Klatham MPs tipped to get 'dismissed', then skip over to Bhumjaithai

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

MOST, if not all, of the 58 Klatham MPs including de facto party boss/leader Thammanat Prompao might probably cast votes of confidence for Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other Bhumjaithai members of cabinet following an approaching censure debate so that they all would likely get “dismissed” from their “independent” party for deliberately violating a resolution of their executive board to vote otherwise, thus being legally allowed to defect en-masse to the Bhumjaithai, core of the coalition government, according to a noted academic.

The Klatham executive board might probably formally adopt the partisan resolution for all the 58 MPs under command of the maverick Thammanat to cast no-confidence votes against the prime minister and 17 other Bhumjaithai members of cabinet targeted under censure debate or to abstain from voting only to see most, if not all, of them cast votes of confidence instead.

That would undoubtedly feature the potential way-out for Thammanat to manage to have those “renegade” MPs legally allowed to skip over to the Bhumjaithai steered behind the scenes by de facto party boss Newin Chidchob after they have been formally “dismissed” from their current camp, albeit with their MP status remaining intact, Chulalongkorn University political scientist Satithorn Thananithichoti forecast.

Thammanat whose Klatham is not practically attached to either side of the House chamber aisle has made no secret of his unfaltering desire to jump onto the Bhumjaithai bandwagon of government after the general election had been held earlier this year but been so far missed out whilst the opportunity for his camp to join the executive branch was being rekindled with the upcoming censure debate and subsequent no-confidence votes.

No parties are legally allowed to dissolve themselves and merge with others during a tenure of the House of Representatives, leaving partisan lawmakers with the choice of being formally dismissed from their current camp in order to defect to another one in a 60-days period to maintain their MP status as provided by law.

Thammanat had earlier orchestrated the thinly-veiled ploy to manipulate an en-masse exodus of his MPs from the Palang Pracharath where he previously performed as secretary-general and former deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan was party leader.

But the Chulalongkorn political scientist cautioned such a power play tactic might probably backfire with the “renegade” Klatham MPs being eventually denied the door to Newin’s camp if the Pheu Thai, the second largest coalition partner, chose to vote for the Bhumjaithai prime minister and the other censure targets, rendering the Klatham yea votes unnecessary.

“The Klatham might probably have to risk being denied the Bhumjaithai partisan membership after they have staged a revolt against their current party to accommodate their planned defection,” Satithorn commented.

Nevertheless, Thammanat might probably as well resolve against doing so to otherwise streamline the potential exodus of his fellow MPs either to the Bhumjaithai, core of the ruling coalition, or the Pheu Thai directed by de facto party boss Thaksin Shinawatra, albeit otherwise designed to promote the sought-after chance of their eventually becoming the latest part of government following the censure debate and no-confidence votes, according to Burapa University political scientist Olarn Thinbangtieo.

The de facto Klatham boss would ultimately prefer to perform as a “choosing” politician rather than a “chosen” one dealing with the de facto Bhumjaithai boss or de facto Pheu Thai boss whilst resolutely maintaining his bargaining power, thus denying the speculated tactic of formally “dismissing” all 58 Klatham MPs including himself to prompt their en-masse defection to either ruling party, the Burapa political scientist remarked.

Olarn was responding to an apparent tug-of-war between Newin and Thaksin to win over Thammanat and bring the whole Klatham to their side since all 74 Pheu Thai MPs might probably be told by their de facto boss to cast no-confidence or confidence votes or to abstain from voting entirely on basis of their “independent, individual” privileges as elected lawmakers regardless of any relevant party line, thus practically putting an end to the “Blue” regime headed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and steered behind the scenes by Newin.

“Thammanat is completely unlike Varawut (Silpa-archa) who virtually became a helpless servant to Newin, bringing all Chart Thai Pattana MPs over to the Bhumjaithai. Thammanat is a shrewd politician who can choose and not the one who can be chosen by others,” Olarn put it in comparison between the de facto Klatham boss/leader and the former leader of the Chart Thai Pattana founded by his late father/former prime minister Banharn Silpa-archa.

No matter whether the Klatham might be practically merged with the Bhumjaithai or the Pheu Thai, Thammanat’s camp would almost effortlessly find their way to the executive branch again shortly after the censure debate/confidence votes have elapsed, Olarn forecast.

On the other hand, the Burapa political scientist pointed out, if the Klatham was designed to practically merge with the Pheu Thai with intent to revive a Pheu Thai-led coalition government without the 192-MPs-strong Bhumjaithai anymore, Thaksin would quietly tell his Pheu Thai MPs to abstain from voting and subsequently withdraw themselves from today’s Bhumjaithai-led government, thus immediately turning it into a minority government and forcing Anutin to step down unless the Klatham may be promptly brought in to replace the Pheu Thai.

Nevertheless, all the three camps might probably stay together in government following the censure debate and no-confidence votes with five or six ministerial seats in cabinet being allocated to Thammanat’s camp to help strengthen the “Blue” regime which the People’s-led opposition bloc is looking to tear down.

CAPTIONS:

Top and Front Page: Klatham de facto boss/leader Thammanat Prompao, right, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, left. Photo – Thai News Pix BBC

First insert: Chulalongkorn University political scientist Satithorn Thananithichoti. Photo – Facebook

Second insert: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, right, and Klatham de facto boss/leader Thammanat Prompao, left. Photo – Amarin TV

Third insert: Burapa University political scientist Olarn Thinbangtieo. Photo – Facebook

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