Pheu Thai unity under threat

[Flashermac]

INTENSE JOCKEYING FOR CABINET SEATS POSES EARLY CHALLENGE

 

 

 

The amount of time it takes for Pheu Thai to form a coalition government will be an indication of the strength of the party's leadership.

 

A week after its election victory, Pheu Thai is witnessing intense jockeying and squabbling among its members to the point that worries have arisen over the power struggle possibly causing fissures among its ranks.

 

A retired senior diplomat who asked to remain anonymous said a well prepared party should at least have a list of potential coalition figures in mind.

 

He said he expected a sketch of the new cabinet to be available by next week.

 

"When you are the majority party, you can call the shots," said the diplomat.

 

"Pheu Thai should be resolute enough to set qualification guidelines for anyone seeking to take up the ministerial posts.

 

"You don't have to behave so benignly to would-be coalition partners - after all, it is [Pheu Thai who leads the government] and others who would like to become a part of the government."

 

He said that unless Pheu Thai shows it has leverage now, it risks falling into the same quagmire the Democrat Party found itself in after having to rely on Bhumjaithai to sustain the previous coalition.

 

But Pheu Thai sources said it could take up to a month before the cabinet lineup can be announced.

 

The Election Commission is likely to endorse would-be MPs against whom no complaints have been filed next Thursday.

 

It will need more time to clear those with questions hanging over them, such as Pheu Thai's list candidate and red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan.

 

Once the EC can endorse up to 95% of the candidates, parliament must be convened to vote for a prime minister within 30 days.

 

While the party sources insisted that Ms Yingluck will have the final say on the list of cabinet members, squabbling has reportedly been intense among party hopefuls with ministerial ambitions.

 

[color:red]A faction of MP candidates from the Northeast, for example, said they would travel to Dubai to meet Thaksin Shinawatra, Ms Yingluck's brother and the exiled former prime minister who is the real Pheu Thai leader, and ask for a quota of some 10 ministerial seats.[/color]

 

It's not only Thaksin who is seen as forming the next government, however.

 

Khunying Pokemon na Pombejra, Thaksin's ex-wife, has reportedly suggested Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, former deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party and former Thailand Trade Representative, for the Foreign Ministry.

 

It's said that his finesse and charisma plus a clean reputation and good connections with leading figures from other parties would boost Pheu Thai's image both at home and abroad.

 

Party insiders are vying for this prestigious post as well. Former ambassador Pithaya Pokeman is one of the contenders.

 

Mr Pithaya helped organise several meetings with international diplomats during the the red shirt rallies last year, including one in the Ratchaprasong area which irked Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

 

Some believe deputy party leader Kanawat Wasinsungworn also has a good chance of winning the seat.

 

Torpong Chaiyasarn, despite his lack of political experience, is believed to aspire to follow in the footsteps of his father Prachuap at the ministry.

 

With Thaksin having been ousted in 2006 by a coup, Pheu Thai will no doubt give careful consideration to who it will appoint to the Defence Ministry.

 

Leadership of this ministry will probably be contested by Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapha and the outgoing defence minister, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon.

 

Observers believe that Wattana Muangsuk, former commerce minister under the Thaksin administration, will return to his old post.

 

It remains uncertain whether the parliament speaker position will go to Col Apiwan Wiriyachai, former vice-parliament speaker, or the constituency MP from Chiang Rai Samart Kaewmeechai.

 

Michael Nelson, a research fellow at Thammasat University's faculty of law, said the Pheu Thai Party is focusing on dealing with an internal struggle rather than appeasing future coalition partners.

 

"The party leadership has to think hard over its selection of four or five candidates in each portfolio and how to ensure their choices don't leave the unsuccessful contenders feeling antagonised or belittled," said Mr Nelson.

 

However, in his opinion, the more pressing challenge lies in how to keep the red shirt faction within the party content.

 

[color:red]"How will the party leaders - under the spotlight and in the shadows - accommodate all factions?" he asked. "They also need to be sensitive of the need not to provoke any dissent or humiliation against the middle class public which by and large are up against them."[/color]

 

[color:red]A prominent display of the red shirt candidates running for the party might have been necessary during the election campaign, but a balance must be made now that the party is in power. "The red shirts will want to see their leaders rewarded, but the public must not feel offended either," said Mr Nelson.[/color]

 

 

 

Bangkok Post