Pheu Thai-Bhum Jai Thai Coalition 'Very Difficult'

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Pheu Thai-Bhum Jai Thai coalition 'very difficult'

By The Nation

It would be "very difficult" for the Pheu Thai Party to form a coalition government with the Bhum Jai Thai Party, Pheu Thai's Noppadon Pattama said yesterday.

Noppadon, who is a legal adviser to former prime minister and Pheu Thai de-facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra, said that if the party was to form the next government, it would ask some smaller parties to become its coalition partners. Chart Thai Pattana and Chart Pattana Puea Pandin parties were possibilities, he said.

"We used to work with [people from] Chart Thai Pattana and Chart Pattana Puea Pandin before. There is a possibility [of a coalition]. But it will be really difficult for us to form a new government with Bhum Jai Thai," Noppadon said.

He also ruled out working with the Democrat Party, citing recent remarks by Democrat secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban that the Democrats would not form a coalition with Pheu Thai.

However, Noppadon added that it was too early to talk about forming a post-election coalition and that he believed the parties had not discussed the possibility. "I don't think they have gone that far."

Bhum Jai Thai consists of a breakaway group of incumbent MPs from the People Power Party - Pheu Thai's former incarnation - after it was disbanded by a court order in 2007 for electoral fraud.

Pheu Thai, which most PPP politicians joined after the party dissolution, has often described Bhum Jai Thai politicians - particularly Thaksin's former close aide Newin Chidchob - as ungrateful to Thaksin. They switched camp and supported the Democrat Party to form the previous government in December 2008.

Banharn Silapa-archa, chief adviser to Chart Thai Pattana leader Chumpol Silapa-archa, his younger brother, yesterday said the party's coalition agreement with Bhum Jai Thai still held.

When asked what he would do if Pheu Thai picked only one of Chart Thai Pattana and Bhum Jai Thai to join the government, Banharn said: "Let them choose first. They have not made the choice yet so I can't give you the answer now."

Regarding the possibility of a new coalition consisting of Pheu Thai, Chart Thai Pattana, and Chart Pattana Puea Pandin, Banharn said: "I didn't know there was such a formula. That's not true. The election results are not known yet."

"You'll have to wait until after July 3," he added, referring to the election date. Earlier, Bhum Jai Thai leader Chaovarat Chanweerakul reportedly said that the party would work with the political party that won the election in forming the next government.

Meanwhile, Noppadon yesterday insisted that Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra - who is the party's top candidate on the party list - will be nominated prime minister if the party wins the election. He said that the decision was a party resolution and that Yingluck also had strong backing from Thaksin.

However, Yingluck yesterday said that Pheu Thai's executive board would have the final say about who would become the party's prime ministerial candidate after the election.

-- The Nation 2011-05-28

[virtualtraveller]

Yes, this is the crux of the election. There are several very good (and some honest) reasons why BJT would not form a coalition with PTP, the only remaining thing is for them to explain to the public 'why not', if PTP finish well ahead of the Dems.

As you Newin being ungrateful or disloyal to Thaksin; if you see PTP as nothing more then Thaksin Inc. then it's reasonable to expect factions to eventually lose patience with Thaksin's role in the party and to decide PTP comes with too much baggage. If PTP get shut out of the next government you can expect Mingwan and his faction to bolt too, and given the way Thaksin treated him, that wouldn't be surprising.

Politics should be about parties and their platforms, not individuals and their self interests, and this is what puts the Democrats ahead of the Peua Thai in the coalition negotiations.

[Pi Sek]

Politics should be about parties and their platforms, not individuals and their self interests, and this is what puts the Democrats ahead of the Peua Thai in the coalition negotiations.

I went to the Democrat rally in Saphan Hin, Phuket, last night. I was very disappointed with Suthep's comments and was very impressed by Abhisit's.

Abhisit was talking policies. The man has a plan. Suthep was just slating the Red Shirts and talking about how Yinglak is a puppet. Hardly any mention of anything positive about the Dems, it was just negativity about Peua Thai.

[OzMick]

To sum up:

" Noppadon added that it was too early to talk about forming a post-election coalition..........." but did.

Everybody else said " it was too early to talk about forming a post-election coalition."

Finish with a joke:

"Pheu Thai's executive board would have the final say about who would become the party's prime ministerial candidate"