Pita’s Ambitions to be the Next Thai Prime Minister End

[webfact]

 

Bangkok, Thailand-In a day that was bitterly disappointing for Move Forward Party (MFP) supporters and Prime Minister Candidate Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the MFP, was suspended from his duties as a MP and denied the chance for a second vote to become Prime Minister.

 

First, you can read more about the suspension here, this article will mostly provide an overview of the day at Thai Parliament.

 

Pita Limjaroenrat, 43, and his party won the most seats in the House of Representatives in the last Thai election and formed a coalition with seven other parties, including Pheu Thai who was a close second in number of MP seats. This coalition was determined to form a government with Pita as the PM but unfortunately multiple factors prevented this.

One major factor was ongoing controversy around media shares held by Pita and if Pita ran for PM knowing that these could disqualify him. Under Thai law, PMs cannot hold shares in media companies. Pita states these were inherited and that the company has not been running in about fifteen years.

 

Regardless, the Election Commission sent a request for the Charter Court to rule on this factor which led to Pita’s suspension of his MP duties today, July 19th, 2023. Pita has fifteen days to give a statement to the court. If Pita is ruled against, he could be disqualified from Thai politics for ten years, face prison time, and his party could even be punished or at worst disbanded.

 

By Adam Judd

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/07/19/pitas-ambitions-to-be-the-next-thai-prime-minister-end/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-07-20

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

[flyingtlger]

Galant attempt but he didn't cater to the powers that be.... 

[Walker88]

Holding shares in a media company that hasn't operated for 15 years is a crime punishable by prison and---because of guilt by association---can lead to the banning of the Party you led.

 

Overthrowing a democratically elected PM in a coup, then manufacturing a new Constitution that guarantees your cronies remain in power, plus tosses in a law prohibiting ownership in media companies, is an act of grace that even allows you to be a PM and take your ill-gotten gains into retirement.

 

When the act aimed squarely at Taksin serendipitously is used as a cudgel to stop the old guard from losing power, the old guard must think their previous life earned them enormous merit.

 

Farces, farces everywhere.

[ikke1959]

There is no constitution in Thailand, only laws and rules that can be bend to keep the junta in power, no matter what. A civil Government will never be possible as we have seen that 250 senators have too much power and next year probably new will be appointed to keep the power. Unless the people don't accept it anymore and demands new elections as now seems that the EC  has made their mistakes for the elections, these should be declared invalid and new elections have to take place... Than the people can show their power and give parties so many votes that the senators are out of the game. They can burn coffins for the CC and parliament but that will not work. Civil disobedience, demonstrations all over the country in large groups, blocking ways in Bangkok during rush hours and so on will disrupt the country etc etc and give a strong signal that the people doesn't accept the current situation 

[2baht]

1 hour ago, Walker88 said:

Holding shares in a media company that hasn't operated for 15 years is a crime punishable by prison and---because of guilt by association---can lead to the banning of the Party you led.

Window dressing! The whole farce is fueled by the greed of the deposed! It's hard to move away after 9 years at the trough! I hope people are learning a lot about Thai culture from this debacle! Greed rules!

[ezzra]

Knowing full well he's breaking the law by holding those shares and still going a head with the process only shows that this person think that he can have his own interpretation of the law and that  the law doesn't apply to him.

[djayz]

How on god's green earth could they have made the same mistake twice?!?! While I really wanted to see these young politicians have a go at running the circus, I have absolutely no sympathy for a party that fxxks up twice in such a short time.

[2baht]

11 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Knowing full well he's breaking the law by holding those shares and still going a head with the process only shows that this person think that he can have his own interpretation of the law and that  the law doesn't apply to him.

That applies to everyone with money in Thailand!

[herfiehandbag]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

If Pita is ruled against, he could be disqualified from Thai politics for ten years, face prison time, and his party could even be punished or at worst disbanded.

Let's be quite sanguine about this; When Pita is ruled against, he will be disqualified from Thai politics for ten years, he will be in prison, and his party will be disbanded.

[herfiehandbag]

26 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Knowing full well he's breaking the law by holding those shares and still going a head with the process only shows that this person think that he can have his own interpretation of the law and that  the law doesn't apply to him.

