Thammanat says ruling party deeply unpopular; must prepare for elections

[webfact]

 

By Cod Satrusayang

 

Palang Pracharat Secretary General Thammanat Prompao called for unity within the ruling party and for members to work extra hard in case of early polls, local media reported on Friday.

 

Thammanat made headlines earlier this month after a public schism between him and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha. Thammanat was accused of trying to undermine Prayut and organizing an internal putsch that would see the prime minister removed from power during censure debate.

 

As a result, Prayut removed Thammanat from his cabinet position and threw into question the stability of the coalition government. Rumours swirled that snap elections would be called.

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/33154/thammanat-says-ruling-party-deeply-unpopular-must-prepare-for-elections/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2021-09-24

 

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[seajae]

we can only hope that the majority of thais agree with this and dont vote this lot back in, then the problem is who else to vote for  seeing this govt has removed the best opposition to stop them from gaining popularity, thaksin mark 2  may be the only choice which doesnt really sit well with many either, really need to see a young team step up like they did at the last election

[DirtyHarry55]

Maybe he's got eyes on the PM's position or perhaps support Prawit for it.

[edwinchester]

Yeah ain't that the truth, no way do most people want convicted drug traffickers in positions of power.

[pedro01]

My hero... or is it heroin(e)?

[Gandtee]

58 minutes ago, DirtyHarry55 said:

Maybe he's got eyes on the PM's position or perhaps support Prawit for it.

I'm not religious, but god forbid.????

[spidermike007]

Only in Thailand, could a convicted heroin smuggler be considered a credible politician. This nation is lowering the bar daily, and moving backwards at the kind of pace that induces whiplash. 

[spidermike007]

This administration likely has an approval rating of 1-2%, at this stage. They need to go. And unlike in the past, now the older generation wants to see them go too. The latest vax and covid failures, are all that was needed, for the die hards to finally see the light.

Whatever we can do, to make their jobs harder, to put obstacles in their path, to resist, defy, and offend, is a good thing. Civil disobedience of any sort is a good move, at this point.

They do not deserve our respect.

They do not deserve our obedience.

They deserve nothing but scorn, hate, resistance and a total lack of fealty. 

Kudos and victory to the youth. May they prevail. Down with the toxic dinosaurs, who are leading Thailand toward the bottom of African nation status. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

As a result, Prayut removed Thammanat from his cabinet position and threw into question the stability of the coalition government. Rumours swirled that snap elections would be called.

Not sure about snap elections, Prayuts not that popular with the masses.

He'll delay until it's a more stable time.

 

[Sydebolle]

Thammanat was possibly the most unpopular politician in a very, very, very long time. Convicted drug dealer who did four years in an Aussie jail and also spent some years in a Thai prison ......

Seriously wondering about the pot and the kettle and something with black ......

Thailand should be able to find more qualified, less childish and bickering kiddies like this prime example of total idiocy! 

[Eric Loh]

PPRP barely won the majority in the previous election with a very slim margin difference of 10 seats. They were able to form the government by re-writing the election law which gave them and their allies many party-list seats. Now that the election laws are reverted back to the old method, the ruling party will face a reduction of party list seats from their coalition of 19 medium and small parties. The recent no confidence vote revealed that not all appointed senators will pull behind Prayut this time. 

 

Internally PPRP is fracturing. Prayut is not a party member and Prawit as party leader may betray him this time. Thammanat is still Secretary general and highly influential in the party and I see him stabbing the back of Prayut again. Anyway, I don't see him staying long in the party as there are too much bad blood between them after the silent coup. All army parties in the political history of Thailand didn't last long and tend to disintegrate because of power struggle and conflicting interests. I see this will happen to PPRP.  

