Battle over portfolios brings Phalang Pracharat back to square one

[webfact]

Battle over portfolios brings Phalang Pracharat back to square one

By The Nation

 

Phalang Pracharat Party leader Uttama Savanayana, right, shakes hands with Democrat Party secretary-general Chalermchai Sri-on on Monday when Uttama sent an official invitation to the Democrats to join a coalition government.

 

Moves to form a coalition government led by the pro-junta bloc has hit a snag due to discord over certain ministerial portfolios allocated among allies, a Democrat Party source said.

 

“All deals or ministerial posts that Phalang Pracharat offered to its allies are cancelled, and it’s all back to square one,” the source said on Wednesday. 

Reports say that the Sam Mitr or Three Allies faction in the pro-junta party want the Agriculture portfolio, which has already been offered to the Democrat Party. The Sam Mitr faction comprises Somsak Thepsutin, Suriya Jungrungreangkij and Somkid Jatusripitak.

 

A Phalang Pracharat source said the party’s top execs had called on the Democrats to swap the Agriculture portfolio with that of the Education Ministry when they sent an official invitation to the party and met the Democrats on Monday, but Democrat Party turned down the offer. 

 

With this unfinished deal, the Democrat Party delayed its meeting on Tuesday to decide whether to join the pro-junta bloc to form the next government, amid reports that they will not return the Agriculture portfolio.

 

The Democrat Party, with only 53 MPs, has already secured the highest position in the legislative branch after its senior leader Chuan Leekpai was elected speaker of the lower house on Saturday. 

 

Meanwhile, Charthaipattana, which had earlier announced it would support Phalang Pracharat to form the next government, said it has yet to make a decision. The party changed its stance because they have yet to be offered the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, which they have been eyeing from the start, a party source said. 

 

Reports say that Phalang Pracharat may give this post to its own MP Santi Prompat, who held the post previously, and allocate the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to Chartthaipattana. 

 

With 116 seats in Parliament, Phalang Pracharat, which nominated junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha as its sole PM candidate, cannot form the next government without support from Democrat Party with its 53 seats and Bhumjaithai with its 51 seats.

 

The two parties had earlier joined up to create a third camp with 104 seats in order to boost their bargaining power with both the pro-junta camp led by Phalang Pracharat and anti-junta bloc led by Pheu Thai and Future Forward.

 

The anti-junta camp claims it has garnered 246 seats from seven parties, while the pro-junta camp may have 254 seats if all deals are done and dusted.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30370198

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-29

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[rabas]

Square 1. Was the the square with the tanks?

[Thailand]

We know what you are it's just a matter of price!

 

Churchillian I believe?

 

 

[Eric Loh]

The junta coalition is falling apart even before they could collate. Meechai's grand scheme up in flame. 

[rkidlad]

Too many selfish and greedy chiefs with massive egos. They can't all fit in. This is where politicians are typically good at charming and negotiating. Unfortunately for both sides they're dealing with Prayut. A man used to giving orders that are blindly followed. 

[Dumbastheycome]

Agricultural purse easier to siphon than the Educational one?

[seajae]

typical thai politicians, its all about the money and positions where they can get the most graft, has nothing to do with the people who voted for them, ptp is exactly the same as are all the other parties. Being in govt means you get to increase your bank accounts through the various departments as we have seen time and time again

[Chang_paarp]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The anti-junta camp claims it has garnered 246 seats from seven parties, while the pro-junta camp may have 254 seats if all deals are done and dusted.

Unfortunately the magic number for the anti-junta mob is 376 to ensure the desired result.

[edwinchester]

1 hour ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Agricultural purse easier to siphon than the Educational one?

The rice pledging scheme may give you the answer to that.

[Artisi]

18 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

The rice pledging scheme may give you the answer to that.

With its 50 year prison terms, yep sounds like a good one to pursue. 

[edwinchester]

2 minutes ago, Artisi said:

With its 50 year prison terms, yep sounds like a good one to pursue. 

Yes, glad they have finally had to face justice.

Much as I loathe the Democrats right now their rice scheme was much less open to abuse than that of PT in that it was paid direct to the farmer.

[Enoon]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

The junta coalition is falling apart even before they could collate. Meechai's grand scheme up in flame. 

 

No problem.

 

Military will continue with direct rule.

 

Nothing (yet) to stop them.

 

They have prior-absolved themselves from any possibility of judicial/civil admonishment/retribution for doing so.

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Thai-military-draws-up-20-year-national-political-blueprint

 

They may do as they please, when they please, to whomever it pleases them to.

 

Only civilian governments may face Mr Winchesters beloved "justice".

 

There is only one route to change.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2019 by Enoon

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Too many selfish and greedy chiefs with massive egos. They can't all fit in. This is where politicians are typically good at charming and negotiating. Unfortunately for both sides they're dealing with Prayut. A man used to giving orders that are blindly followed. 

Seems his orders or perceived orders are not bearing much fruit at the moment - -must be so p issed-off and interesting to see how long before he spits the dummy. 

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Artisi said:

With its 50 year prison terms, yep sounds like a good one to pursue. 

But first you have to find and catch him, bring him back to Thailand, wait for years until all the appeals are exhausted and if he loses them he will just nip over the border (probably with some assistance) and they are back to square one.

[JAG]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The anti-junta camp claims it has garnered 246 seats from seven parties, while the pro-junta camp may have 254 seats if all deals are done and dusted.

 

2 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

Unfortunately the magic number for the anti-junta mob is 376 to ensure the desired result.

