Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew had intended to deliver a single message to a planned meeting with its political allies this afternoon (Tuesday). Even without the meeting, which was abruptly cancelled without explanation, the message is already clear to everyone.
Cholnan told Thai PBS World on Monday that he wanted to inform the meeting formally that his mission to mobilise wider support for a prime ministerial candidate, to be nominated by the now Pheu Thai-led alliance, had failed.
“Every political party we talked to made it clear that working with us is impossible, as long as the Move Forward Party advocates mending Article 112 (the lèse majesté law),” said Cholnan.
Over the weekend, Pheu Thai, entrusted by its allies with the job of forming the next government, arranged a series of much-publicised meetings with political parties, which only weeks ago it had branded as political pariahs.
Cholnan said the meetings were designed to sound them out on the current political impasse. This followed the failure of Move Forward to get its leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s nomination as prime minister approved by parliament.
Pheu Thai initiated the weekend’s sessions with an aim of soliciting support from parties outside the alliance for the next prime ministerial nomination. They included Bhumjaithai, Palang Pracharath, United Thai Nation, Chat Thai Pattana and Chart Pattana Kla. With the exception of Chart Pattana Kla, the rest are parties in the outgoing Prayut administration.
Leaders of all these political parties left Pheu Thai with the same message. “We have made it clear that we will not be in an alliance with any political party wanting to amend Article 112,” Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters, as he emerged from the meeting at Pheu Thai headquarters, referring to the article in the Criminal Code which penalises people found guilty of offending the monarchy.
Anutin’s stand was firmly reiterated by leaders of the other parties in their separate meetings with Pheu Thai. “We have, time and again, said that we will not work with any political party that meddles with Article 112. Our stand has never changed,” Chat Thai Pattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa told Thai PBS World.
Most senators approached by Pheu Thai over the weekend reportedly also reaffirmed their stand against Move Forward, not only because of its policy on Article 112 but also its attitude towards the monarchy.
“We want to formally convey the message we received from these political parties and senators to our allies and discuss our next step,” said Cholnan of the now-cancelled meeting.
Of course, what Cholnan didn’t say was that the message was aimed more at Move Forward than any other parties in the alliance.
“We knew from the start what these political parties and senators were going to say. Pheu Thai only wanted Move Forward to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth,” said a senior executive of one of the political parties in the alliance.
Simply put, the whole exercise by Pheu Thai was only intended to demonstrate that Move Forward is now the pain point and the onus is on it to find a way out for the alliance.
Move Forward, however, has made it clear that it has no intention of toning down its stand on Article 112, or walking away from the alliance, even if it means prolonging the political impasse.
It’s no secret that Pheu Thai, which commands the second largest number of House seats after Move Forward, has its own political ambitions and its alliance with Move Forward is only a marriage of convenience. The party has been persistently rumoured to have forged a backroom deal with some of the political parties in the outgoing Prayut government.
Reportedly pulling the strings from behind the scenes is none other than former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is allegedly using the forming of the post-election coalition as a bargaining chip for his return from self-exile. Even in his absence, Thaksin still calls the shots in Pheu Thai, which has his daughter Paetongtarn as one of its three prime minister candidates.
“The whole thing is about getting Thaksin back,” said an executive of another party in the alliance, referring to rumours of the political deal.
Several political analysts concurred that, at this juncture, Pheu Thai’s ultimate aim is to form the core of the coalition, even if it means going back on its word by joining hands with political parties from the other side of the aisle and, more importantly, at the expense of Move Forward.
“It’s no surprise that Pheu Thai will want to have its cake and eat it,” said Thanaphon Suriyakul, a political scientist at Kasetsart University.
For the time being, all eight coalition parties are trying to put on a brave face as far as their alliance is concerned but, in private, many have admitted that they are running into a brick wall.
Adding to the uncertainty is the decision today, by Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, to cancel a joint parliamentary sitting, scheduled for this Thursday, to vote on a prime ministerial nomination again.
By Thepchai Yong