Edited September 24, 2021 by Eric Loh
wrong word

[Dogmatix]

6 hours ago, seajae said:

we can only hope that the majority of thais agree with this and dont vote this lot back in, then the problem is who else to vote for  seeing this govt has removed the best opposition to stop them from gaining popularity, thaksin mark 2  may be the only choice which doesnt really sit well with many either, really need to see a young team step up like they did at the last election

You are right. Thailand is between a rock and hard place.  And if Thaksin or a Thaksin nominee got into place, you could be sure he would want Thammanart in his cabinet.  He is like a younger Chalerm.  Thaksin would also love all the new laws to suppress freedom of expression and the knobbling of the courts, the NACC other independent agencies. In fact it is quite likely that Prayut and Prawit will be forced to form an alliance with Thaksin in order to remain in power after the elections. So Thais would get both the rock and the hard place. 

[Rampant Rabbit]

Swoon  my  hero................in

[zzaa09]

7 hours ago, seajae said:

we can only hope that the majority of thais agree with this and dont vote this lot back in, then the problem is who else to vote for  seeing this govt has removed the best opposition to stop them from gaining popularity, thaksin mark 2  may be the only choice which doesnt really sit well with many either, really need to see a young team step up like they did at the last election

Well.....if you'll be remembering, the majority of Thais did back the defunct FFP where they held fast at the national and local level, before the usual corrupt shenanigans created by the ruling elite mafias manipulating their way back to control by way of a number of bogus charges and whatnot. Dare to say, all these unsavoury activities couldn't occur again. 

 

The very strong undercurrent of present anti-Prayut [and associations] sentiments and a greater percentage of unpopularity might be the straw that the Move Forward Party can use to make any sort of change - or not. A single trendy and fashionable political ideal won't change much, unless an overhaul of the system is associated with it. Can't see that happening in the foreseeable future either.

 

I've been around long enough to have witnessed, as well understand how history repeats itself quite often in Thailand, most everything. Trimming branches, here and there, from the tree has little practical applications. The roots have to be severed and the tree removed.

[zzaa09]

53 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

You are right. Thailand is between a rock and hard place.  And if Thaksin or a Thaksin nominee got into place, you could be sure he would want Thammanart in his cabinet.  He is like a younger Chalerm.  Thaksin would also love all the new laws to suppress freedom of expression and the knobbling of the courts, the NACC other independent agencies. In fact it is quite likely that Prayut and Prawit will be forced to form an alliance with Thaksin in order to remain in power after the elections. So Thais would get both the rock and the hard place. 

The phrase same as it ever was comes to mind. 

It's not different or alternative if they all belong to the same club.

[candide]

1 hour ago, Dogmatix said:

You are right. Thailand is between a rock and hard place.  And if Thaksin or a Thaksin nominee got into place, you could be sure he would want Thammanart in his cabinet.  He is like a younger Chalerm.  Thaksin would also love all the new laws to suppress freedom of expression and the knobbling of the courts, the NACC other independent agencies. In fact it is quite likely that Prayut and Prawit will be forced to form an alliance with Thaksin in order to remain in power after the elections. So Thais would get both the rock and the hard place. 

Thaksin would not like it as the  judiciary and other agencies such as the NACC would not obey him. They won't obey him more than they obeyed Yingluck. In Thailand, the appointed powers are not appointed by governments and have other allegiances.

 

Not to mention the Strategic Committee (to which the administration and agencies are complied to obey by law, even if the government orders otherwise), the Strategic plan, and the appointed senate. All these arrangements have been included in the Law in order to prevent a "red" government to freely govern.

 

As concerns your last scenario, Prayut and Prawit are not free to strike any alliance they want, and won't ally with Thaksin unless they are told to do it (which is very unlikely). Just like they made a coup because they were told to.

[MrJ2U]

Couldn't agree more.

 

There extremely unpopular.

 

What would one expect?

 

Overthrow an elected government.

 

Then throw the elections and pretend you were elected.

 

Then be as inept as a Hua Hin jelly fish.

 

Good riddance!

