By Thai Newsroom Reporters
YODCHANAN Wongsawat, nephew of de facto Pheu Thai boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra, would probably be named leader of the neo-conservative party sooner or later in place of the current, powerless one, Julapun Amornvivat, according to a partisan source.
Yodchanan, son of Thaksin’s sister Yaowapa Wongsawat and former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, would probably replace Julapun as leader of the second largest partner of a potential Bhumjaithai-led coalition following last month’s election whilst both are largely anticipated to be named members of cabinet under re-elected premiership of Anutin Charnvirakul, among others.
Julapun, a former deputy finance minister who has merely become the Pheu Thai leader only in name whilst remaining practically submissive to the Shinawatra and Wongsawat families, would be by no means so entrusted by the de facto party boss than his nephew, Yodchanan, given their intimate family ties, the partisan source said.
Julapun’s father Sompong Amornvivat had earlier grudgingly resigned from his Pheu Thai membership due to long-lasting, unsettled conflict of interest between Thaksin’s sister and himself, leaving his son more or less awkward and embarrassed in the presence of the party’s rank and file since he replaced Thaksin’s daughter/former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra as party leader in only-in-name fashion.
The planned naming of Yodchanan for party leader would undoubtedly give the Shinawatra and Wongsawat families firmer grips on the neo-conservative, populist party from the foreseeable future until the next general election, according to the partisan source who only spoke on condition of anonymity.
Yodchanan would probably rise to the top partisan echelon supposedly with obligations to meet his unprecedented challenges of turning his uncle’s camp into a party of the young generation of politicians in lieu of old-timer ones such as the likes of Suriya Juangroongruangkit and Somsak Thepsuthin, co-leaders of the Sam Mit faction inside Thaksin’s camp, among others.
Whilst Thaksin’s nephew will likely grab a ministerial seat in the Anutin II cabinet, his former spouse Potjaman Damapong had quietly engaged in a covert power-bargaining talk with de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob to see to it that Suriya, a former transport minister who has earlier performed as the Pheu Thai electoral campaign director, will also be given one as ostensibly anticipated.
Suriya might probably lead an en masse departure of their protege MPs from the Pheu Thai to seek re-election next time under the tickets of another party if he was denied a portfolio to run in a Bhumjaithai-led cabinet, prompting the woman boss to talk Newin into handing him one which could probably be as significant as that of agriculture and cooperatives, the partisan source said, referring to Thaksin’s ex-spouse.
Yodchanan, Julapun and Suriya were a trio of unsuccessful partisan contestants for prime minister in the general election to see not only the total of Pheu Thai candidates elected in constituency-based mode but that of their colleagues elected in party-listed mode roughly dwindle by half in comparison to a previous election.
Given a total of eight ministerial seats for the Pheu Thai as the second largest coalition partner, Potjaman is literally allocating them behind the scenes among prominent partisan figures. For the most part, social portfolios such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research & Innovation, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Development & Human Security plus the agriculture portfolio are speculated to be granted to Thaksin’s camp.
The de facto Pheu Thai boss, scheduled to be released on parole in the upcoming May, would probably see Potjaman and Yaowapa playing more active roles than ever, albeit in surreptitious, hush-hush fashion, in the running of his neo-conservative party following their latest electoral defeat to the ultra-conservative Newin’s camp and the reformist People’s whilst many people would doubt that Thaksin will ever keep his hands off of politics after he has been freed from jail and returned home.
Literally put behind bars, the de facto Pheu Thai boss would certainly be appalled and disappointed in no small measure at last month’s phenomenon in which the Pheu Thai candidates vying in all 10 constituencies of Chiang Mai, the native province of his Shinawatra family, were overwhelmingly outvoted by their rivals and could not help wondering how much effort his younger sister Yaowapa may have exerted, albeit in vain, on her part of the party’s electoral campaign.
CAPTIONS:
Top – File photo of de facto Pheu Thai boss-turn-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra with his nephew Yodchanan Wongsawat. Credit- MNG Online
Front Page – Yodchanan Wongsawat. Photo – Amarin TV
First insert – Thaksin Shinawatra’s sister Yaowapa Wongsawat voting in the Feb. 8 general election. Photo – PPTVHD36
Second insert – Thaksin Shinawatra’s former spouse Potjaman Damapong and her daughters. former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, right, and Pintongta Kunakornwong, visiting Thaksin Shinawatra in jail. Photo – Amarin TV
Also read:
Newin to have final say over Bhumjaithai ministerial seats
100 party-listed, designate-MPs initially verified
No old-timer politicians welcome in Bhumjaithai-led cabinet
No Klatham MPs to vote Anutin for PM unless brought into Bhumjaithai-led coalition
People’s to file duty-negligence, misconduct lawsuit against Election Commission
Bhumjaithai-led coalition finally opts to do without Klatham, Democrats
Trump wants say on Iran’s next leader as war intensifies
US hasn’t asked to use U-Tapao Airport: Minister
Lesson from Tehran: Unsecured surveillance cameras are a tool for opponents
Public urged to not hoard fuel with diesel price fixed for 15 days
War jitters lead to rush to fill up and stockpile fuel in Chiang Rai, Nakhon Sawan
As Mideast conflict widens, US says attacks on Iran will last weeks and intensify
