Samak: Court starts reading verdict now... Guilty

[Fidel]

Somsak: "Hey Somchai, which political ideology is in vogue these days?"

 

Somchai: "Parliamentary Democracy, I suppose, Somsak."

 

Somsak: " Think we can pull it off?"

 

Somchai: "I dunno, those Diesel board short rip-offs missed the mark big time.. but, let's give it a try. If it doesn't work, mai bpen 'rai"

[WorldFun]

Samak A bit later & different style to go out than expected but out he must go with or withour further kicks in his butt - guess he wont make the UN speech after all just like Toxin LOL

[Faustian]

It isn't done and dusted yet...

[elef]

The Nation

10-09-2008

Link

 

 

Sompong leads the race

By The Nation

Published on September 10, 2008

 

 

Fierce lobbying was rocking the political landscape as the House of Representatives is set to convene an urgent meeting on Friday to pick a new prime minister after Samak Sundaravej was ousted by the Constitutional Court yesterday.

 

 

A defiant People Power Party will try to nominate one of its senior members to replace Samak, but it first will have to overcome possible insurgency among coalition allies, who will keep options open till the last minute. With the opposition Democrat Party waiting in the wing and Chart Thai leader Banharn Sila-archa holding out hope for a political windfall, horse trading will be very intense in the next 48 hours.

 

 

Samak lost his post after the Constitution Court found him guilty of hosting TV cooking shows in violation of the charter. The PPP leader, who disappeared from public view since returning from Udon Thani in the afternoon, can still be voted back as prime minister by the ruling PPP, but analysts view the chance as rather small.

 

 

PPP candidates to succeed Samak include three senior leaders _ Sompong Amornvivat, the justice minister; Suraphong Suebwonglee, the deputy premier and finance minister; and Somchai Wongsawad, the deputy premier and education minister. As of last night, Sompong seemed to have slight edges over the other two.

 

 

Meanwhile, the opposition Democrats have also explored the possibility of forming a coalition government with dissident government parties and MPs, including those of Chart Thai and Ruam Jai Thai Chat Pattana parties. Democrat kingmaker Suthep Thaugsuban was said to be sending out feelers to the coalition partners, particularly Chart Thai.

 

 

PPP's spokesman Kudeb Saikrachang said he was confident Samak would return as premier in the upcoming House vote, as he was already punished by the court for hosting the two cooking shows.

 

 

Samak did not commit serious wrongdoings as far as national affairs are concerned, he said.

 

 

PPP deputy leader Kan Tienkaew also said Samak still has a chance to be re-elected by the House. However, Kiatikorn Pakpiensilp, the Prachinburi MP of Machima Tippatai Party, a government party, said Samak should take his responsibility as ordered by the court, rather than making a come-back.

 

 

"Now, the PPP would have a chance to nominate other persons as prime minister, but I'm not sure if the names mentioned earlier would be acceptable," he said, adding that Machima Tippatai party will remain a government party.

 

 

Wallop Tangkananuluk, the former Bangkok senator, said Samak should not return as premier since such a comeback will worsen the political situation.

 

 

He urged the PAD to stop its protests after Samak is out of office.

 

 

Suthep Thugsuban, secretary-general of opposition Democrat party, said Samak had lost his legitimacy to return as premier following the court's ruling.

 

 

"I prefer government parties to pick a new premier to help resolve the political crisis," he said, adding that the Democrats will co-operate with other parties but cannot form the government due to the lack of House majority.

 

 

However, fresh efforts are under way to court some government parties and MPs to switch side and form a new government with the Democrats being the core.

 

 

This potential dissident grouping will include Democrat, Chat Thai, Ruam Jai Thai, and about 30 PPP MPs in the Northeast.

 

 

Banharn Silapa-archa, the leader of Chat Thai Party, and Pradit Pataraprasit of Ruam Jai Thai are among the crucial factors for this choice.

 

 

Banharn said yesterday he would not accept the premier-ship, but government sources said Banharn is also a candidate reportedly favoured by ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as Samak's successor.

 

 

[Torneyboy]

My wish as well

[Bangkoktraveler]

Samak gets his ass kicked for doing a cooking class but Mr. T had, what was it, 2500 people murdered and nothing was said.

[tartempion]

Well, my gf who became anti-Toxin and anti-PPP when she understood all the crap years ago (and that's the problem here: Isaan people don't have eyes and ears to recognise all that crap) has less and less sympathy for the PAD, down to zero trying to oust a legally elected PM regardless how stupid the man can be.

 

To day she is very "stressed" as she tells me this morning by the stupid eviction of a PM because he bought vegs and cooked in a TV show

 

Maybe we should look at how the Thai population digests this decision :question:

[Flashermac]

Maybe Samak should have dropped hundreds of thousands of paper "peace birds" on PAD. That solved the troubles in the far south.

 

 

[Torneyboy]

And the cash and the tax and .....

[Neo]

No matter what Thaksin did, people find a way to make fun of him. I have a different take on that one. It was not a final solution to the problems in the south, nor was it ever intended to be. In my building in Bangkok, everyone was extremely happy and eager to show those in the south they cared about them. The outpouring of peace birds was amazing. Just like they did with tsunami aid. Thaksin even made a peace bird with a free scholarship which turned the event into a real easter egg hunt in the south. The peace birds was a brilliant idea by Thaksin and I saw a lot of good will built over it and saw first hand how much people cared and were given a chance to express it.