Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra noted, in her closing speech of the censure debate last night, how often her name was mentioned over the last two days by opposition MPs, who kept criticising her for lacking leadership and being dominated by her father, former prime minister Thaksin.
Hitting back, she said that the opposition leader was also dominated, not by his father but by “someone else”.
She said that she and the People’s Party MPs share similar paths, as both were politically persecuted and, therefore, they should not marginalise other people, including herself.
Regarding the alleged trade-off between national and vested interests, of which she was accused by opposition MPs, the prime minister argued that deals are a normal practice anywhere.
To set a new political order for the future, she also challenged the People’s Party to announce now with which party it would join to form a new government after the next general election, so the people can decide for which parties to vote.
In his closing statement, People’s Party Leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut repeated the issues raised by opposition MPs during the two-day debate.
These included:
· Thaksin’s privileged treatment for six months in the Police General Hospital, to avoid imprisonment
· The Shinawatra family’s questionable ownership of a hotel in the Khao Yai area
· The so-called “devil’s deal” to bring Thaksin home after almost 20 years of self-imposed exile
· The prime minister’s lack of qualifications to run the country
· Alleged tax dodging, involving shares worth 4.4 billion baht obtained from family members
