File photo: Prawit Wongsuwan
A group of about 20 MPs of the Palang Pracharath party, loyal to party leader General Prawit Wongsuwan, showed up at the Five Provinces Forest Charity Foundation today for a luncheon meeting, in what was interpreted as the faction’s “muscle flexing” amidst uncertainty over the party’s inclusion in the new cabinet.
The party is divided into two factions, both of which have submitted their own lists of prospective ministers to the cabinet secretariat for vetting.
General Prawit’s faction submitted a list of four prospective ministers, including Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan, while the faction led by the party’s secretary-general, Thammanat Prompao, submitted a list of three, which excludes Thammanat.
Meanwhile, Paibul Nititawan, the deputy leader, has sent an urgent letter to the cabinet secretariat asking why it has not sent an official form to Patcharawat, to be completed with details of his profile as required of all prospective ministers.
The absence of the official form was interpreted as meaning that Patcharawat might be excluded from the cabinet line-up.
Responding to a reporter’s question, Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that he is unaware of Patcharawat’s problem regarding the background form.
He added, however, that just because parties vote in support of a winning prime ministerial candidacy in parliament, it does not necessarily mean that they will be included in the coalition government.
He admitted that he does not know when the new cabinet line-up will be finalised, adding that he wants the matter to be resolved as quickly as possible. He also said that Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the sole authority in the selection of cabinet ministers.
