Paiboon urges Prayut to maintain neutrality if he wants to become post-election outsider PM

By The Nation

 

Paiboon.

 

People’s Reform Party founder Paiboon Nititawan on Monday warned Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who recently declared that he was now a politician, to maintain his neutrality by staying away from any party membership or party lists of three proposed PMs.

Paiboon said that by being a prime minister outside the PM lists prepared by political parties as required by the charter, Prayut could be a “neutral PM for all”.

 

Under the 2017 Constitution, an outsider PM is allowed if Parliament fails to pick a premier from the proposed lists. 

 

Paiboon said his party would support such a “PM Prayut”. 

 

It has already gathered more than 500 members and plans to register as a new party by March, he added.

 

In a related matter, Deputy Premier Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Monday that the holding of local elections was still possible, but declined to confirm whether they could take place in the middle of the year as projected by the Interior Ministry.

 

Wissanu, the government’s main lawyer, said the amendments of at least six laws related to local elections were being revised by concerned parties, including the Election Commission, and would be potentially forwarded to the National Legislative Assembly by February. 

 

Local elections, he added, could be held within 45 to 60 days, the required period of preparation, which is shorter than that set for the national election.

 

The government, he pointed out, wished to see them held first and not to be close to the general election.

 

The government is now expediting the scrutiny of administrative officials currently barred from politics to see which of them would be returned to their posts and able to re-enter the political arena, he added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30335786

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-09

They really do seem to think that folk are buying into all this. We all know what their game is, but you can just imagine them behind closed doors, chuckling away at how smart they are in hoodwinking the public... 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

maintain his neutrality by staying away from any party membership or party lists of three proposed PMs

With Article 44 and a rubber stamp NLA, Prayut cannot be seen as neutral.

 

As a minimum he should resign as NCPO Chief and PM, take the role of "caretaker" PM (transferring PM to DPM Somkid would be better), remove all military officers from the Cabinet and stop promoting his/- government's achievements (however they are perceived) at government expense. If caretaker he cannot propose any legislation nor use the GSB that requires debt transferred to the next elected government.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Paiboon urges Prayut to maintain neutrality if he wants to become post-election outsider PM

 Shut up, .... there won't be any elections

 

8 hours ago, MaxLee said:

 Shut up, .... there won't be any elections

 

I can't see why he wouldn't want an election, what with the 250 unelected senators, he seems to have all bases covered I can only perceive of one situation that could upset his plans and that won't happen. 

7 hours ago, lincolnshire poacher said:

I can't see why he wouldn't want an election, what with the 250 unelected senators, he seems to have all bases covered I can only perceive of one situation that could upset his plans and that won't happen. 

All bases covered but for one: Legitimacy. Unless the new elected NCPO retain Article 44, the politicians can begin chipping away at them by simply filing lawsuit after lawsuit and reminding the public that the current setup was put in place when the public had a gun to their head. The constitution, the appointed senators, the 20 year plans - all as bona fide as a confession beaten out of a suspect in a police station.