By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PALANG PRACHARATH Secretary-General Thammanat Prompao today (Mar. 25) categorically denied allegations that his coalition party might possibly tempt potential Move Forward defectors with payoff in cash.
Thammanat who concurrently performs as agriculture & cooperatives minister told reporters no more “bananas” will be handed out by the Palang Pracharath to any potential MPs who might skip over from the Move Forward to his coalition party, given the possibility that the latter party might be dissolved by court in near future.
In Thailand’s political jargon, “banana” means a payoff in cash earlier alleged of changing hands among politicians in exchange for the recipient to cast votes in accordance with the donor’s whims or skip over from their current party to the donor’s camp for whatever reason.
Thammanat was responding to unconfirmed hearsay that a few Move Forward MPs had quietly met with Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan in alleged pursuit of defection to his coalition party in case that the progressive camp might possibly be dissolved by the Constitutional Court for attempts to amend the draconian lese majeste law, also known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, which may have been allegedly tantamount to an undermining of rule.
Over the last few years, the Palang Pracharath secretary-general had been accused of involvement in an alleged handout of “bananas” to a number of government MPs in return for their abstention from casting a vote of confidence for former prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha following a marathon censure debate.
In another development, the so-called New Move Party was reported to have been quietly registered in preparation for all 149 Move Forward MPs to skip over in case of the Move Forward being possibly dissolved by court.
All MPs of a court-dissolved party are legally given a 60-day period to register themselves for membership of other parties and keep their MP status intact.
Given the possibility of a court-ordered dissolution of their party, those who may have acted as members of the Move Forward executive board at the time of last year’s electoral campaigns during which they had evidently propagated amendment to the lese majeste law would be legally prohibited from political activity at all levels for a number of years.
Among them are former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward leader Chaithawat Tulathon, Move Forward Secretary-General Apichart Sirisuntorn and Deputy House Speaker Padipat Santipada who has already defected to the Fair Party, among others.
CAPTION:
Top: Former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, right, and Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, left, with the latter having earlier led the Future Forward Party which had been dissolved by court and practically turned into the Move Forward Party. Photo: Thai Rath
Insert: Palang Pracharath MP Thammanat Prompao. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page: Pita Limjaroenrath announcing the launch of Move Forward Party with 55 former MPs of Future Forward Party in 2020. Photo: Thai Rath
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