Government MPs have agreed to turn to a charter-mandated independent organization, such as the Constitutional Court, to rule on the appropriateness of Padipat Suntiphada remaining as deputy House speaker, after he was expelled from the Move Forward party last week.

Government chief whip Adisorn Piengkes said yesterday (Monday) that he initially proposed that an urgent motion be submitted to House Speaker Wan Mohamad Noor Matha, seeking a debate in the lower chamber about Padipat’s status after his expulsion, which was een as a political charade by some and strategic by others.

After discussion among government whips, he said it was agreed that the parliamentary channel to deliberate the issue would give an incorrect impression that government MPs were capitalising on their majority to persecute the deputy House speaker.

Instead, he said the whips would prefer to rely upon either the Constitutional Court or the National Anti-Corruption Commission to consider the issue, adding that Chousak Sirinil, a deputy leader of the Pheu Thai party, has been assigned to look into the case, as well as relevant legal matters, and come up with a solution as to how the case should be approached.

Adisorn claims that the Move Forward party’s expulsion of Padipat is against the party’s regulation No 64(5), which specifies that a party member can be expelled from the party if they are found to have committed a gross disciplinary or ethical violation or a serious wrongful act.