Govt censure debate to go nationwide
The opposition is extending the censure debate beyond parliament in nationwide forums to expose the government’s mismanagement of the country, said Anusorn Iamsa-ard, spokesman of the main opposition Pheu Thai Party.
He said yesterday that the six opposition parties had agreed to organise the mobile forums, adding the censure debate should not end in parliament.
Last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and five other cabinet members survived a no-confidence motion in parliament after the opposition said it was denied the time it needed to grill censure targets.
Mr Anusorn said now was the time to fight for the people. Core opposition party members met yesterday and declared the forums would carry the theme “Opposition For the People”.
Mr Anusorn said the forums will focus on opposition questions and answers given by censure-targeted ministers during the four-day grilling last week. They will take place in major provinces around the country.
Prachachart Party secretary-general Thawee Sodsong said ministers targeted in the debate had failed to give clear answers to some queries, including questions on the government’s alleged use of so-called Information Operations (IOs) to smear its opponents. The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) admitted it carried out IOs but denied waging a “cyberwar” on activists, academics and politicians working for peace in the deep South.
Phumtham Wechayachai, an adviser to opposition leader Sompong Amornwiwat, said the opposition’s duty to keep the government in check must continue outside parliament, but it needed help from the people to denounce the administration’s mishandling of national affairs. “We can’t rely on a show of hands in parliament alone to defeat the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, ex-leader of the disbanded Future Forward Party, advised that his supporters read the book From Dictatorship To Democracy by American political scientist Gene Sharp, a prolific writer on non-violent resistance.