Thailand’s opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng admitted today (Wednesday) that the censure speeches yesterday by opposition MPs were not direct enough and promised that today will be different.
“Yesterday’s debate was just a prelude and the audience didn’t feel anything, but today we will go into details and it will be worth the wait,” said the Pheu Thai MP adding, however, that there won’t be any surprises.
Suthin complained that there were too many protests yesterday,which did not reflect positively on the image of parliament, adding that the public audience might have been disappointed.
He also dismissed a remark, by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, that a Pheu Thai MP had defected to Palang Pracharat, the government coalition’s core party.
Meanwhile, Sira Jenjakha, an outspoken Palang Pracharat MP, told the media this morning that he was disappointed with the opposition’s efforts yesterday, claiming that there was no new evidence supporting accusations of irregularities aimed at the prime minister or other ministers.
He said that some opposition MPs acted as if they were presenting news reports during the censure debate, without any new incriminating evidence.
Accusing some opposition MPs of using foul language during the debate, or of engaging in self-aggrandizement, Sira said he will raise this problem with House Speaker Chuan Leekpai and might ask him to cut the debate short “because there is nothing new about it.”
The second day of the four-day censure debate is now in progress in parliament.
