BANGKOK — Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra hosted a dinner for the leaders of coalition parties and key figures in the government on Monday evening. This is the first such gathering of this government since she took over as Prime Minister from Srettha Thavisin.
New faces at the dinner included party leaders and ministers from the Democrat Party, as well as those from the Kla Tham Party, including Naruemon Pinyosinwat and the faction led by Capt. Thamanat Prompow.
Paetongtarn, also the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, waited to personally welcome the dinner guests at the Rosewood Bangkok, a hotel owned by her sister, Pintongtha Shinawatra Kunakornwong. She told reporters cheerfully that there was no special theme for today.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham stated that this meeting is primarily to build relationships and to listen to opinions from coalition party leaders about their experiences in joint governance, and whether they have any suggestions or recommendations for improvements.
However, Thai media speculate that this dinner may involve discussions on issues where coalition parties still have differing opinions, such as pushing for political amnesty laws and how to conduct a referendum on constitutional amendment.
There is also the significant case where the EC has accepted petitions from complainants to dissolve the Pheu Thai Party and 6 coalition parties, excluding the Democrat Party, due to allegations of allowing former PM Thaksin Shinawatra to exercise undue and illegal influence over them and the government.
After dinner, she said that she wasn’t worried about the petition because the allegations didn’t apply to her. Therefore, no one was concerned about this matter, and she confirmed that nothing fit the accusations.
“A good relationship is just that – a good relationship, not domination. I believe many people here love and respect Thaksin. When we talk, we don’t even discuss politics. Or if we do, it might be about politics from 20 years ago. It’s just a conversation between people who have a good relationship,” she said.
When pressed about whether she was confident that these allegations wouldn’t cause the government to stumble like in the case of former Prime Minister Srettha, Paetongtarn said, “Everyone has their own thoughts. Every party has its executive committee. If they disagree, they can’t be dominated. So, if talking to Thaksin is considered domination, then it’s not.”
Even though she said she was not worried about the petition, many people view this as another attempt to undermine the government’s stability, because the Election Commission’s acceptance of the case could lead to party dissolution, similar to what happened to Pheu Thai Party twice before, when it was known as Thai Rak Thai and People’s Power Party.
On October 18, the EC announced that it had accepted the petition, stating that the complaint had merit. They will establish an investigative committee to conduct an inquiry and provide recommendations. The process should be completed within 30 days, with the possibility of 30-day extensions until completion.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham said that since our political system allows anyone to file complaints or raise issues, we must let the EC do its job. Pheu Thai Party has a duty to provide explanations.
However, he noted that this situation makes many people uncomfortable because the government and Prime Minister have only been managing the country for one month, haven’t done much yet, and are already facing various complaints.
“I don’t want this issue to damage the government’s stability and confidence because the economy is about to recover. Encountering something like this causes a setback. If this continues, I think the country’s economy will surely collapse. So I want people to consider these factors as well. If something wrong was done, let it be dealt with accordingly. Pheu Thai and the coalition parties are not worried and will follow the process,” he said.
The political movement behind the complaints, which includes petitioners from the Palang Pracharath Party, is one of six petitions from individuals known to oppose Thaksin. This is viewed as an attempt at political revenge since Palang Pracharath was excluded from joining the government. Moreover, the inclusion of an “anonymous” petitioner has drawn criticism, even from opposition party members.
Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, an MP from the People’s Party, said regarding the case of the petition to dissolve Pheu Thai Party, where one petitioner is anonymous, but the EC still considered it and ordered an investigation committee, Mr. Sawaeng Boonmee, the EC Secretary as the Registrar of Political Parties, must clearly state whether the anonymous petition, or what common people call an unsigned accusation letter, is one of the petitions you think has merit for launching an investigation.
“If so, this is a big deal. It indicates that mysterious dark powers are emerging, and it’s dangerous. It shows that this is a system that allows for silent coups at any time, relying on just a single unsigned accusation letter,” he said.
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