By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER PAETONGTARN Shinawatra was today (Aug. 21) suggested to mostly pick the young generation and kick out the old one in an imminent cabinet lineup so that she could successfully run the country.
Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the Institute for Political & Policy Analyses, advised the 38-year-old daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra take “absolute, predetermined” action in the naming of members of her cabinet, albeit anticipated to be decidedly influenced by her father.
The outspoken academic suggested that Paetongtarn see to it that no less than 80% of a total of newly-named ministers literally belong to the young generation and no more than 20% to the old generation.
Apart from a prime minister, a maximum of 35 members of cabinet are allowed by law at a time.
Nevertheless, Thanaporn said, acting transport minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit would probably be the only exception from among the old generation to be supposedly reshuffled out in an imminent cabinet lineup since he is allegedly known as a “financier” of the largest ruling party.
“It’s about time Little Boss (Paetongtarn) revived the people’s confidence in the Pheu Thai-led government beginning with the naming of the young generation and kicking out the old generation,” the academic said.
According to the academic, Paetongtarn could competently run the country and efficiently cope with the people’s economic woes with the help of young cabinet members whilst it is about time all “Big House” elements were retired for good.
In Thai political jargon, “Big House” refers to influential politicians either at national or provincial level ranging from former and current members of cabinet to MPs, senators and provincial administrative heads whom parties have been largely inclined to recruit as partisan members.
Meanwhile, Thanaporn advised the woman prime minister kick out the entire Palang Pracharath in the face of intra-partisan conflict of interest between leader Prawit Wongsuwan and secretary-general Thammanat Prompao who might probably lead an exodus of a dozen MPs under his command from the third largest coalition partner again.
Thammanat, the acting agriculture & cooperatives minister, has been obviously disappointed and frustrated at the latest phenomenon in which he was nowhere on a list of four Palang Pracharath nominees for members of cabinet, already submitted to Prommin Lertsuridej, Thaksin’s right-hand man and former prime-ministerial secretary-general.
Thanaporn suggested the Pheu Thai as core of the current coalition need not wait for any trouble-plagued coalition partner to join the Paetongtarn I cabinet since, he said, the Democrats, albeit currently in the opposition bloc, were desperately looking to cross over to the coalition side.
The Democrats could possibly effortlessly terminate the partisan membership of former party leader/former prime minister Chuan Leekpai and others if they formally objected to an anticipated entry of the country’s oldest party into the Pheu Thai-led coalition, he said.
The old-time conservative Democrats are largely viewed as one extreme end of the country’s polarised politics with the neo-conservative Pheu Thai on the other end since the last few decades.
The ultra-conservative, pro-military Ruam Thai Sang Chart had ironically joined the Pheu Thai-led government following last year’s general election despite the fact that their prominent members such as party secretary-general Ekkanat Prompan had been instrumental in Bangkok’s street protests which culminated in the ouster of a Pheu Thai-led government under former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra due to the 2014 coup staged by the then-army chief-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
CAPTION:
Top, insert and Front Page: Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra performing a religious ceremony to mark her 38th birthday at the Temple of the Golden Mount today (Aug. 21) with her father/ de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra and husband Pitaka Suksawat. Photos: Thai Rath
Insert: Academic Thanaporn Sriyakul. Photo: Thai Rath
Also read: `Paetongtarn not going to take defence minister’s seat: Thaksin
Palang Pracharath disintegrating again with Thammanat being kept out of new Cabinet
Legal action against Thaksin expected for sponsoring political session at home
Touring local wisdom and soft power in Northeast Thailand
Pre-dawn floods swamp hundreds of houses in Phayao
Mystery surrounds death of Indian man in Pathum Thani