 

 

[zzaa09]

34 minutes ago, candide said:

Thaksin would not like it as the  judiciary and other agencies such as the NACC would not obey him. They won't obey him more than they obeyed Yingluck. In Thailand, the appointed powers are not appointed by governments and have other allegiances.

 

Not to mention the Strategic Committee (to which the administration and agencies are complied to obey by law, even if the government orders otherwise), the Strategic plan, and the appointed senate. All these arrangements have been included in the Law in order to prevent a "red" government to freely govern.

 

As concerns your last scenario, Prayut and Prawit are not free to strike any alliance they want, and won't ally with Thaksin unless they are told to do it (which is very unlikely). Just like they made a coup because they were told to.

I do trust that comments above are purely of a studious scholarly manner, less the weary romantic notion of resurrecting the Shinawatra clan into today's political schemes. Any such proposed homecoming and raise would be a flaw, as there really isn't/wasn't that much between them and the cycles of military/ruling elite control. 

I suspect that many are blind to the fact that they all are brethren of the same cult and cult influence. 

 

Instead of waxing hopefully on the old establishment, let's direct our passion and cognitive abilities toward refresh and reboot of everything. Possibilities exist.

[greeneking]

3 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

PPRP barely won the majority in the previous election with a very slim margin difference of 10 seats. They were able to form the government by re-writing the election law which gave them and their allies many party-list seats. Now that the election laws are reverted back to the old method, the ruling party will face a reduction of party list seats from their coalition of 19 medium and small parties. The recent no confidence vote revealed that not all appointed senators will pull behind Prayut this time. 

 

Internally PPRP is fracturing. Prayut is not a party member and Prawit as party leader may betray him this time. Thammanat is still Secretary general and highly influential in the party and I see him stabbing the back of Prayut again. Anyway, I don't see him staying long in the party as there are too much bad blood between them after the silent coup. All army parties in the political history of Thailand didn't last long and tend to disintegrate because of power struggle and conflicting interests. I see this will happen to PPRP.  

Who is encouraging the NACC to release background information that allowed Prawit to get away with his watches excuse? His best brother?

[GarryP]

2 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Well.....if you'll be remembering, the majority of Thais did back the defunct FFP where they held fast at the national and local level, before the usual corrupt shenanigans created by the ruling elite mafias manipulating their way back to control by way of a number of bogus charges and whatnot. Dare to say, all these unsavoury activities couldn't occur again. 

 

The very strong undercurrent of present anti-Prayut [and associations] sentiments and a greater percentage of unpopularity might be the straw that the Move Forward Party can use to make any sort of change - or not. A single trendy and fashionable political ideal won't change much, unless an overhaul of the system is associated with it. Can't see that happening in the foreseeable future either.

 

I've been around long enough to have witnessed, as well understand how history repeats itself quite often in Thailand, most everything. Trimming branches, here and there, from the tree has little practical applications. The roots have to be severed and the tree removed.

The change in the ballot system is very likely to see the number of MFP MPs drop considerably. This is the reason they voted against the change. 

[zzaa09]

7 minutes ago, greeneking said:

Who is encouraging the NACC to release background information that allowed Prawit to get away with his watches excuse? His best brother?

Foxes watching hen houses. 

[chalawaan]

This guy could well be the next PM, if not him, the weeping former Army Chief of Staff will almost certainly be awarded it after a sham election.

 

As unpalatable as it may seem, not only will he, Thammanat, be back, he has never truly left. He has powerful friends, and as he himself has openly boasted, he knows things about things that others would rather remain unknowns. 

 

The evil is bottomless in certain circles, and that's being charitable.

 

All my usual snarkyness aside, the prospect of either of these two replacing Prayut truly makes my blood run cold. 

 

 

[tomacht8]

The majority of the Thai population wants better and honest people to lead the country in the future. The distribution of wealth in the country has become increasingly unfair. The bottom 50% of the population own only 1.7% of the country's wealth. The top 1% own 67% of the country's wealth. According to the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2018.

