By Thai Newsroom Reporters
DE FACTO PHEU THAI boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra has ultimately decided to have anyone other than those related to his Shinawatra family named a new party leader whilst leaving the burden of financing Pheu Thai electoral campaigns to former party secretary-general Suriya Juangroongruangkit, according to partisan sources.
Thaksin has told his daughter/former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to call it quits as Pheu Thai leader and has opted to have somebody who is definitely not a Shinawatra family member or those in wedlock such as the likes of Nattapong Kunakornwong, spouse of his other daughter Pintongtha Shinawatra, take her place at the neo-conservative party, according to the sources who only spoke on condition that they not be identified.
The court-deposed Paetongtarn tendered her resignation as Pheu Thai leader yesterday (Oct.22) after she had visited her inmate father at Klong Prem prison on Monday and her replacement will be named alongside all members of the party’s executive board in an extraordinary party caucus tentatively scheduled for Oct. 31.
“Thaksin has intended to rebrand the Pheu Thai beginning with the naming of a new party leader who could be anyone other than those related to the Shinawatra family, given whatever Paetongtarn has been through. Her lost credibility and court dismissal as prime minister would otherwise undoubtedly affect the party’s electoral campaigns in negative fashion.
“It’s about time a deeply-embedded impression of the Shinawatra family constantly prevailing over the Pheu Thai rank and file was completely erased,” one partisan source concluded.
That referred to the historic phenomenon in which Paetongtarn was judged guilty by the Constitutional Court of perpetrating a severe breach of the politician’s code of ethics and doing without evident honesty involving last June’s leaked telephone conversation between senior Cambodian leader Hun Sen and herself pertaining to Thai-Cambodian border conflict, thus warranting an immediate ouster of her as elected prime minister.
The de facto Pheu Thai boss who is currently serving a curtailed, one-year jail term on a few counts of misconduct perpetrated during his previous premiership over the last couple of decades is widely known as founder of the Thai Rak Thai, the original name of the neo-conservative, populist party which was set up in 1998 and dissolved by court and renamed the People’s Power in 2007. The brand-new party was also dissolved by court in 2017 and renamed the Pheu Thai since. The previously-ruling, now opposition party has been evidently influenced and steered by Thaksin, albeit in very discreet, hush-hush fashion.
Four people related to the Shinawatra family had found their way to power via Pheu Thai apparatus and gone through gruesome legal battles and coups over the last couple of decades, namely his fugitive sister Yingluck Shinawatra, his brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat, his youngest daughter Paetongtarn and himself.
Meanwhile, Suriya, one of a duo of leaders of Sam Mit faction inside Thaksin’s camp, will primarily take charge of partisan campaign finance in lieu of the Shinawatra family for most electoral candidates of the Pheu Thai, currently part of the opposition bloc, whilst a nationwide election may be held as soon as in the upcoming February or March.
More or less speculated to be named one of a trio of Pheu Thai contenders for prime minister is Suriya who has been recently named director of the party’s electoral campaigns. The former Pheu Thai secretary-general said he would prefer the post of party leader be given to someone of a relatively young generation rather than himself.
However, the partisan sources said, Somsak Thepsuthin, the other co-leader of Sam Mit faction, might probably depart from Thaksin’s party to another camp such as the likes of the Klatham, one of the current coalition partners under de facto party boss/Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao who broke ranks with the Pheu Thai to endorse the naming of Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, for prime minister last month.
Importantly, Suriya would likely follow suit of his close colleague Somsak if the latter eventually did a party-hopping from the Pheu Thai to another and sought re-election under the banners of his new camp, they said.
CAPTIONS:
Former Pheu Thai secretary-general Suriya Juangroongruangkit. Top photo – Naewna, Front Page photo – PPTVHD 36
Insert – De facto Pheu Thai boss-cum-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra. Photo – PPTVHD 36
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