Pheu Thai prepares for worst-case scenario

[webfact]

Pheu Thai prepares for worst-case scenario

By Kas Chanwanpen 
The Nation

 

Pheu Thai Party yesterday sees hundreds of members joining its first general assembly after five years of a political ban.

 

New leader Viroj Paoin says party has not violated any law; Sudarat says they will not be intimidated by threat of dissolution.

 

PHEU THAI PARTY’S first general assembly yesterday retained its current acting leader Viroj Pao-in as party chief while Phumtham Wechayachai will serve as secretary-general.

 

 

Political critic Sukhum Nualsakul said the structure could be a reflection of the party’s preparation to deal with the possibility of being dissolved. 

 

If the party were dissolved, those in leadership could face a political ban, he said. So, by placing some influential members in other positions, the camp can avoid losing important players in an unfair game, the critic added.

 

“This arrangement may not tell much about the party’s plan for the election. The party leader is not necessarily its PM candidate. Those three candidates could still be anyone,” he said.

 

Strong leadership candidates such as Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan and Chaturon Chaisang were given different roles. Sudarat was appointed chairman of the party’s election strategy committee while Chaturon will chair the policy committee.

 

The names of three PM candidates, however, have not been finalised yet. 

 

 

After yesterday’s voting, Pheu Thai leader Viroj said the party was ready to contest the upcoming election and expressed no concern about the threat of dissolution. The party has always watched its step and abided by the law, he said.

 

The party is now under the scrutiny of the Election Commission (EC). If it were to be proved that the party was influenced by an outsider such as former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, the party could be dissolved – a punishment imposed by the new law.

 

Viroj denied that Thaksin had any connection with Pheu Thai’s internal activities.

 

Phumtham, meanwhile, admitted that there was a threat of dissolution. But no matter what happens, the spirit of Pheu Thai will remain unchanged and it could transform as a new entity to carry out its mission, he said.

 

“Nothing can destroy Pheu Thai’s spirit,” he said.

 

Sudarat said the party was not intimidated by the threat of dissolution. However, it was prepared for the worst-case scenario to ensure party members could get through any situation and be able to serve the people. 

 

As head of the election strategy committee, Khunying Sudarat said she would do her best to lead Pheu Thai in the next election. 

 

Although she did not get the official leader position as previously speculated, she said she was not disappointed. “In fact, I’ve made it clear from the first place that I didn’t want to become the leader.”

 

The assembly at Pheu Thai’s headquarters yesterday was joined by some 200 members. They voted veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong as the party’s chairman.

 

Kittiratt Na-Ranong, Plodprasop Suratsawadee, Kriang Kaltinand, and Somsak Chantaping were chosen to be the party’s deputy leaders.

 

Danuporn Punnakanta, Theerachai Suthibongkoch, Anuttama Amornvivat, and Phaophum Rojanasakul were chosen to be deputy secretaries-general.

 

The executive selection outcome was in line with previous news leaks. Although Pheu Thai’s popular politician and former transport minister Chatchart Sitthiphan had recently been tipped as a possible leader, he did not take any leadership position. 

 

He was not ready to lead the party as he still worked as an executive in a private company, Chatchart said. But he was willing to help with the party work, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30357378

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-29

[Samui Bodoh]

"...Pheu Thai prepares for worst-case scenario..."

 

Yes, like in a bad 'Rom-Com', the question is 'Will they?' or 'Won't they?'

 

I must admit that I am genuinely unsure, and looking forward to this thread to see if anyone can convince me either way.

 

The case for banning by the Junta (let us dispense with the idea that the EC is "independent" in any way, shape or form) is a good one, and those cheating cheaters will likely want to cheat again; it is what they do, cheat cheat cheat.

 

However, it is crystal clear that the main opposition is the PTP (yes, I and most people wish there was a better alternative, but...) and to ban the main opposition makes the election a mockery and a waste of time; remember that the only reason that the Junta is even talking of an election is that they need some kind of electoral legitimacy.

