The Pheu Thai Party will opt out of discussions on lifting of political restrictions between political parties and the Election Commission if the invitation comes from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
The party’s secretary-general, Mr Phumtham Vecchayachai, said over the weekend that there is no need for another meeting to discuss further easing of political restrictions because it’s up to the government to decide on its timing.
Besides, he said the discussions could be used as a pretext for the government to take advantage over the other pro-democracy parties in favour of the pro-junta parties.
“The NCPO must be transparent and must set rules which are clear and can be followed by all parties. They must not be ambiguous otherwise (the junta) will be criticized for taking advantage of the rules they wrote,” said Mr Phumtham, adding that the Pheu Thai Party’s standpoint regarding the political discussions is that “we will attend if we were invited by the Election Commission and not by the NCPO.”
Commenting on the widespread incidence of former MPs shifting camps, including those of the Pheu Thai Party, Phumtham said that it was a normal phenomenon for ex-MPs to join new parties to boost their chance of getting elected into the parliament.
Meanwhile, Democrat party deputy leader Ong-art Klampaibul said lifting of political restrictions would bring about confidence for the country and would make clear the political direction of the country.
