A growing battle between supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Palang Pracharath Party leader General Prawit Wongsuwan is reviving the two kingmakers’ old rivalry but also exposing their vulnerabilities.
Legal experts close to Thaksin and Prawit are engaged in what observers call “political lawfare”, lodging complaints with various agencies aimed at damaging their opponent.
In Thaksin’s case, although he is believed to be the target, it is his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is feeling the heat.
Serial petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana – who is affiliated with Palang Pracharath, which was recently ejected from the government coalition – has filed multiple petitions with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Election Commission (EC), accusing the PM of failing to meet the constitutional requirement for ministers of “evident integrity” and high ethical standards.
In a counterattack, former Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit has sought parliamentary and NACC investigations of Prawit over his frequent absence from Parliament meetings.
End of uneasy union
Thaksin is regarded as the patriarch and de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which is officially led by Paetongtarn. His daughter's rise to the party helm and premiership at the tender age of 38 has been attributed to Thaksin’s still powerful political sway.
Prawit is Palang Pracharath's leader and its only list MP. He is credited with helping to mastermind General Prayut Chan-o-cha's 2014 coup that ousted the government of Thaksin's sister, Yingluck. He then served as deputy PM and defence minister in the post-coup regime. However, he failed to gain a ministerial seat under the previous Pheu Thai-led government of Srettha Thavisin.
Palang Pracharath is now in the opposition camp after being ditched from the coalition and seeing a rebel faction led by its former secretary-general Thamanat Prompow join the new government. Pheu Thai’s decision to expel Palang Pracharath marked the end of an uneasy alliance between the two parties and the restoration of hostilities between Thaksin and Prawit.
Complaints against the PM
Just days after Thaksin’s daughter became prime minister, Ruangkrai lodged the first of his dozen or so complaints against her. His petitions cover issues ranging from Paetongtarn’s company shareholdings and her appointment of former convicts as advisers, to her “mini heart” hand gesture made during a Cabinet photo shoot at Government House in September, which he deemed “ethical misconduct”.
Ruangkrai has also called on the EC to investigate whether Paetongtarn had resigned from her posts as an executive in some 20 companies before being elected. He cited the Constitution's rule prohibiting ministers from holding more than 5% of shares in a business or being employed by a private firm.
In early October, he also asked the EC to probe whether Paetongtarn’s appointment of ex-deputy PM Surapong Suebwonglee and former red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar as her advisers violated the charter's rule against recruiting former inmates. Ruangkrai drew a parallel with the case of Paetongtarn’s predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, who lost his post after the Constitutional Court ruled he had breached the charter by appointing former convict Pichit Chuenban as a minister.
Palang Pracharath has denied it is coordinating with Ruangkrai. The party’s secretary-general Paiboon Nititawan insisted the petitioner had acted alone in lodging complaints against the prime minister.
Ruangkrai is known for launching a barrage of petitions against politicians and political parties. One led to the dismissal of Samak Sundaravej as Thaksin's proxy PM in 2008 after the Constitutional Court ruled that his appearance on a cooking show violated the charter's prohibition on private employment for ministers.
Move against Prawit
Pheu Thai’s Prompong has hit back with a legal campaign against Prawit, calling on House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha to investigate his patchy attendance record.
Prawit has been absent for 84 of the 95 meetings of the current House, said Prompong, citing Parliament Secretariat records. He accused Prawit of prioritizing his private interests over his national duty.
Prompong claimed taxpayers had asked him to find out if Prawit was fulfilling his role as MP properly and whether he was collecting his full monthly salary of over 200,000 baht despite the absences.
The actor-turned-politician has also petitioned the NACC to rule on whether Prawit's poor attendance constitutes “severe ethical misconduct”. Prompong also asked the anti-graft agency to investigate whether Prawit’s four overseas trips earlier this year were sponsored. Sponsorship would violate the law banning state officials from accepting benefits valued over 3,000 baht, the petitioner said.
