By Thai Newsroom Reporters
DE FACTO PHEU THAI BOSS Thaksin Shinawatra has orchestrated a show of solidarity among coalition partners during yesterday’s (July 22) dinner at a Bangkok hotel with intent to manifest his sustained ability to keep the Pheu Thai-led government under control, albeit in behind-the-scenes fashion, no matter whether his daughter-turned-prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will survive a decisive legal battle in court, according to partisan sources.
The mega-billionaire Thaksin obviously made his powerful presence felt by the 100-plus Pheu Thai MPs and other coalition lawmakers attending the lavish dinner to the extent that he still be able to continue to direct and steer the government, albeit given a meagre majority in the House of Representatives following last month’s withdrawal of the Bhumjaithai.
The de facto Pheu Thai boss shrugged off the probability of Paetongtarn being deposed as head of government at the order of the Constitutional Court due to her having allegedly perpetrated a blatant bungle over Thai-Cambodian border conflict.
He encouraged all current coalition partners to not only stick to the Pheu Thai-led government for the time being but even after the next general election no matter how soon it could possibly arise.
Thaksin who has quietly preoccupied himself with a “last-ditch lobbyism” to strike another secret deal with the superelite powers-that-be to have the embattled Paetongtarn exonerated by court was undecided over whether he might pick Pheu Thai MP Chaikasem Nitisiri for head of government if his efforts to help his daughter with her legal battle fell through, the partisan sources said.
Thaksin who would almost certainly cringe at the probability of an utter failure on his own part to keep the senile, yet-maverick Chaikasem under his command was desperately making an all-in effort to keep his daughter in power, they said. Chaikasem was among a trio of Pheu Thai contestants for prime minister in 2023’s election in addition to former prime minister Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn.
If Paetongtarn was ousted by court, Chaikasem would probably be named prime minister in rivalry with Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul with a simple majority of MPs to vote in support of either one.
Meanwhile, the de facto Pheu Thai boss declined to tell if he might probably manage to get the Bhumjaithai to join a post-election government again but he bluntly branded the opposition party, surreptitiously steered by de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, a “non-gentleman” who had staged a surprise departure from the current government at the height of public criticisms launched against his daughter over last month’s fiasco.
But Anutin responded to Thaksin’s verbal barrage against his camp by citing an old saying: “There are no true friends and no permanent foes in politics.” Anutin stopped short of saying whether the Bhumjaithai would probably consider burying the hatchet with the Pheu Thai, core of the current coalition, and joining a future alliance with the latter.
The Bhumjaithai pulled out of the coalition government after the de facto Pheu Thai boss had managed to take the interior portfolio from Newin’s camp and name his right-hand man/acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai in charge of it concurrently.
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Last night’s dinner at a Bangkok hotel. Photos: Thai Rath
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