Former Pheu Thai party leader Sompong Amornvivat has quit the party, apparently out of frustration over his diminishing role and interference by a “powerful figure” in all decision making, especially the selection of candidates for elections.
A veteran politician, Sompong tendered his resignation as a party member to the Office of the Election Commission today, which effectively terminates his status as a party-list MP.
Sompong told the media that his decision has nothing to do with the Pheu Thai party now being in opposition or the decline in the party’s popularity. He maintains that his carefully considered decision stems from the party’s internal management problems, which he can no longer tolerate.
He noted that all the suggestions or recommendations made by him, or other MPs, have been ignored in favour of the wishes of the “powerful figure”, whom he declined to name.
The former party leader claimed that their devastating loss to the People party in the last general election in Chiang Mai, reputed to be Pheu Thai’s northern capital, was due to the party’s choice of Pichai Lertpongadisorn as candidate for the Provincial Administrative Organisation’s mayoral election in 2020, although he subsequently won two local elections.
He said that the last straw came when the party decided to nominate another candidate for the by-election in Constituency 1 of Lamphun province, despite the fact that he had already nominated someone, without telling him why the party had rejected his proposed candidate.
There have been similar occurrences in other northern provinces, he said, adding that he feels that he has not been treated with any respect.
Sompong insisted that his decision was his own, without consultation with his son, Julapun, who is currently deputy leader of the party.
While noting that he is now 84 years old and should retire from politics, he said that there are some unresolved issues that he still wants to address for the people of Chiang Mai and the rest of the country before he washes his hands of politics for good.
