By Thai Newsroom Reporters
POTJAMAN NA POMBEJRA, former spouse of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, has been advised to take the helm of the previously ruling, currently opposition party in place of her daughter/court-deposed prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in effort to keep all MPs of the neo-conservative camp from skipping over to others in the wake of the next general election.
Institute of Political & Policy Analysis Director Thanaporn Sriyakul suggested that Potjaman completely take over the Pheu Thai by becoming party leader after her ex-spouse/power player Thaksin has been recently sent back to jail at the order of the Supreme Court to serve a one-year sentence whilst her daughter/current party leader has been impeached and ousted as prime minister by the Constitutional Court.
Such political phenomena which have ostensibly rendered a loss of confidence and working morale among the Pheu Thai rank and file will almost certainly warrant the making of a brand-new leadership on the part of Potjaman who may be ultimately considered the de facto woman boss of the party, according to the academic.
“Potjaman could simply be the only active magnate upon whom the Pheu Thai MPs and partisan members could invariably depend or else they would probably split out in all directions, skipping over to other parties.
“Indeed, Potjaman is the Pheu Thai supreme boss who is even more powerful than the (de facto) big boss,” Thanaporn said, referring to Thaksin.
Thaksin’s ex-spouse is largely believed to have an immense amount of “ammunition” supposedly available to provide financial support for her MPs and keep them from departing for other parties under whose tickets they might probably otherwise contest the next race to parliament, speculated as soon as the upcoming March or April, he said.
He said Potjaman need not be an MP only to perform as party leader just like Paetongtarn, the current one who has never been an elected lawmaker before or during her time as a former prime minister.
But, the academic pointed out, Paetongtarn could not do enough to restore and strengthen the neo-conservative party founded by her inmate father and that it is time her mother replaced her and took complete control of the popularity-ebbing party.
Given current, unfavourable circumstances surrounding Thaksin’s camp, less than 100 contestants running under the Pheu Thai tickets are forecast to be voted MPs in the nationwide election, compared to 140-plus in the 2023 election.
In particular, most of the Pheu Thai MPs currently representing northeastern constituencies are believed to be largely defeated in their re-election campaigns primarily due to Paetongtarn’s disreputable, wrongful handling of Thai-Cambodian conflict which culminated in last July’s five-day clashes along the disputed border in the lower Isaan region.
Nevertheless, a few factions inside Thaksin’s camp are largely inclined to leave for the likes of the Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob and the New Opportunity and to run in the next election under their respective banners, commented political critic Sirote Khlampaibul.
Those prospective renegades include Sam Mitr Group headed by Somsak Thepsuthin and Suriya Juangroongruangkit who had come and gone through Thaksin’s camp over the last decade. Somsak is known to have protege MPs representing a few upper central provinces under his command whilst Suriya is viewed as a financier of the group.
Even if Potjaman was finally named leader of the Pheu Thai at any given time, Sam Mitr Group would probably opt out by defecting to another party since they would roughly have a few months from now to do so, given the relevant law which obliges all electoral candidates to have registered themselves for membership of a certain party for a minimum of 90 days prior to an election date, Sirote commented.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is more or less anticipated to dissolve the House of Representatives to call a general election in a four-month time after his government has delivered their policy statement at parliament.
CAPTIONS:
Top – De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra’s ex-spouse Potjaman Na Pombejra with her daughter/former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. File photo: Amarin TV
First insert – Institute of Political & Policy Analysis Director Thanaporn Sriyakul. Photo: Thai Rath
Second insert – Political critic Sirote Khlampaibul. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page – Potjaman Na Pombejra. Photo: Naewna
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