By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER PAETONGTARN Shinawatra plans to assume the culture portfolio in concurrent fashion in the wake of the probability that she would be suspended by court from performing as head of government from next week, a partisan source said today (June 27).
In case that Paetongtarn, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, was ordered by the Constitutional Court as soon as on the upcoming Tuesday (July 1) to stop running the country as head of government pending a court ruling on an impeachment lawsuit filed against the woman prime minister, she would continue to stay in the Pheu Thai-led cabinet in capacity as culture minister whilst Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, viewed as Thaksin’s right-hand man, would be named a caretaker prime minister, according to the partisan source.
Paetongtarn has been accused of severely breaching political ethics and evident honesty whilst handling Thai-Cambodian border conflict in a disreputable, erroneous fashion largely deemed detrimental to Thailand’s territorial integrity, interests and national prestige.
The woman prime minister would apparently follow in the footsteps of one of her predecessors, namely Prayut Chan-o-cha, who had been previously ordered by the Constitutional Court to stop doing prime-ministerial duties pending a court ruling on whether he may have run the country beyond a maximum limit of eight years provided by the coup junta-designed constitution of 2017. Prayut had managed to name himself defence minister until the Constitutional Court finally ruled to have him return as head of government.
Oblivious to the impeachment case in court, Thaksin’s daughter plans to submit a new lineup of cabinet members including herself as prime minister-cum-culture minister to His Majesty the King shortly to precede the probable suspension by court of her executive duties as head of government.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether Paetongtarn would have the opportunity to lead those newly-named ministers to oath-taking rituals in a royal audience at a later date. No cabinet members could legally perform until after the ceremony.
CAPTION:
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, centre, and Deputy Prime Minister/Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, left. Top photo: Naewna, Front Page photo: PPTV HD36
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