Pheu Thai braces for cabinet trip
Prawit vague, critics see poaching at play
The government has hinted that politicians are welcome to meet the prime minister during next week’s mobile cabinet trip in the Northeast, a major stronghold of the Pheu Thai Party.
This has fuelled criticism of the regime and its alleged attempts to poach politicians in the region so they can migrate to a party that would back Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha should he opt to contest the national election tentatively scheduled for February.
Unlike previous mobile cabinet trips, the government has announced no schedule to meet politicians during its July 23-24 jaunt around Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen.
This has sparked speculation it may have cancelled them to avoid criticism that it is trying to woo politicians in the Northeast into the regime’s fold.
“We are not avoiding anything. If they want to meet us, we will meet them. If they don’t, so be it. Every time it is they who request a meeting. If they don’t — no meeting. That’s not on our agenda anyway,” Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon said.
He brushed aside rumours that efforts were being made to court former MPs, particularly from Pheu Thai, into the fold of the Phalang Pracharath Party.
The party was reportedly set up to support Gen Prayut as a democratically installed premier rather than one who rose to power in 2014 through a bloodless coup.
Gen Prawit said it was natural for politicians to shift parties.
Responding to criticism that mobile cabinet trips have given the government an unfair advantage over other politicians who have been restricted by a longstanding ban on political activities, Gen Prawit said the trips were for the prime minister to visit local people and follow up on government measures to address local problems.
Addressing the security situation in Ubon Ratchathani, another stronghold of the so-called “red shirts”, Gen Prawit said the situation there was now “peaceful”.
Somkid Chuakong, a former Pheu Thai MP for Ubon Ratchathani, said he believed meetings with politicians would almost certainly take place during the trip.
He claimed to have seen a list of names of about 10 people who could feature in the meetings and said a team has already been sent to the region in advance to coordinate with them.
“The trip aims to buoy the confidence of government officials and find out who will defect to the regime,” Mr Somkid said.
“They will be able to see who the big players are who are expected to run in the election,” he said, adding the officials would expect to be supported in return.
Ex-Pheu Thai MPs and red-shirt members have slammed the suspected efforts by the Sam Mitr Group (Three Allies) to poach their members in favour of Gen Prayut’s return.
Pirom Polwiset, secretary of the Sam Mitr group, recently met with UDD sympathisers in the Northeast to exchange views on how to achieve national reconciliation. The trip was seen by many as an effort to poach them.
Mr Pirom is a former MP for Nakhon Ratchasima who used to belong to the now-dissolved People Power Party, since reincarnated as Pheu Thai.
The group is seen as the regime’s recruiting arm, established to court former MPs, particularly from Pheu Thai, to the Phalang Pracharath Party.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam said yesterday mobile cabinet trips were being organised to gather feedback from local bodies and residents. They were being made for the sake of national administration, he said.
After previous cabinet trips in Suphan Buri and Ayutthaya last September, politicians in those two provinces complained they were not given a chance to present their views and solutions even though they were well-versed in local problems, Mr Wissanu said.
In light of this, when the cabinet travelled to Sukhothai in December 30 local politicians led by former industry minister Somsak Thepsuthin were given a chance to meet cabinet members for the first time for talks, he said, adding there was no ulterior motive.