs of living and the sustained pandemic situation to questionable arms purchase plans, among others.
Prayut deposed Thammanat as deputy agriculture & cooperatives minister following last year’s censure/no-confidence bid in which the former had suspected the latter of having allegedly plotted to vote him down.
Thammanat said Prayut will not only be supposed to defend himself from accusations lodged by the opposition bloc pertaining to his allegedly mishandling the country but to consider stepping down to take full responsibility for severe misconduct or undue losses of public interests allegedly perpetrated by any of those censured ministers.
Thammanat stopped short of either confirming or denying speculation that the 18 Thai Economic MPs including himself will cast a nay vote against some of those censured ministers though the Thai Economic party leader publicly pledged to keep Palang Pracharath party leader/Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan intact.
Given the fact that Prawit, who is among the targeted cabinet members, currently is not in charge of any cabinet portfolio or any agencies in charge of water resources administration as alleged, he will be given a vote of confidence by the Thai Economic MPs, Thammanat said.
Earlier this year, Thammanat led an exodus of 21 “renegade” MPs from Prawit’s camp in the face of uncompromisable partisan conflict to join the then-little known Thai Economic Party and proclaim themselves as “independent” lawmakers who will primarily judge the government’s performance on case-by-case basis and with respect to the people’s deserved welfare and hand-to-mouth conditions.
Thammanat did not pinpoint any of the targeted ministers whom the Thai Economic MPs might probably abstain from voting either for or against or even cast a nay vote against and stopped short of saying whether they might as well abstain from voting in support of the embattled premier.
Without naming names, the Thai Economic party leader said those who might be specifically held accountable for the people’s sustained economic woes could possibly be voted down in the post-censure no-confidence vote.
Those cabinet members targeted under the censure/no-confidence bid include Bhumjaithai party leader/Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhumjaithai party secretary-general/Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, Democrat party leader/Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, Digital Economy & Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn, Social Development & Human Security Minister Juti Krairirk, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin, Deputy Finance Minister Santi Prompat, Deputy Interior Minister Nipon Boonyamanee, Prawit and Prayut.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, right, and Thai Economic party leader Thammanat Prompao, left. Photo: Workpointtoday.com
Front Page: Thai Economic party leader Thammanat Prompao flanked by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, right, and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, left. Photo: Matichon Weekly
Also read: Censure debate/no-confidence vote against Prayut delayed until early July
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