Top-flight party infighting
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha recently stepped in to stop discord bubbling up within the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) over the performances of party leader and Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana, and secretary-general Sontirat
Sontijirawong, who is also energy minister.
This intervention came amid frustration from some party executives with the pair’s leadership and rumours that their ouster was being sought. This disharmony has coincided with speculation of a cabinet reshuffle.
Gen Prayut, however, would rather keep politics placid right now as he battles the Covid-19 pandemic, the toughest challenge his administration has faced.
In a stern rebuke, he drove home the message that there would be no cabinet reshuffle during the crisis, according to a source close to the matter.
After a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Gen Prayut called both Mr Uttama and Mr Sontirat for talks and assured them they have his backing.
Like him, the prime minister told the pair he wanted them to concentrate on their work and not be distracted by issues that could test their patience, said the source.
By expressing his support for Mr Uttama and Mr Sontirat, Gen Prayut obviously intended to rein in a group of 15 party executives which had been putting pressure on the pair, the source said.
The group members, led by deputy PPRP leader Nataphol Teepsuwan, recently resigned from their executive posts in a move to open the way for the selection of new party
executive board members.
The new board, they hoped, would see Deputy Prime Minister and PPRP chief strategist Prawit Wongsuwon installed as the party leader.
With 15 of the 35 party executives stepping down from the board, the group needs to lobby three more executives to quit. If they succeed in doing so, the group could claim more than half the executives have called it a day, which would justify the election of a new board, the source said.
Mr Nataphol was formerly a co-leader of the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) led by former Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban.
The PDRC spearheaded the anti-government mass demonstrations against the Pheu Thai Party-led administration in late 2013 that culminated in the May 2014 military coup.
When he joined the PPRP, Mr Nataphol had the trust of Gen Prayut and Gen Prawit, and he was placed first on the PPRP’s party list. He was also among candidates for the energy minister post after the general election last year, the source said.
After fierce competition among key party figures for the energy portfolio, the post was handed to Mr Sontirat, while Mr Nataphol became education minister.
Despite this, the source said that Mr Nataphol still has his sights set on the energy portfolio.
The source said Mr Nataphol may have tried to gather support from some party executives who do not hold cabinet seats, such as chief government whip Wirat Rattanaset, to endorse his push for a new executive board to be installed which could lead to a cabinet reshuffle.
It has been speculated that after the coronavirus crisis eases, some cabinet seats in the ruling party’s quota may be put up for “rotation” and offered to Palang Pracharath executives who have not yet served in the cabinet.
The source said a surprise could be pulled with Deputy Finance Minister Santi Prompat a possibility to replace Mr Uttama as finance minister, provided Gen Prayut gives the green light.
However, Gen Prayut has so far given the prospect of a cabinet reshuffle the cold shoulder.