By Thai Newsroom Reporters
REAL ESTATE TYCOON Settha Taweesin, one of a trio of Pheu Thai partisan candidates for prime minister, does not have a final say to decide whether the Palang Pracharath or any other party could possibly join an alliance with his own after the May 14 general election, said Thammanat Prompao today (Apr.22).
The former deputy agriculture & cooperatives minister who is seeking re-election as MP under the Palang Pracharath banners responded to the property mogul’s comment recently made on his campaign stumps that the Pheu Thai will not join hands with the Palang Pracharath, headed by Prawit Wongsuwan, to set up a coalition government after the nationwide election.
Thammanat maintained that Settha does not have the power among the Pheu Thai hierarchy to make decisions pertaining to the setting up of a post-election government.
Neither is the Pheu Thai partisan contestant for prime minister practically supposed to say or do anything about it in the first place, Thammanat commented.
According to the Palang Pracharath candidate for MP of Payao, such matters will entirely depend on decisions of the current executive board of the Pheu Thai where deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is invariably viewed as de facto party boss.
Thaksin’s youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra emerged out of nowhere to be named one of the trio of Pheu Thai partisan contenders for head of a post-election government besides former justice minister Chaikasem Nitisiri and Settha.
“Given a microphone on a campaign trail, (Settha) could say anything to satisfy himself and others despite the fact that he does not have a final say about it at all,” Thammanat said, referring to the real estate tycoon, known as personally close to Thaksin’s sister/ deposed prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, drawing attention to his campaign speeches launched on an open makeshift stage or on top of a running truck.
On behalf of the Pheu Thai camp, Settha has earlier delivered a controversial campaign promise to hand out 10,000 baht in digital wallet to each adolescent and adult nationwide only if his party becomes core of government.
Nevertheless, a post-election Pheu Thai/Palang Pracharath alliance is widely speculated either with or without Prawit, who is running as sole partisan contender for prime minister, being finally given the helm of government.
Prawit has categorically denied that he had been involved in the 2014 coup staged by the then-army chief/now caretaker prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha though he had managed to name the ex-coup leader an unelected head of a Palang Pracharath-led government after the 2019 election.
Paetongtarn and Settha, who earlier jumped onto the Pheu Thai bandwagon, have publicly reassured that their party will definitely not hand the premiership to the Palang Pracharath boss, regardless of the results of the May 14 election.
CAPTION:
Palang Pracharath candidate for MP Thammanat Prompao, left, and one of three Pheu Thai candidates for prime minister Settha Thaweesin, right. Above photo: Thai Rath, Front Page photo: Matichon
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