By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE PHEU THAI, the second largest coalition partner, will be very unlikely to break ranks with the Bhumjaithai, currently core of the coalition government, as far as the de facto bosses of both camps, namely Thaksin Shinawatra and Newin Chidchob respectively, are concerned, albeit in behind-the-scenes fashion, according to partisan sources.
Given the circumstances under which the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai is apparently coming under relentless attack with varied misconduct and fraud issues allegedly involving prominent partisan figures and high-ranking government personnel under their command, the neo-conservative Pheu Thai may have been more or less persuaded and tempted to part company with Newin’s camp and to join hands with the ultra-conservative Klatham led by former agriculture & cooperatives minister Thammanat Prompao, fueling the possibility of Thaksin conjuring up one of his own.
But Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul would most certainly not step down only to allow a possible formation of a Pheu Thai-led coalition government in lieu of the current Bhumjaithai-led government with Thaksin’s nephew/Higher Education, Science, Research & Innovation Minister Yodchanan Wongsawat being named a new prime minister, given an endorsement, however reluctant or conditional, by the People’s regardless of whether or not the reformist camp may as well send any partisan figures of their own jumping onto a Pheu Thai-steered bandwagon of government, as had been the case in last year’s Bhumjaithai-led minority government.
Such possibilities of the Pheu Thai departing the Bhumjaithai-led coalition and reviving a Pheu Thai-led coalition would be an utterly slim chance because Thaksin would otherwise have to put so many things at risk that he might not deem it worth or fairly interesting, the unidentified partisan sources said.
The de facto Pheu Thai boss is yet burdened with legal battles such as a lese majeste lawsuit to defend himself in the Appellation Court prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney-General after the historic case had been earlier waived in his favour by the Criminal Court, plus some 17 billion baht in overdue personal income tax for him to settle as well as ways and means for him to bring home his self-exiled sister/former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Thaksin would undoubtedly cringe at the likely scenarios in which he could eventually lose the prolonged lese majeste case pertaining to the draconian Section 112 of the Criminal Code in the Appellation Court and finally in the Supreme Court, literally have difficulties paying billions of baht in his overdue tax and hardly find the legal opportunity to bring his sister home from abroad if his camp were no longer part of the Bhumjaithai-led government.
Besides, Thammanat was known among the Bhumjaithai rank and file to have been ultimately denied by Newin, rendering the Klatham leader’s desperate attempts to jump onto the Bhumjaithai bandwagon of government a complete fiasco since the prime minister who is invariably viewed as the only-in-name party leader was practically far less powerful and decisive than the de facto boss of the largest ruling camp.
Most importantly, their scandalous involvement in alleged electoral fraud shenanigans and low competency levels notwithstanding, Newin’s camp in general and Anutin in particular would still be overwhelmingly preferred by the super-elite, yet-unlawful powers-that-be than anyone else to run the country despite far-fetched speculation that Thaksin could possibly pull the Pheu Thai out of the Bhumjaithai-led coalition as soon as censure debate against the current government ends later this year, consequently forcing Anutin to dissolve the House of Representatives to call a general election, capping his administration which would otherwise last less than a year.
Remarkably, Newin’s camp would likely grab far fewer MP seats in the next election, compared to a total of 192 won in the previous election, to emerge as core of a future coalition again, they said.
CAPTION:
De facto Pheu Thaksin Shinawatra, left in above photo and right in Front Page photo, and his Bhumjaithai counterpart Newin Chidchob. Above image – PPTVHD36, Front Page image – Naewna
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