Utter rubbish. You know full well that they would have manufactured some other charge against him, and Move Forward.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Bangkok, Thailand-In a day that was bitterly disappointing for Move Forward Party (MFP) supporters and Prime Minister Candidate Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the MFP, was suspended from his duties as a MP and denied the chance for a second vote to become Prime Minister.

Justice Thai style.... 

[KhunLA]

Maybe next time MFP will RTFM to avoid a 3rd repeat performance.

[sammieuk1]

Who needs young, educated, rich, bilingual, inspirational, elected when you have all this already ????

 

[Skeptic7]

Just another type of Thai coup.

Shame on Thailand. 

[scottiejohn]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Maybe next time MFP will RTFM to avoid a 3rd repeat performance.

Why do people use things like "RTFM" above which have to be "googled" to get some idea of what it might mean?  We are not all Text speak maniacs!

Google gives a number of different options!

[KhunLA]

2 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Why do people use things like "RTFM" above which have to be "googled" to get some idea of what it might mean?  We are not all Text speak maniacs!

Google gives a number of different options!

Now you don't have to G again, as you've been enlightened.   And yea, I had to G the first time someone threw that one at me.

 

G = google

[Ben Zioner]

33 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Maybe next time MFP will RTFM to avoid a 3rd repeat performance.

RTFM? What difference would it make? The Dinosaurs would put a few tanks into the Bangkok street and rewrite it. Those who wouldn't comply to the  new "manual" would be "disapeared", again.

[JonnyF]

While I think Pita should have sorted out the issue with the shares, it really wouldn't have made any difference.

 

They'd have found or created some other reason to ban him, and failing that the tanks would have rolled onto the streets once again.

 

I do feel that Pita has given them an easy path though.

 

Let's see what happens. This could get messy.

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, Skeptic7 said:

Just another type of Thai coup.

Shame on Thailand. 

Silent and hidden coup. 

[newnative]

For now.

[smedly]

what a circus

 

the senate will tumble one way or the other

[spidermike007]

It appears that if you are highly popular here, if you are liked by the people, and if you have populist policies, they will figure out a way to get rid of you. 

 

The elite and the army are very corrosive, regressive  and toxic forces here. Concerned only with money, their golden calf. They are destroying any prospects of a promising future, but since they have no vision, they don't seem to care one iota.

 

Unless the people rise up, the dream appears to be dead, for now. Do they have it in them? 

[Trippy]

What's the big surprise? The old school will defend the Lèse-majesté laws with their dying breath. They were never going to let him lead the country.

He was foolish to even propose changes to that law.

[Walker88]

16 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Unless the people rise up, the dream appears to be dead, for now. Do they have it in them? 

A corrupt and self-serving system so deeply entrenched requires a Ceaucescu Moment to sweep it away.

 

I do not think that exists in Thailand. I also think Thai Ceaucescus know that.

[JimTripper]

Hi everyone, does anyone know if tahiti has a retirement visa and the qualifications? What’s the cost for a bungalow there?

[Thingamabob]

A shameful situation, and an insult to the millions of Thais who voted for the MFP.

[owl sees all]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Justice Thai style.... 

Injustice Thai style.

[spidermike007]

The recent events are worthy of a mass funeral. Thailand might have been the tiger of SE Asia a decade or so ago, having been the 22nd largest economy in the world, but those days are long gone. So, I would say it would be safe to refer to Thailand as an up and coming 3rd world (developing) country, post Covid. I would not be surprised to see Thailand in 75th place in terms of GDP, 20 years from now. There is absolutely no doubt the nation is moving backwards, on at least a dozen levels. And unless a dynamic leader like Thanathorn or Pita comes along, as is allowed to lead, the great tiger will continue to devolve into a whiny little street cat. With pre-historic creatures like Prawit or Anutin leading the way, and the horrific Thai army continuing to block anything that resembles change, the nation is destined to lag far behind.

 

Go ahead and stick with regressive conservative policies, resist change and progress at all costs, and run your nation into the ground. When you have antiquated creeps like this choosing the PM, inferiority is what you get. True, bottom of the barrel leadership.

 

 

 

[arithai12]

8 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

Utter rubbish. You know full well that they would have manufactured some other charge against him, and Move Forward.

You are right, but still quite naive (to be kind) to give them such an easy reason to disqualify him especially since what happened to the previous colleague.