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Thaworn and Witthaya investigated after hosting ACT leader Suthep Sam Mitr key figure hints at constitution carve up during Palang Pracharath gathering Industry Minister and EC chief forced to defend order delaying finalisation of election constituences
Dem probe could be blessing
T he Democrats’ internal inquiry, which this week cleared two senior members whose political loyalty had been called into question, could end up saving the party in the future, said a political analyst.
The party came under fire from opponents who insisted the outcome of the probe against Thaworn Senneam and Witthaya Kaewparadai was not even a “slap on the wrist”.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the inquiry panel had agreed to end its probe without taking disciplinary action against the two former MPs.
Both veteran politicians had sparked an uproar among party members after they were seen together with Suthep Thaugsuban, a cofounder of the Action Coalition for Thailand (ACT) Party, who recently engaged in a campaign walk to recruit members in several southern provinces.
Mr Thaworn was alleged to have opened his house in Songkhla, which he previously represented as MP, for use as “an office” for the ACT to accept applications to join the party.
The issue instantly unleashed a floodgate of criticism from many party members against the two former MPs. Mr Thaworn explained there was nothing wrong with a friend treating another to a meal.
He and Mr Suthep fought side by side during the People’s Democratic Reform Committee street protest against the Pheu Thai Party-led administration, which was subsequently ousted in a military coup engineered by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
But their friendship goes back a long way before the protest, according to a Democrat source.
Several Democrat supporters, however, maintained that friendship was not the issue. Rather, Mr Thaworn’s consent to Mr Suthep to take ACT membership applications at his residence would confuse the Democrat voters and that his behaviour risked violating the party’s regulations.
The growing displeasure prompted the Democrats to appoint their deputy leader Nipit Intarasombat to conduct a probe to gather facts. Mr Thaworn and Mr Witthaya were called to verbally explain themselves before Mr Nipit’s panel.
According to Mr Abhisit, there is nothing wrong with social engagements such as having lunch, drinking coffee or playing sport with members of other political parties.
However, they would be overstepping the mark if they engage in activities that work in the interest of another political party.
A source close to the matter said Mr Suthep had spoken to a crowd during his “stop” at Mr Thaworn’s residence where he reportedly made a scathing remark about the outcome of the recent Democrat Party leadership race. Mr Abhisit was re-elected as party leader with a margin of victory much narrower than most pundits had predicted.
Mr Abhisit won 67,505 votes, followed by former Democrat Phitsanulok MP Warong Dechgitvigrom, who received 57,689 votes. Dr Warong was thought to have rapidly gained ground on Mr Abhisit despite being far less senior in the party’s hierarchy. Dr Warong also retains close ties to Mr Suthep.
Some critics have described the “zero” punishment against Mr Thaworn and Mr Witthaya as a farce. However, the source believed the findings and the establishment of Mr Nipit’s panel could turn out in the Democrat’s saviour.
The Democrats named the panel to show the world, as well as the Election Commission (EC), it has taken a serious step to rectify the issue of party members alleged to be have a loyalty problem.
The source said the probe might help distance the Democrats from any accusation of using the two former MPs to hook up with the ACT in an electoral collusion bid, which is an offence under the election law punishable by party dissolution.
The panel was a safeguard against any petition or complaint which may be filed in the future with the EC against the party on charges of electoral collusion, the source said.
PPRP chiefs put foot in it at meet
P oliticians are known for making the occasional blunder, and two key figures of the Sam Mitr (Three Allies) group which has merged into a pro-regime party seem to have had their fair share of slips, according to political sources. While there is little doubt about the prowess Suriya Juangroongruangkit and Somsak Thepsuthin brought to the Palang Pracharath (PPRP), the pair’s recent speeches at the PPRP gathering are not a very auspicious start.
After bringing dozens of former MPs and highprofile politicians under their wing to formally apply as the PPRP members last Sunday, both men took to the stage and turned the whole thing into a political talk show that did not go down well with the non-Sam Mitr members.
Mr Suriya, former secretary-general of the now-dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party, spoiled the mood for some when he drew an unnecessary comparison between the two parties by saying the TRT’s launch was no match for the PPRP’s.
According to the political sources, his remark was totally uncalled for even if he was apparently trying to please the crowd, many of whom are considered political novices, and give them a shot of confidence in the upcoming election contest.
