BANGKOK — “Nothing special. 23 years ago, I stood in front, she stood behind. Today, she stands in front, I stand behind,” Thaksin Shinawatra said in an interview after his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra received a royal letter of endorsement at a ceremony appointing her as the new prime minister.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, officially became Thailand’s 31st prime minister with royal assent on Sunday, August 18, 2024. A royal appointment order ceremony in front of the King’s portrait took place at Voice Space, the new headquarters of the Pheu Thai Party.
Her family, including former Prime Minister Thaksin; former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin; acting ministers from both the Pheu Thai Party and coalition parties; MPs; and members of the Pheu Thai Party all attended this ceremony.
After the ceremony, Paetongtarn hugged her family members, including her parents Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman, her older brother and sister, and her husband Pidok. Thaksin had a big smile, while Khunying Potjaman, who is known to be caring and proud of her daughter, was moved to tears.
Paetongtarn, widely known by her nickname “Ung Ing,” is chosen to carry on her father’s legacy. She is now the youngest Prime Minister of Thailand and Thailand’s second woman PM after her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.
Her official assumption of the position occurred one day after the royal decree was announced, granting pardons to convicts nationwide on the occasion of His Majesty the King’s birthday. Thaksin was one of the 7,500 parolees who completed their parole and became “innocent” persons.
Paetongtarn said, “It is the highest honor that father has received a pardon, regardless of the day. My family and I are profoundly grateful for His Majesty’s utmost grace.”
On the day she received 319 votes from parliament members to become the new premier, she disclosed: “Father joked that he’s glad he might see his daughter take office before he gets Alzheimer’s, as he’s getting old. It was just playful talk, and he’s always supportive.”
Thaksin said that his daughter has seen his work all along. Therefore, she knows that she will have to work hard, be dedicated, and need to bring all sectors to participate. The country’s problems are what require hard work. But her advantage is that she is young and can approach every unit to ask for help and cooperation. She is not arrogant but humble. As for him, he won’t be able to help much because at 75 years old, he’s already old.
When asked if he was worried that his daughter would repeat the past like when Thaksin was Prime Minister, Thaksin firmly said, “No way.”
Related article: Who Is Paetongtarn Shinawatra: Defying Family’s Political Fate?
In her first press conference with the media, when asked how she would handle predictions or criticisms that she might face the same fate as her father, Paetongtarn replied, “No one wants to experience what my father or my aunt did. I want to perform my duties well and correctly. If we worry about everything, we won’t be able to achieve our goals. I will do my best to avoid any legal cases.”
When asked about criticisms regarding former PM Thaksin, she insisted that it’s not about domination. She and everyone in her family have their own thoughts; they consult each other and respect each other’s ideas. In the end, whoever is in whatever role must act on their own thoughts. She will seek opinions from her father, just as she would from other former PMs and all parties, to make the PM position meaningful.
In her first statement accepting the position, Paetongtarn said that the Prime Minister’s position is the greatest honor and pride of her life. The person holding the Prime Minister’s position has a great responsibility to lead Thailand forward, overcome obstacles, and solve the economic problems and hardships of the people.
“In the remaining 3 years of the parliamentary term, I, as the head of the executive branch, will work together with the legislative branch with an open heart, open to listening to all opinions, to jointly develop the country and move forward together steadily.”
She continued that this mission is a great one that cannot be accomplished by the Prime Minister alone. She aimed to coordinate the power of people of all generations, to coordinate the power of capable individuals in all sectors, including the cabinet, coalition parties, government officials, private sector, and fellow citizens.
She later spoke in both Thai and English at a news conference, thanking former PM Srettha for his dedicated work throughout the past year. Although she hadn’t prepared for this beforehand, she’s ready to fully perform her duties as PM for all Thai people, both those who chose her and those who didn’t. The government will continue to push economic policies, including a major economic stimulus, the 30-baht universal healthcare system, and Thailand Soft Power. She will announce policies in September.
Although she didn’t use the term “digital wallet” when referring to the initial economic stimulus, PM Paetongtarn denied the rumors that her father ordered the scheme to be scrapped. She said the scheme will be considered by the new Cabinet. As it’s a project from the previous government, it needs to be carefully examined to ensure legal compliance.
The next political steps will involve forming a new government consisting of 35 people, where the new Prime Minister will submit the list of names to the King and have an audience to officially receive royal appointment to the position.
A source within the Pheu Thai Party earlier revealed that Thaksin had spoken with Thammanat Prompao, the secretary-general of the Palang Pracharath Party, saying that he did not want Pol. Gen. Patcharawat Wongsuwan, the younger brother of Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan (leader of the Palang Pracharath Party), to join the new government.
This comes after Gen. Prawit has consistently shown unfriendliness towards the Pheu Thai Party, and recently faced calls from media organizations to take responsibility for hitting a reporter on the head twice.
It was noted that at Paetongtarn’s prime ministerial appointment ceremony, Pol. Gen. Patcharawat, the acting deputy prime minister and minister of Natural Resources and Environment, did not attend, unlike ministers from other coalition parties.
As for Thammanat, who also didn’t attend, it was reported that he was hosting a birthday party in Phayao Province, his hometown. However, it is expected that he will come to wish Prime Minister Paetongtarn a happy 38th birthday on August 21.
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