By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A SPECULATED RESHUFFLE of the Pheu Thai-led cabinet will primarily depend on de facto party boss-cum-convict on parole Thaksin Shinawatra and definitely not Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, partisan sources said over the weekend.
Though Srettha has earlier said he is “no puppet” otherwise pulled around by anyone, the real estate tycoon-turned-prime minister practically has no business to do with the cabinet reshuffle – the purely political activity being decidedly handled by the de facto Pheu Thai party boss-cum-convict on parole, according to the partisan sources who only spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Pheu Thai-backed Srettha, with the party being legally empowered to run the country, will only be obliged to undersign a prime-ministerial order for the reshuffle of certain cabinet members either attached to the ruling Pheu Thai or other coalition partners, they said.
“It is only the (de facto) party boss who will say yes or no when it comes to power play such as the Pheu Thai-led cabinet reshuffle in which the prime minister definitely has no role to play at all.
“Even if Srettha might possibly prefer to kick a certain minister out of his cabinet, he just cannot do so without the green light from the (de facto) party boss,” one partisan source said.
“Nobody among the Pheu Thai rank and file and other coalition partners would look to meet with Srettha if they wish to get involved in a future cabinet reshuffle one way or another. Everybody knows who’s the boss when it comes to power play,” said another.
Srettha, quietly pushed to rise to power by Thaksin’s sister/deposed prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, may verbally dismiss speculation of a cabinet reshuffle which might probably take place as soon as next month but he cannot single-handedly put his word to work where the country’s power play is concerned, they said.
Thaksin who had not spent a single day behind bars and been instead provided privileges of staying in a private ward at Police Hospital for a six-month period to serve half of his curtailed, one-year sentence outside of a prison until he was granted parole and returned to his Chan Song Lah residence last month is currently keeping a low profile amidst speculation of being visited sooner or later by cabinet members and MPs of the ruling party, among others.
Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, invariably seen as Thaksin’s right-hand man, has earlier said a cabinet reshuffle would probably not occur until after the 2024 budget bill has been turned into law by next month.
Speculated to be affected in the looming cabinet reshuffle are Defence Minister Suthin Khlangsang who would probably be replaced by Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan, Natural Resources & Environment Minister Patcharawat Wongsuwan and Education Minister Permpun Chidchob, brother of de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, among others.
In another development, the prime minister would probably choose to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a general election rather than resign, albeit under pressing advice from the de facto Pheu Thai boss, if the government’s legislation to borrow a sum of 500 billion baht in loan to finance the Pheu Thai-initiated, digital-wallet handout campaign finally fizzled out at parliament.
The planned implementation of the 10,000-baht populist campaign has already been postponed until after May whilst the 3.48 trillion baht budget for the current fiscal year would likely be available for use from the latter part of next month.
CAPTION:
Top and Front Page: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, left, and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, right. Photos: Thai Rath
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