Opposition to formulate attack plan

GOVT READIES FOR CENSURE GRILLING

>>Opposition parties will meet tomorrow for talks on what approach to take in the upcoming no-confidence debate, according to Anudit Nakhontap, secretary-general of the main opposition Pheu Thai Party.

The plenary meeting tomorrow will involve a discussion on the design and format of the censure debate so it can be conducted in an orderly fashion, he said.

The meeting is being held after the opposition formally submitted its no-confidence motion to Parliament President Chuan Leekpai on Friday. The motion targets Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and five other cabinet ministers; deputy prime ministers Gen Prawit Wongsuwon and Wissanu Krea-ngam, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Deputy Agriculture and Cooperative Minister Thamanat Prompow.

Mr Anudit said the opposition parties will divide up contents of the debate, and specific individuals will be assigned to take charge.

“The debate needs to have a continuous flow about it so it doesn’t become mundane,” he said, adding the opposition parties have to work in sync.

Mr Anudit said Pheu Thai has prepared key members to censure Gen Prayut.

They are Sutin Klungsang, Jirayu Huangsap, Chonlanan Srikaew and Yutthapong Jarasathien.

Gen Anupong, Mr Wissanu and Mr Don will face a grilling from the Pheu Thai and other opposition parties while Gen Prawit will face questioning from other parties in the opposition bloc.

Gen Prawit was not included in the list of censure targets originally.

His name popped up in the last minute despite insistence by Chalerm Ubumrung, head of Pheu Thai’s special operations unit, that his party would not grill Gen Prawit because there was no evidence linking him to alleged misconduct or wrongdoing.

“The opposition is not setting a timeframe for the debate at this point in time.

“This is where we mount the most intense scrutiny of the government and so we don’t want the content to be restricted by time,” Mr Anudit said.

The date of the debate has not been set although the opposition has indicated it will be scheduled sometime towards the end of this month.

Mr Anudit said parliament will spend about a week examining the motion.

Paradorn Pattanathabut, secretary of the Pheu Thai’s special operations unit, said the opposition will delve into how the coup-makers have held on to power and are contributing to national mismanagement.

Meanwhile, Mr Wissanu said yesterday he was unperturbed by the debate as he became used to preparing censure information when he served as a cabinet secretary-general in the past.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said ministers not targeted by the censure debate may still have to answer questions if they are referred to by debaters during the session.

Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a spokesman for the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, said yesterday the government is confident the prime minister and other targeted ministers will emerge from the debate unscathed because they have run the country with accountability and transparency.