Well then, a minority government, itself formed from an unstable coalition.

 

Given the less than collegiate nature of it's chosen candidate for prime minister, together with his well known sensitivity to criticism, it could well be an exciting, entertaining if possibly short ride!

[worgeordie]

This election, then trying to form a government,is a never ending story

similar to Brexit,the former government put in place restrictions to

prevent the Thaksin backed party from ever winning an election again,

then doing everything to make sure the PM stays in power.its a farce,

 

Now fighting to get the best trough to get their noses in,that's politics,

i suppose no wonder voters the World over are fed up ,and we are only

a pawn in their game.

regards worgeordie

[greeneking]

Pheu Thai and Future Forward still in with a chance then?

But could they stomach working with the self serving greed on display here for long enough to return a reduced army to the barracks, speak honestly about what must happen in Thailand and then hold a new and  fairly held election that will allow them to work without the others?

Would Pheu Thai be able to resist its own greed, and will the army allow any change at all?

And will the palace stay out of it?  Another state funeral imminent.

Trying to find reasons for optimism.  Difficult.

 

 

[baboon]

3 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

No problem.

 

Military will continue with direct rule.

 

Nothing (yet) to stop them.

 

They have prior-absolved themselves from any possibility of judicial/civil admonishment/retribution for doing so.

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Thai-military-draws-up-20-year-national-political-blueprint

 

They may do as they please, when they please, to whomever it pleases them to.

 

Only civilian governments may face Mr Winchesters beloved "justice".

 

There is only one route to change.

 

 

 

 

 

What else needs saying? The junta 'reluctantly' carry on as the junta because of squabbling politicians. Fine by them.

Cue the George Peppard 'I love it when a plan comes together' meme...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It's pretty pitiful that this whole sordid drama plays out now over which government ministries either of the two political parties would get to control...

 

...And not even mentioned is the key underlying consideration of whether the people who voted for those parties wanted, or did not want, continued military rule of the country.

 

[KhaoYai]

All just tosh - the pro junta parties were always going to win just as Prayut was always going to remain Prime Minister.

[lemonjelly]

The PPRP have the Dems up against the ropes as they know that the Dems won’t join with Phua Thai and if the Dems don’t join with PPRP the Dems won’t get any ministerial positions at all.

[sjaak327]

This charade is a downright insult to every member of the Thai electorate. The proposed pro junta coalition would consist of 16 parties 16!!! and wouldn't even be possible without the 11 micro parties that were awarded a party list seat, even though none of those parties came close to the 70.000 votes that would normally suffice for a seat considering the total votes casts. 

 

I assume those 11 micro parties, that en masse supported the junta are in fact simply created and run by the NCPO. 

 

It is hardly rocket science, the democrats vowed never to support Prayuth, so instead of cheating your voters, simply join PTP and FFP and there could be a stable, three party coalition, that doesn't sink so low as to support a know criminal dictator, that stepped on the Thai electorate five years ago. 

 

It boggles the mind how those 16 parties have no shame at all, how could a party that claims to be democratic support a dictator. That is just simply not possible. 

[bannork]

39 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

The PPRP have the Dems up against the ropes as they know that the Dems won’t join with Phua Thai and if the Dems don’t join with PPRP the Dems won’t get any ministerial positions at all.

But if the Dems don't join PPRP, then the latter are up the creek 

[sjaak327]

4 hours ago, JAG said:

 

Well then, a minority government, itself formed from an unstable coalition.

 

Given the less than collegiate nature of it's chosen candidate for prime minister, together with his well known sensitivity to criticism, it could well be an exciting, entertaining if possibly short ride!

Actually, in the proposal that was on the table when the constitution was "approved" in the infamous referendum, the senate could only vote when the lower house failed to reach an agreement. So if someone can form a coalition with a normal majority, I suppose the senate doesn't need to vote, and rightly so, none of them were choosen by the electorate. 

[JAG]

5 hours ago, sjaak327 said:

Actually, in the proposal that was on the table when the constitution was "approved" in the infamous referendum, the senate could only vote when the lower house failed to reach an agreement. So if someone can form a coalition with a normal majority, I suppose the senate doesn't need to vote, and rightly so, none of them were choosen by the electorate. 

Indeed. However, haven't we rather seen that once "approved " the constitution has at times been somewhat liberally interpreted?

 

Failure to reach an agreement could be described as a failure to do what Prayut wants, and the Senate (perhaps) replaces Article 44?

[ChrisY1]

This whole affair seems to be a charade for the internationals...when it's all done and dusted, Prayuth and his group of crooks, will rule...S44 may even remain.

[Ozman52]

BP today says the Democrats will be given requested positions by PPRP. I expect announcement of coalition government is imminent.

[laocowboy2]

When thieves fall out

[sjaak327]

Indeed. However, haven't we rather seen that once "approved " the constitution has at times been somewhat liberally interpreted?
 
Failure to reach an agreement could be described as a failure to do what Prayut wants, and the Senate (perhaps) replaces Article 44?

They did not really think this through. One no confidence vote in parliament and it is back to the ballot box.

Meechai failed once again....

Sent from my SM-J730F using Tapatalk

[sjaak327]

BP today says the Democrats will be given requested positions by PPRP. I expect announcement of coalition government is imminent.

16 parties. I give it two months. Not listening to the electorate, who made it clear. No prayuth.

It is downtight crazy they are even trying. The democrats should be utterly ashamed by joining this coalition, one that would never reached a majority if it wasn't for the EC!

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