Don faces pressure to quit or take leave from Cabinet before court verdict

[rooster59]

Don faces pressure to quit or take leave from Cabinet before court verdict

By THE SUNDAY NATION

 

 

PRESSURE is mounting on Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai to resign after the Election Commission (EC) reportedly found he did not meet the ministerial qualifications required by the Constitution.

 

The EC report, which said that Don was in breach of the law due to his wife Narirat’s failure to declare her stockholdings, came out on Thursday evening. 

 

The EC has neither confirmed nor denied the report, instead citing the need for confidentiality while Don’s case remained under investigation. 

 

Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Thai Constitution Protection Association, yesterday issued a statement calling on Don to do the right thing and quit.

“It has happened to many ministers and politicians in the past and the public demanded that they resign to prevent a conflict of interest as well as to protect the image of Thai politics,” the statement said. 

 

Srisuwan said Don should not wait for the Constitutional Court to issue a verdict disqualifying him before resigning. 

 

“Don’s decision to step down will gain him praise from the public and create a role model for the young generation,” Srisuwan said.

 

Somsak Prisananantakul, a senior politician in the Chart Thai Pattana Party, said Don should suspend himself from office to pave the way for the government leader, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, to be able to press on with national reforms.

 

“Many standards were set in the past. Don, who is a minister in a government that came into power through ‘unusual’ means, should act differently from ordinary ministers,” said Somsak.

 

In 2016, Somsak was found by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to be unusually wealth and having intended to falsely declare his assets while he was serving as a member of the cabinet between November 1997 and February 2001.

 

The EC reportedly voted 3-2 to disqualify Don from holding his office based on the |undeclared assets. The EC will next petition the Constitutional Court for a final verdict on whether Don should be dismissed from his present job. 

 

Members of the Prayut Cabinet appeared to support Don remaining until the court verdict.

 

The EC made the decision after finding that Don’s wife had failed to declare holdings of more than a 5-per-cent stake in a company within 30 days of Don joining the Cabinet.

 

Article 187 of the current charter prohibits ministers, their spouses and children under the legal age of 20 years old from benefiting from stock holdings beyond legal limits. 

 

They must declare their stock holdings to the NACC and transfer them to legally authorised people to manage them without their involvement. 

 

The current charter was promulgated in 2017, almost two years after Don was appointed foreign minister and three years after his initial appointment as the deputy foreign minister in the junta Cabinet.

 

 The charter’s Article 264 requires that active Cabinet members must meet the legal requirements as laid out by the Constitution.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30346867

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-03

[YetAnother]

13 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

as well as to protect the image of Thai politics,” the statement said. 

say what ? they must have a different image than most of us do; theirs is some sort of fantasy

[sweatalot]

"... to protect the image of Thai politics”

 

what about the man with the undeclared watches??

[Lungstib]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

In 2016, Somsak was found by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to be unusually wealth and having intended to falsely declare his assets

Only in Thailand. A man who has been found guilty "of being unusually wealth and having intended to falsely declare his assets", Somsak is now the cheerleader for the resignation of a minister suspected of something similar. 

I'm sure the public would dearly love to know if Mr Dons wife is truly a businesswoman in her own right or just a full-time shopper in a big Merc, with stock-holdings she really knows nothing about.

[Get Real]

The funny thing is that the required ministerial qualifications existed before he got his work.
Out of some reason he was not checked when entering.

I guess it´s the same as you can drive without a helmet passing a traffic police directing the traffic, but if they stand by the road checking helmets you will have to pay.

That´s just things that would not stand in any court in the world if it was proceeded to that level.

[KiwiKiwi]

Why would this be a surprise? Every day, my estimate that 80% of all Thais and 95% of wealthy Thais are/were corrupt and/or thieving seems to be more correct.

 

I doubt his story that his wife is the miscreant. I have no doubt the shares were transferred to her as soon as he realised he could not continue to own them.

 

Sorry guys, but I believe this man is crooked. If Prayuth was serious about resolving corruption (and we all know he isn't), then this guy would be gone already, and the fact that he is still in post says volumes about the Prayuth (self-appointed) government.

Edited June 3, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[Jimbo in Thailand]

Anybody surprised at yet another fine example of corruption endemic to Fearless Leader P's group of handpicked appointees? Oh My Buddha!  You just can't make this sh1t up folks.  

[Anak Nakal]

He connected.

Say and do nothing.

[Lupatria]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Don faces pressure to quit or take leave from Cabinet before court verdict

I think he will leave before the court verdict-

for a visit at his aunties house in Cambodia.