Either the 1% elite resign voluntarily or there will be violent outbreaks. It's a shame, actually. Thailand has so much potential and could have become a big tiger, but the greed for money  from the top people has eaten there minds.

[chalawaan]

10 hours ago, seajae said:

we can only hope that the majority of thais agree with this and dont vote this lot back in, then the problem is who else to vote for  seeing this govt has removed the best opposition to stop them from gaining popularity, thaksin mark 2  may be the only choice which doesnt really sit well with many either, really need to see a young team step up like they did at the last election

Taksin is loathed by the establishment, but the establishment can be overruled, his ex wife is of Royal blood, and that should be factored into his chances. 

If it is perceived he can ease mounting social tensions and discontent significantly, he could be recalled and pardoned.

His ex was recently granted an audience at the Palace, and that carries great weight in itself.

Prayut was also saved at the last minute by a Palace summons, although the plot by then was in tatters, for various reasons that are not relevant in this post.

My trusty catch-cry is: the truth surrounding anything that involves intrigue in this world, is rarely found on page one of google, and certainly not in any local media, if it involves local politics!

[pedro01]

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Only in Thailand, could a convicted heroin smuggler be considered a credible politician. This nation is lowering the bar daily, and moving backwards at the kind of pace that induces whiplash. 

Yet he seems to be lining up for the next PM

[zzaa09]

8 hours ago, chalawaan said:

Taksin is loathed by the establishment, but the establishment can be overruled, his ex wife is of Royal blood, and that should be factored into his chances. 

If it is perceived he can ease mounting social tensions and discontent significantly, he could be recalled and pardoned.

His ex was recently granted an audience at the Palace, and that carries great weight in itself.

Prayut was also saved at the last minute by a Palace summons, although the plot by then was in tatters, for various reasons that are not relevant in this post.

My trusty catch-cry is: the truth surrounding anything that involves intrigue in this world, is rarely found on page one of google, and certainly not in any local media, if it involves local politics!

......and we still have to remember who is ruling the roost. 

Has everything to do with everything in Thailand.

[jerrymahoney]

15 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This administration likely has an approval rating of 1-2%, at this stage. They need to go. And unlike in the past, now the older generation wants to see them go too. The latest vax and covid failures, are all that was needed, for the die hards to finally see the light.

Whatever we can do, to make their jobs harder, to put obstacles in their path, to resist, defy, and offend, is a good thing. Civil disobedience of any sort is a good move, at this point.

They do not deserve our respect.

They do not deserve our obedience.

They deserve nothing but scorn, hate, resistance and a total lack of fealty. 

Kudos and victory to the youth. May they prevail. Down with the toxic dinosaurs, who are leading Thailand toward the bottom of African nation status. 

A Brit author in 1839 wrote: The pen is mightier than the sword.

 

I say give you a sword and let's what happens.

[scorecard]

20 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Yeah ain't that the truth, no way do most people want convicted drug traffickers in positions of power.

True of course.

 

But it seems this guy, regardless of recently being chopped down, is still aiming for the top and not frightened to do so. And it seems that he does have support.

 

It would be interesting to know who is strongly backing him and what their aims and ethics are.

 

Perhaps more worrying, there's clearly many politicians/parties/their cronies/backers who aren't swayed/worried by his past criminal/jail/drugs record.

 

Sad for Thailand.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by scorecard

[jerrymahoney]

14 minutes ago, scorecard said:

True of course.

 

But it seems this guy, regardless of recently being chopped down, is still aiming for the top and not frightened to do so. And it seems that he does have support.

 

It would be interesting to know who is strongly backing him and what their aims and ethics are.

 

Perhaps more worrying, there's clearly many politicians/parties/their cronies/backers who aren't swayed/worried by his past criminal/jail/drugs record.

 

Sad for Thailand.

 

 

Maybe it's better to have a PM whose skeletons are (mostly) out-of-the-closet than one whose skeletons are still in the closet.

[brianthainess]

''Deeply unpopular'' Despised would be a more accurate description.