Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has rebutted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's remarks that Pheu Thai could not co-form a government with the now defunct Move Forward Party (MFP) because the MFP wanted to amend Section 112, also known as the lese majeste law.
Mr Thanathorn said via Facebook on Friday that Thaksin's comments to the media on Thursday were untrue.
Thaksin told reporters he had talked with Mr Thanathorn regarding Section 112 of the Criminal Code and advised him not to go overboard about reforming the law.
Thaksin noted that he was not implying that Mr Thanathorn or the Progressive Movement was unloyal but that focusing on getting votes over reforming the law wouldn't be worth it.
In response, Mr Thanathorn said Thaksin knows very well that the reason the MFP and the Pheu Thai Party did not form a coalition government had nothing to do with Section 112.
Mr Thanathorn expressed concern that Thaksin's remarks might mislead the public into thinking they had discussed amendments to Section 112. He said they had not discussed or agreed on this issue.
Vague commentaries like this have been made several times, Mr Thanathorn said, creating the wrong perception that the failure to form a coalition was due to the MFP's stance on Section 112.
He emphasised that Section 112 was never a condition for coalition negotiations. "It was never included in the initial MoU signed and made public. Thaksin knows this best," he said.
"It's not that MFP's leadership was reckless or immature. There were other reasons for not forming a coalition. Section 112 was used as an excuse," Mr Thanathorn said.
"Ironically, Thaksin, who should understand structural problems better than anyone, has chosen to be part of the problem rather than the solution."
As a campaign assistant for the MFP, Mr Thanathorn clarified that the party never used Section 112 as a central campaign issue. They only addressed it honestly when asked by the media or the public.
He acknowledged that addressing decades-old structural problems in Thailand cannot be fast-tracked but requires consistent effort and societal consensus.
"Without addressing structural problems, Thailand will continue to patch over problems without real progress. The country can only advance sustainably if its people are mature enough to acknowledge and confront problems together," he added.
Thaksin's comments were made after a campaign event in Udon, where he also said that he and his sister, Yingluck, were victims of political persecution and a coup. Regarding Section 112 cases, he emphasised that the coalition government has committed not to address this issue directly.