 

I think that the onset of this song over the last few days will have/has had a real impact; this was a rare occasion in the last four years where there was genuine 'freedom of expression' (of a kind) and it didn't go well for the Junta; what lesson will they take from it?

 

Okay, still undecided.

 

Anyone?

 

[zzaa09]

Never get anywhere with a public pessimistic presence....

 

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Political critic Sukhum Nualsakul said the structure could be a reflection of the party’s preparation to deal with the possibility of being dissolved. 

the junta's goal all along; thaksin stupidly walked right into it

[yellowboat]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Although Pheu Thai’s popular politician and former transport minister Chatchart Sitthiphan had recently been tipped as a possible leader, he did not take any leadership position. 

That is too bad.  He probably does not have a foreign passport or residence yet. 

[zzaa09]

32 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

That is too bad.  He probably does not have a foreign passport or residence yet. 

Just add another one to the forced exile list.

[robblok]

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

the junta's goal all along; thaksin stupidly walked right into it

Thaksin his arrogance finally got him. So much for the image of a highly inteligent Thaksin.. i think he and the junta leader are about the same. Prayut his downfall is his anger and his inability to use the media well, Thaksin his downfall is his arrogance. His amnesty was the previous time he damaged the party and let his personal desires go before the good of the party. 

[jesimps]

Far as I know all he's done is predict how many seats Pheu Thai will win. If that's arrogance, so be it. How does taking power by force figure in the arrogance stakes?

[mercman24]

got this junta lot running scared, and the junta knows it, when are they , (the unelected gov that is) going to allow meetings/ canvassing ? a day before the election.  still never mind WHEN not IF this party gets elected there will be another coup, (for the good of the people of course) just like spoiled kids., i can see a lot of dodgy voting on the horizon

[gamini]

The two contenders for the leadership of the PTP still have pending criminal charges against them. The real leader Taksin is a convicted criminal on the run.

I'm pretty sure that most countries would ban a political party like the PTP

[robblok]

2 hours ago, jesimps said:

Far as I know all he's done is predict how many seats Pheu Thai will win. If that's arrogance, so be it. How does taking power by force figure in the arrogance stakes?

Quite some articles back when it was told who Thaksin backed as new leader of the party. That is a clear violation of the rules. I wonder if anyone really believes Thaksin no longer leads the PTP.

[robblok]

4 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

got this junta lot running scared, and the junta knows it, when are they , (the unelected gov that is) going to allow meetings/ canvassing ? a day before the election.  still never mind WHEN not IF this party gets elected there will be another coup, (for the good of the people of course) just like spoiled kids., i can see a lot of dodgy voting on the horizon

Of course they are running scared they will lose for sure from the PTP. The question is will the PTP be bigger as before or not. That is the true test to see if the PTP is still popular.

[Eric Loh]

If the voters do come out in numbers, they will be not be voting to thank PTP but voting in anger with the junta. Anger is snowballing as each day passed. 

[OneMoreFarang]

They all work for a criminal and they take orders from a criminal. Put them in jail, problem solved.

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, jesimps said:

Far as I know all he's done is predict how many seats Pheu Thai will win. If that's arrogance, so be it. How does taking power by force figure in the arrogance stakes?

 

Yeah right. And getting all the old cronies over to HK was so necessary to tell them he predicts they'll win!

 

He'd happily take power by force if he could. He orchestrated the insurgency in 2010. But he's never swung the military over and lacks the muscle to sustain it.

 

He's probably deliberately doing this, and quite happy to throw PTP under the bus so he can discredit the election results. And of course form a new Shin owned and controlled family political party.

 

Crooked but cunning as a fox.

[JAG]

48 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

He orchestrated the insurgency in 2010.

Oh, it was an insurgency was it?

 

Not really though was it- a bit more like a big protest which went on for quite a while...

[zzaa09]

Might it surprise anyone if the Shinawatras returned, outta the blue. 

 

And face any consequence, regardless? Or not....

