By Thai Newsroom Reporters
DE FACTO BHUMJAITHAI BOSS Newin Chidchob was by no means seeking to hold a tete-a-tete, behind-closed-doors talk with de facto Klatham boss Thammanat Prompao over an attempted setup of a coalition government following the Feb.8 election, according to Bhumjaithai secretary-general Chaichanok Chidchob.
Chaichanok, son of the de facto Bhumjaithai boss, today (Feb.16) categorically dismissed hearsay that his father was more or less anticipating an informal talk with the de facto Klatham boss over the possibility of the former aligning with the latter among other parties to set up a post-election government but declined to confirm or deny criticism that Thammanat was overly demanding with intent to grab major economic portfolios such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperatives and part of the Ministry of Interior.
Given his tacit role as a “government manager” working in hush-hush fashion, Newin will be decisively instrumental in allocating varied cabinet portfolios among coalition partners in addition to those to be handed out to his own party’s rank and file.
However, a trio of “non-politician” persons will likely retain their portfolios, albeit currently held in caretaker manner, namely Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapat, Foreign Minister Sihasak Puangketkaew and Commerce Minister Supajee Suthumpun who is speculated to be concurrently named a deputy prime minister in charge of supervising the Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperatives.
Meanwhile, Chaichanok said possibilities of either the Klatham or the Democrats jumping onto the Bhumjaithai-steered bandwagon alongside other coalition camps cannot be ruled out for the time being though Democrat leader/former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had earlier categorically dismissed the possibility of his party with 22 MPs being eventually brought onto the same boat as Thammanat’s camp with 58 MPs.
The potential Bhumjaithai-led coalition currently secures support from a total of 296 MPs attached to as many as 15 parties, mostly being splinter ones with only one or two MPs each.
The coalition includes the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai with 193 MPs, the neo-conservative Pheu Thai under de facto party boss/inmate Thaksin Shinawatra with 74 MPs, the Thai Ruam Palang with six MPs, the Prachachart five MPs, the Palang Pracharath five MPs, the Economic three MPs, the Thai Sang Thai two MPs and a bunch of eight splinter parties with only one MP each.
Being core of the opposition bloc at parliament are the reformist People’s with 118 MPs whilst it remains to be seen whether either the ultra-conservative Klatham or the Old School conservative Democrats might probably be brought into the Bhumjaithai-led coalition government.
CAPTIONS:
Top – De Facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, left, and Klatham de facto boss Thammanat Prompao. Photo – Amarin TV
Insert – Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, left, and Bhumjaithai secretary-general Chaichanok Chidchob. Photo – PPTVHD36
Front Page- De Facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob. Photo – PPTVHD36
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