[klauskunkel]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Don, who is a minister in a government that came into power through ‘unusual’ means

20+ coups suggest: "It ain't 'unusual' no more, dear Somsak."

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

 The charter’s Article 264 requires that active Cabinet members must meet the legal requirements as laid out by the Constitution.

And Article 265 says that the NCPO (aka PM Prayut) can decide whatever it wants with the effect of law. The EC had better check with Prayut before making a referral to the NACC, who likely will look to Prayut's position as well.

[Artisi]

8 hours ago, sweatalot said:

"... to protect the image of Thai politics”

 

what about the man with the undeclared watches??

Oh! that's different - better connections and besides you shouldn't ask such unanswerable leading questions. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 hours ago, Lungstib said:

Only in Thailand. A man who has been found guilty "of being unusually wealth and having intended to falsely declare his assets", Somsak is now the cheerleader for the resignation of a minister suspected of something similar.

 

Well, Somsak should know, given that he's been a wealth amasser and wealth reporting evader in the past. You know the old saying, "It takes one to know one."

 

[Media1]

9 hours ago, sweatalot said:

"... to protect the image of Thai politics”

 

what about the man with the undeclared watches??

That's been timed out

[Media1]

The  great Don. He had the UK working for him tirelessly on Yingluck LOL.

[Sydebolle]

I might write something unpopular but I know both of them personally and this declaration issue has a reason and it was not cheating. His wife is a born Bunnag and trust me, there you're talking serious, lots and legal money - Narirat simply does not need to hide/cheat. 
Maybe we learn of how much we are talking here and if the share stock grew over the 5% since Don is in office. Operationally I consider Don the most able FM after Dr Surin Pitsuwan and Don never had political ambitions. 

If he leaves now, he admits guilt to something neither he nor his wife intended - maybe one waits and sees. As said, politically Don is not important to any party nor the army hence he won't get the big protective umbrella like other, still serving ministers who are now very much on time! 

[Artisi]

55 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

I might write something unpopular but I know both of them personally and this declaration issue has a reason and it was not cheating. His wife is a born Bunnag and trust me, there you're talking serious, lots and legal money - Narirat simply does not need to hide/cheat. 
Maybe we learn of how much we are talking here and if the share stock grew over the 5% since Don is in office. Operationally I consider Don the most able FM after Dr Surin Pitsuwan and Don never had political ambitions. 

If he leaves now, he admits guilt to something neither he nor his wife intended - maybe one waits and sees. As said, politically Don is not important to any party nor the army hence he won't get the big protective umbrella like other, still serving ministers who are now very much on time! 

Besides the point, formal requirement is a formal requirement - is it not?

[KiwiKiwi]

1 hour ago, Artisi said:

Besides the point, formal requirement is a formal requirement - is it not?

Indeed it is. I grow weary of the self-entitled Thai who always has a hundred reasons why the law which applies to all does not in fact, apply to them. Dom is a paid lair, and not a very good one at that, the nation can easily do without him and his ilk, who volunteer to explain (and take good money for explaining) why a fascist pig is not in fact a fascist pig at all.

 

Get rid.

Edited June 3, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[Artisi]

52 minutes ago, KiwiKiwi said:

Indeed it is. I grow weary of the self-entitled Thai who always has a hundred reasons why the law which applies to all does not in fact, apply to them. Dom is a paid lair, and not a very good one at that, the nation can easily do without him and his ilk, who volunteer to explain (and take good money for explaining) why a fascist pig is not in fact a fascist pig at all.

 

Get rid.

You are spot on with that, although my comment was to counter the good character reference put up by Sydebolle. 

[KiwiKiwi]

23 minutes ago, Artisi said:

You are spot on with that, although my comment was to counter the good character reference put up by Sydebolle. 

We can all give good character references for friends, they are almost meaningless given our tendency to justify our friendships. We choose our friends from among those who most resemble ourselves (in one way or another), or from among those whom we would like to resemble. Once you take the relationships out of the mix, what's left is usually nothing at all, or perhaps a bit of hero-worship of those who have more money than we do.

 

I never met anyone who was rich, and who came by that wealth honestly. I don't know Dom at all but I probably understand him better than most people who think they are his friends.

Edited June 3, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[Sydebolle]

15 hours ago, Artisi said:

Besides the point, formal requirement is a formal requirement - is it not?

Absolutely - and he/his wife failed miserably on that one. 

Just wondering what the real story is behind. Utter failure, political mobbing or outrageous cheating - we will see.