By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PHUMTHAM WECHAYACHAI, a right-hand man for de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, is largely speculated to be named defence minister in an imminent Cabinet lineup.
According to a partisan source, Thaksin has decided to replace Pheu Thai-attached Sutin Khlungsang, currently an acting defence minister, with Phumtham, an acting deputy prime minister-cum-commerce minister, in the Cabinet lineup under his daughter/Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who concurrently acts as leader of the Pheu Thai, core of the current coalition.
Phumtham may be a civilian defence minister who could practically come to terms with military commanders and be assisted by a deputy defence minister who may be a retired army general.
That refers to Nattapol Nakpanich, acting secretary-general to the acting defence minister and former deputy army chief, largely known as a protege of former coup leader-turned-prime minister/de facto Ruam Thai Sang Chart boss Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The de facto Pheu Thai boss had earlier categorically dismissed speculation that his daughter/prime minister could possibly take the defence minister’s seat in concurrent fashion.
In another development, 21 out of a total 25 Democrat MPs might probably be given the rare opportunity to skip over from the opposition bloc to the Pheu Thai-led coalition and be given a few ministerial seats in the new Cabinet lineup.
The preferable Cabinet seats for the Democrats might probably refer to the agriculture & cooperatives and interior portfolios.
However, a few senior Democrat MPs, namely former prime minister/former Democrat leader Chuan Leekpai, former Democrat leader Jurin Laksanavisit and former deputy prime minister Banyat Bantattan, would object in vain to the likelihood of their partisan colleagues joining ranks with the Pheu Thai-led coalition government.
Democrat leader/former agriculture & cooperatives minister Chalermchai Sri-on has desperately looked to join the Pheu Thai-led government since the time of a previous one under court-deposed prime minister Srettha Thavisin.
Largely tipped to be named ministers on the part of the Democrats in the new Pheu Thai-led cabinet are Democrat secretary-general Det-it Khaothong and Chalermchai.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether all or some of the 40 MPs of the Palang Pracharath, currently the third largest coalition partner, could finally continue to hold onto the new government, given conflict of interest between Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan and secretary-general Thammanat Prompao over the allocation of ministerial seats.
Thammanat’s name had been earlier nowhere on a list of Palang Pracharath nominees for ministerial seats, prompting him to lead an exodus of a dozen-plus Palang Pracharath MPs from Prawit’s camp again.
The naming of Thammanat for a ministerial seat in the new Cabinet lineup could probably be denied by the de facto Pheu Thai boss for fear that his daughter/prime minister might possibly repeat an irreversible blunder earlier made by Srettha which culminated in his having been immediately stripped by the Constitutional Court of his prime-ministerial status on grounds of severely breaching the constitution and code of political ethics.
Thammanat had been earlier arrested on drug-trafficking charges and sentenced to months in jail by court in Australia, thus retroactively embedding an evident, ethical flaw in his personal conduct.
Srettha had been impeached and deposed of power due to his having named former lawyer/former convict Pichit Chuenban, who had previously worked for Thaksin, a minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office earlier this year.
The de facto Pheu Thai boss had allegedly pressed for the contentious naming of his former lawyer for the portfolioless minister.
CAPTION:
De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, left in above photo and right in Front Page photo, and acting deputy prime minister-cum-commerce minister Phumtham Wechayachai. Both photos: Thai Rath
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