By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER PAETONGTARN Shinawatra would likely be told by her father/de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra to dissolve the House of Representatives if the Bhumjaithai effectually turned down legislation due in early July to open casinos anywhere in Thailand, according to a noted academic.
The mega-billionaire, power player would probably manage to have his daughter-turned-prime minister dissolve the House, given the possible scenario in which the Bhumjaithai MPs under influence of de facto boss Newin Chidchob might either abstain from or even vote against the Pheu Thai-pushed legislation, commented Mahanakorn University of Technology political scientist Thanaporn Sriyakul.
The legislation to open casinos in the name of an entertainment complex project scheduled for deliberation by MPs shortly after the House, now in recess, reconvenes in early July has been surreptitiously pushed by the de facto Pheu Thai boss with mega-billions of baht worth of potential casino profit and operating licences at stake.
If the casino bill, viewed as a significant legislation of the Pheu Thai-led coalition government, was effectually denied in the House, the “puppet” prime minister would be almost immediately forced to either step down to be replaced by another prime-ministerial candidate or dissolve the House to call a general election in 60-day time as provided by law, Thanaporn remarked.
Nevertheless, Thaksin would ultimately opt for the House dissolution rather than leave his daughter’s elected premiership to the Bhumjaithai, the second largest coalition partner, where Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is only acting as party leader in name, according to the Mahanakorn political scientist.
Central to unresolved conflict of interest between Thaksin’s and Newin’s camps is the legal action currently taken by the Department of Special Investigation against 100-plus senators allegedly stalwart to and influenced by the latter on charges of involvement in unprecedented, illegal vote-rigging, bloc-voting and money-laundering conspiracies over last year’s senatorial elections, Thanaporn pointed out.
Such electoral shenanigans among thousands of senatorial contestants allegedly orchestrated by unnamed persons associated with the Bhumjaithai have allegedly involved as many as 138 out of a total 200 senior lawmakers, according to the DSI, a government agency under care of Prachachart leader/Justice Minister Thavi Sodsong.
Given multiple legal battles in court, the de facto Pheu Thai boss would desperately seek to share with the de facto Bhumjaithai boss the alleged, hush-hush influence over the suspected, pro-Bhumjaithai senators who are constitutionally empowered to name five, three and two members of the Election Commission, National Anti-Corruption Commission and Constitutional Court within this year respectively.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Gambling at a casino. Photo: Thai Rath
First insert and Front Page: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, left, and de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, right. Photos:
Second insert: Political scientist Thanaporn Sriyakul. Photo: Thai Rath
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