The opposition will not pay heed to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha's recommendation to drop all mentions of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in the motion against Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The plan was announced by opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut yesterday, fuelling concerns that the censure debate, which is expected to take place at the end of the month, could hit a stalemate.
Mr Natthaphong said the opposition would write to Mr Wan to formally reject his recommendation to revise the motion in the next few days.
"We stand by our position, so the House speaker can understand the importance of keeping [the motion] as is," he said.
Mr Wan, along with many MPs from the ruling Pheu Thai Party, have slammed the motion as unfair to Thaksin, who will not be present during the censure debate to counter allegations levelled against him.
The House speaker also said he could be sued for defamation if Thaksin is referenced in the debate. As such, he told the opposition to remove all mention of the former PM from the motion, or the debate wouldn't go ahead.
Opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, have argued that they have the right to explain how Thaksin meddled in the affairs of his daughter's administration in the debate.
Mr Natthaphong said if Mr Wan refuses to hold the debate with the original motion, the opposition will take further action, without elaborating further.
A refusal to proceed could expose Mr Wan to allegations of malfeasance, he added.
That said, Mr Natthaphong played down concerns about a stalemate, saying there is room for talks to settle the issue and hold the debate before the current House session ends.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said yesterday that the House speaker has the final authority to decide on motions.
He said the tussle could be put to rest through talks between government and opposition whips.
"We can only go as far as the rule allows," Mr Phumtham said, referring to parliamentary meeting regulation No.176, which dictates that an unnecessary mention of a third person in a censure motion and a subsequent debate is to be avoided.
"If the PP deems the rule to be unsound, the party can seek to have it rectified," the deputy prime minister added.
Pheu Thai MP Wisut Chainarun, who also serves as chief government whip, said no date for a censure debate can be set before the House speaker places the motion on parliament's agenda first.
Meanwhile, PP list MP Rangsiman Rome noted that Mr Wan himself initiated a similar motion back in 2019, when he was in the opposition.
