Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said today, in response to the speculation about the finance ministry’s candidate for the Bank of Thailand (BOT) chairman’s post, that he was unaware of any changes and that the ministry and the central bank are free to nominate new candidates.
Currently, the speculation is that the finance ministry may change its candidate for the BOT chairman’s post, from Kittiratt Na-Ranong, former deputy prime minister and finance minister, to Pongpanu Svetarundra, former permanent secretary for tourism and sports, to ease pressure from critics.
The Finance Ministry’s nomination of Kittiratt has drawn protests and criticism from academics, former staff and activists, all fearing political interference in BOT’s affairs.
Pichai also said that the central bank’s chairman does not enjoy absolute power in the bank, adding that the real decision-making is shared among numerous sub-committees within the bank.
The finance minister said that he is “leaving it to the finance ministry’s permanent secretary to nominate the candidate”, but he urged all parties involved in the selection of the new chairman to find a solution.
This morning, the selection committee, chaired by Sathit Limpongpan, a former finance ministry permanent secretary, agreed to postpone the committee’s meeting today to select the next BOT chairman, claiming that it needs more time to consider the issue.
