By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PALANG PRACHARATH Secretary-General/acting agriculture & cooperatives minister Thammanat Prompao could probably be reshuffled out of an imminent cabinet lineup due to his earlier personal notoriety, a partisan source said today (Aug. 19).
Thammanat might probably fail to retain his ministerial seat in the cabinet lineup under newly-named Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, because he had been earlier sentenced to a jail term on drug-related charges in Australia.
Paetongtarn has expressed concerns over possibilities that certain coalition figures might be disqualified by law for member of cabinet due to personal stigmas as had been the case of former lawyer/former convict Pichit Chuenban who had previously worked for her father and been named minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office only to prompt the Constitutional Court to depose former prime minister Srettha Thavisin from power under an impeachment lawsuit. Pichit had been sentenced to a six-month jail term for contempt of the Supreme Court with two million baht in cash literally crammed in food bags and handed out to court officials in 2008.
The Pheu Thai-attached, real estate mogul-turned-prime minister was immediately deprived of his premiership on grounds of severely breaking the constitution and code of political ethics by naming the former convict as the portfolioless minister though the latter had earlier resigned.
Nevertheless, the Palang Pracharath, the third largest coalition partner after the Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai respectively, is largely speculated to retain the seat of agriculture & cooperatives minister though the seatholder might probably be changed, the partisan source said.
Deputy Palang Pracharath leader Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn is anticipated to be named member of cabinet in place of Thammanat though it remains to be seen in which portfolio he will be seated.
Meanwhile, three other acting members of cabinet attached to the Palang Pracharath, namely acting deputy prime minister-cum-natural resources & environment minister Patcharatwat Wongsuwan, acting deputy public health minister Santi Prompat and acting deputy agriculture & cooperatives minister Attakorn Sirilatthayakorn will likely retain their ministerial seats which might probably be exchanged with those of others.
Thammanat who was not available for comment today was known to have earlier maintained his hush-hush, personal connection with Thaksin whilst the working relationship between the de facto Pheu Thai boss and Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan had apparently turned sour and been mutually distrustful.
The Palang Pracharath secretary-general is largely known to have a dozen Palang Pracharath MPs at his command whilst others have remained loyal to the party leader.
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Top and Front Page: Palang Pracharath secretary-general and acting agriculture & cooperatives minister Thammanat Prompao. Both photos: Thai Rath
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