Chaotic situation would reign.

 

Difficult to speculate as to what scenarios might evolve in the coming several months: 

Free, fair, and accepted election results.

Wag-the-dog situation - elections postpone indefinitely.

New "opposing" government extends general amnesty pardon and Constitution amended and rewritten. 

The usual coup a/o counter coup.

HM dissolves everything and declares an absolute.

 

 

 

One never knows what might transpire within the kooky world of the Thai political theatre.

Edited October 29, 2018 by zzaa09

[tominbkk]

Bunch of crooks.

[sjaak327]

the junta's goal all along; thaksin stupidly walked right into it

No he did not. He is already a few steps ahead of the Junta. The junta seemingly has all their basis covered, except the electoral victory. And the only way to achieve this victory is outright rigging of the election, they won't be stupid enough to ban Ptp, as that in itself will invalidate the election. Those votes will not go to Prayuth in any case, so rigging remains the only viable option...

Sent from my SM-J730F using Tapatalk

[sjaak327]

 
Yeah right. And getting all the old cronies over to HK was so necessary to tell them he predicts they'll win!
 
He'd happily take power by force if he could. He orchestrated the insurgency in 2010. But he's never swung the military over and lacks the muscle to sustain it.
 
He's probably deliberately doing this, and quite happy to throw PTP under the bus so he can discredit the election results. And of course form a new Shin owned and controlled family political party.
 
Crooked but cunning as a fox.

I believe that party has already been setup, it just needs to be registered. The 2010 insurgency? I think you mean the murder of over 90 people by the same criminal currently running the country. How dare you even say this. Thaksin never did or needed to take power by force, as he and his party have consistently won every general election this century, time for people to accept this outcome, rather then staging coups or making back door deals with Newin (a banned politician at the time) to steal Thailand from the people it belongs too...

Sent from my SM-J730F using Tapatalk

[zzaa09]

4 hours ago, tominbkk said:

Bunch of crooks.

Follow the puppet masters. 

[JemJem]

Hey Phue Thai top-level folks, how about starting by cutting off all ties with, or at least by distancing yourselves and the party as much as possible from Thaksin as soon as possible ? Yeah, right, as if that's going to happen !

 

Prayut is no angel, but we have to remember that the situation now is mostly the fault of Thaksin, who caused so much division in Thai society. Many folks in the forum seem to have forgotten about how corrupt he was, or about the human rights abuses he was responsible for.

[kannot]

On 10/29/2018 at 11:27 AM, robblok said:

Of course they are running scared they will lose for sure from the PTP. The question is will the PTP be bigger as before or not. That is the true test to see if the PTP is still popular.

Many may vote even if they dont support them just as a protest vote, I know I would, but as an evil whitey long beaked follener treading down on the "poor  Thais" am 100% sure they wont allow me to.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and the replies have been removed, this is not about Trump, Obama, Blair, Corbyn or Thatcher. 

[Eric Loh]

15 hours ago, JemJem said:

Hey Phue Thai top-level folks, how about starting by cutting off all ties with, or at least by distancing yourselves and the party as much as possible from Thaksin as soon as possible ? Yeah, right, as if that's going to happen !

 

Prayut is no angel, but we have to remember that the situation now is mostly the fault of Thaksin, who caused so much division in Thai society. Many folks in the forum seem to have forgotten about how corrupt he was, or about the human rights abuses he was responsible for.

All countries that subscribed to democracy have division and polarization. That's the beauty of democracy allowing dissenting parties to speak out their grievances and even take to the streets and subsequently to the ballot boxes. Why is coup necessary? Please enlighten me.   

[jayboy]

16 hours ago, JemJem said:

Hey Phue Thai top-level folks, how about starting by cutting off all ties with, or at least by distancing yourselves and the party as much as possible from Thaksin as soon as possible ? Yeah, right, as if that's going to happen !

 

Prayut is no angel, but we have to remember that the situation now is mostly the fault of Thaksin, who caused so much division in Thai society. Many folks in the forum seem to have forgotten about how corrupt he was, or about the human rights abuses he was responsible for.

