Government chief whip Wisut Chainaroon said today that, if the Opposition only wants to target Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in the forthcoming no-confidence debate, one day should be enough.
He also said, though, that House Speaker Wan Mohamad Noor Matha has not yet set the date for the debate, adding that, when a date is decided upon, the Speaker will meet government and opposition whips agree on the number of days needed and to allocate time for both sides to speak.
He dismissed the Opposition’s suggestion of five days as a “day dream”, which would only be possible when the current opposition is in government.
Wisut also said that he is confident that the prime minister will be able to handle the censure debate, adding that it is not possible for the prime minister to know every issue in detail, so may be necessary to refer some of the questions raised by opposition MPs to the ministers concerned for a fuller explanation.
The government chief whip also explained that it is not necessary for the prime minister to be physically present in the chamber throughout the debate, adding that she can still follow it from elsewhere.
Regarding former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Wisut said that, as an outsider, he is not allowed to be inside the chamber and MPs are not allowed to draw him into subjects raised during the debate.