The former transport minister also made eyes roll and drew chuckles from political pundits when boasting that the PPRP would win most House seats in the national polls. Even though the party is growing increasingly powerful, some critics doubt it will muster barely 50 House seats.
Mr Suriya’s remark was bad enough, but Mr Somsak came up with a statement that saw the mouths of non-Sam Mitr members even wider agape.
“In this election, the constitution was designed for ‘us’. We have to make use of these elements. Every vote is important, so every single individual [election candidate] can be translated into votes,” Mr Somsak was quoted as saying.
According to several political observers, his word choice was wrong and the timing could not have been worse. The PPRP stands accused of using the Sam Mitr group to poach former MPs from different parties to help it rise to power.
The “designed for us” remark has reportedly upset several key party figures who are fully aware of public scepticism toward the party and the regime. After all, the PPRP is not without weaknesses and one is its alleged close ties with the regime.
Several elements in the 2017 coup-sponsored constitution are also widely criticised as undermining major political parties like the Pheu Thai to keep them from winning big in the next poll.
The prevailing theory is that the PPRP, led by Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana, has been set up with the goal of helping regime leader and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha return to power if he wishes to.
Critics have questioned the purpose of the party’s inception, not to mention that its name is “borrowed” from the government’s flagship pracharath development policy.
Mr Somsak’s statement was seen putting the nail in the coffin, according to political observers.
Following his remark, critics of the regime have jumped on the veteran politician and seized the opportunity to rub it in.
Pheu Thai’s secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai was quoted as saying the charter is not conducive to members remaining in the party when he said farewell to a group of senior party members, including Chaturon Chaisang who defected to its sister party the Thai Raksa Chart Party early this week.
Boundary redraw edict causes strife
T he regime has come under fire for allegedly attempting to meddle with the Election Commission’s redrawing of electoral boundaries to give a political edge to a pro-regime party in the upcoming election scheduled for February.
A source at the pro-regime party understood to be Palang Pracharath, led by Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana, said that the regime’s latest order issued last Friday has put the party in an awkward position.
The order has only fuelled suspicion that the regime wants to give the party an unfair advantage over its rivals in the election, the source said.
However, the source also said the regime’s order was intended to reverse the “blunders’’ by the EC which had failed to realise that several of its provincial election offices remain aligned with and may be cosying up to established large and medium-sized political parties, which may not see eye to eye with the government.
These provincial election offices had redrawn constituencies in a way that will benefit these parties, the source said, adding that the main EC in Bangkok is required by the law to stick to the new constituency boundary maps presented by the provincial election offices.
That may be why Prime Minister Prayut Chano-cha, in his capacity as the chief of the NCPO, had to invoke the all-powerful Section 44 to wrest the power to redraw constituency boundaries from provincial election offices and hand it back to the main EC, the source said.
It is still not known if the EC will redraw all constituency boundaries nationwide or only do so in some provinces where complaints about unfair demarcation of electoral boundaries have arisen, the source said.
However, EC Chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said on Thursday that he did not think the regime invoked Section 44 last Friday to seize control of the redrawing power so constituencies could be divided up to deliver maximum electoral benefits for a pro-regime party.
A source in the EC said a “certain” political party has alleged some constituencies may shrink in a plot to prevent candidates of the pro-regime party from competing against strong rivals.
The allegation was made by a party opposed to the regime, according to the source.
Last Friday’s order permits the poll-organising agency to make changes to constituency boundaries until Dec 11 when the bill on the election of MPs takes effect, which is much later than expected, and some politicians and critics fear it may be an attempt by the regime to interfere with the process.
Mr Ittiporn explained the order only provides an opportunity for the EC to address complaints from political parties and voters who say the redrawing of constituencies has failed to take public input into account.
The EC chairman also said the order makes it clear that the demarcation must be in line with related laws. In light of this, the NCPO is legally bound by laws which do not permit it to interfere with the EC, he said.
Mr Ittiporn previously admitted the EC had tentatively finished redrawing the constituency boundaries on Nov 5 although it has not yet announced the new plan.
The EC was having a last-minute review of the new boundaries when he was having eye surgery, Mr Ittiporn said, explaining why the announcement had to be delayed.
But EC regulations allow for this, he added.