An ignorant post. Thaksin did not create the divisions in Thai society: they were there already and he exploited them as any smart politician would. Subsequently, the Democrats and the Junta copied his policies His motives were mixed - partly venal partly idealistic. The current terrible situation is little to do with Thaksin, more to do with non elected elite groups and the myopic urban middle class which follows in their trail refusing to accept the democratic judgement of the Thai People.

 

Why should Peua Thai cut off ties with Thaksin? He is the politician that has given hope to the Thai majority previously patronized and ignored. Of course he's no paragon but given that in normal countries some in the Democrat and Junta leadership would be facing jail time, he's hardly the worst offender.Let's hope that the new breed of Thai politicians is less tainted and that it keeps the unruly military firmly under heel. 

 

 

[JemJem]

9 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

All countries that subscribed to democracy have division and polarization. That's the beauty of democracy allowing dissenting parties to speak out their grievances and even take to the streets and subsequently to the ballot boxes. Why is coup necessary? Please enlighten me.   

Maybe you had thought that I implied in my post that the coup was necessary. No, I didn't say or imply it.

 

All I wanted to say was that Thaksin is really really bad news, and will continue to be ! If Phue Thai Party wins again, it will most likely be Thaksin again who will be pulling the strings. The political chaos will continue. So will the corruption. And, of course, the military will always be 'watching carefully'. This is not what I want; this is what I think is likely to happen.

[JemJem]

9 hours ago, jayboy said:

An ignorant post. Thaksin did not create the divisions in Thai society: they were there already and he exploited them as any smart politician would. Subsequently, the Democrats and the Junta copied his policies His motives were mixed - partly venal partly idealistic. The current terrible situation is little to do with Thaksin, more to do with non elected elite groups and the myopic urban middle class which follows in their trail refusing to accept the democratic judgement of the Thai People.

 

Why should Peua Thai cut off ties with Thaksin? He is the politician that has given hope to the Thai majority previously patronized and ignored. Of course he's no paragon but given that in normal countries some in the Democrat and Junta leadership would be facing jail time, he's hardly the worst offender.Let's hope that the new breed of Thai politicians is less tainted and that it keeps the unruly military firmly under heel. 

 

 

 

I agree that Thaksin didn't create the divisions in Thai society, but he caused the divisions to widen in a major way.

 

Other than that, for my thoughts on this, you can see my above post (ie. my reply to Eric Loh).

[jayboy]

1 minute ago, JemJem said:

 

I agree that Thaksin didn't create the divisions in Thai society, but he caused the divisions to widen in a major way.

 

Other than that, for my thoughts on this, you can see my above post (ie. my reply to Eric Loh).

Give us a break. I can hear that nonsense from the middle-class matrons in my muubaan. Somewhere in your rather commonplace musings, you might accord some place for what kind of society the Thai people as a whole want. No? OK

 

One has to wonder however at the hypocrisy (or to be charitable, ignorance) of those who complain of Thaksin pulling strings. How do you think the military pulled off the coup, who gave them covert and overt support and for what purpose?

 

But don't worry.Peua Thai won't win - that's what this military regime has been all about. If against the odds it still looks threatening to the selfish old autocrats, it will be dissolved.

[The Deerhunter]

On 10/29/2018 at 11:28 AM, Eric Loh said:

If the voters do come out in numbers, they will be not be voting to thank PTP but voting in anger with the junta. Anger is snowballing as each day passed. 

Ah!  So it is now not the peoples love of Thaksin that drives people but hatred of the Junta.    Good to see you agreeing with the numerous posters who have said over the last several years he was yesterdays news and was becoming irrelevant. 

Thaksin Shinawatra. The man who was all set have become Thailand's Lee Kuan Yew but couldn't control his ego and greed.   I'll bet he must be kicking himself every day but, thanks to the ego, is STILL not able to really understand "Where did I go wrong?"