By Thai Newsroom Reporters
CONFLICT of interest has quietly loomed between Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and de facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob over bureaucratic transfers between Interior Ministry Undersecretary Ansit Sampantharat, known as invariably obedient to the former, and Provincial Administration Department Director-General Narucha Kosacivilize, viewed as personally staunch to the latter, according to a partisan source.
The prime minister who does not only concurrently act as interior minister but Bhumjaithai leader would prefer to see Ansit stay put as undersecretary of one of the cabinet’s major portfolios in annual transfers scheduled to take effect in the upcoming October whilst Newin would likely manipulate to have his man promoted in place of Anutin’s protege, according to the partisan source who only spoke on condition of anonymity.
Newin had looked to return favours to Narucha who had been earlier named provincial governor of Buriram, Newin’s home province and the Bhumjaithai’s largest stronghold, by seeing to it that he be finally promoted as undersecretary of the politically significant ministry run by Anutin before the current provincial administration department chief is scheduled to retire next year.
However, Ansit was considered to have been personally loyal to the Pheu Thai-attached, former interior minister Phumtham Wechayachai, viewed as a right-hand man for de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, whilst Narucha has been earlier accused of failing to maintain official impartiality during the run-up to the previous general election, given allegations that he had texted one of his subordinates in Phuket in a Line message to say “Do Help the Blue” – the colour largely known to represent Newin’s ultra-conservative camp.
Besides, a couple of deputy provincial governors of the southern island province had been surprisingly transferred by Anutin in his capacity as interior minister, considerably frustrating the Bhumjaithai-attached Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn to whom they had been viewed as personally loyal. Pipat had directed the party’s electoral campaign for southern constituencies in the previous election.
Meanwhile, Newin’s son/Bhumjaithai secretary-general Chaichanok Chidchob has awkwardly downplayed the veiled conflict of interest between the prime minister and his father whilst he himself had earlier developed conflict of opinion with Anutin regarding varied political issues.
Chaichanok was considered one of the favourite sons-turned-ministers among several others under the quota of the Bhumjaithai, core of the coalition government. He is concurrently digital economy & society minister.
CAPTIONS:
Top: De facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, left in left photo, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Digital & Society Minister Chichanok Chidchob, right photo. Credit – Amarin TV
Front Page: De facto Bhumjaithai boss Newin Chidchob, left, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, right. Photo – Bhumjaithai Party
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