All eyes are on Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon’s rumoured enlistment of the ruling Pheu Thai Party MP Pol Capt Chalerm Ubumrung for the grilling of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in the censure debate on Monday. They are expected to deliver potentially damning allegations against the government.
PPRP secretary-general Paiboon Nititawan said Gen Prawit will speak after opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut opens the session in the House of Representatives.
Gen Prawit will launch the attack against Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the sole censure target, on an assortment of issues including the Alpine temple land, casino-entertainment complex project and the MoU 44 territorial issue with Cambodia.
Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s detention in lieu of imprisonment behind bars in a luxury ward at Police General Hospital is also expected to be questioned.
Thaksin, the alleged de facto leader of the Pheu Thai Party, is Ms Paetongtarn’s father. Even though the detention pertains to Thaksin, it is in essence related to the Shinawatra family, said Mr Paiboon.
The PPRP’s secretary-general, however, remained tightlipped about two other allegations Gen Prawit is expected to make. “These will be new issues concerning the premier. That’s all I can say at this point,” he said.
One source, meanwhile, suggested Pol Capt Chalerm, a known star debater with a vendetta against his own party, may have passed on vital information about Thaksin’s detention ahead of the reckoning.
Gen Prawit earlier met Pol Capt Chalerm where he had expressed his eagerness to be among PPRP’s quota of debaters, according to the source.
Pheu Thai Party MP Pol Capt Chalerm Ubumrung: May expose ‘secrets’
However, the opposition People’s Party (PP) deputy leader Rangsiman Rome said on Saturday the list of debaters has not been finalised as it is impossible at this stage to confirm Pol Capt Chalerm’s eligibility to participate.
“Even if Pol Capt Chalerm had asked to take part, leading figures in PP would need to be consulted first,” Mr Rangsiman added.
“The opposition has no quota available for government MPs,” Mr Rangsiman said.
The censure debate will run on Monday and Tuesday, with the opposition allocated 28 hours to question the prime minister, and the government and cabinet given seven hours to field queries.
Pol Capt Chalerm’s spat with Thaksin arose after he and his son, former MP Wan Ubumrung, attended a post-local election gathering organised by a rival candidate in Pathum Thani last year. Mr Wan subsequently resigned from Pheu Thai and defected to the PPRP.
Pol Capt Chalerm has threatened to expose secrets about Thaksin and said he is considering whether to become an independent MP.
Meanwhile, Ms Paetongtarn appeared relaxed during a dinner she hosted for coalition parties on Friday.
On her Instagram account, @INGSHIN21, Ms Paetongtarn described the gathering as light-hearted and said other party leaders had shared stories and experiences of censure debates they faced in the past with her.
“It was enjoyable and truly a morale booster,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, said the coalition was ready to rally around the prime minister and prepare for any allegations that implicate them.
Even though the no-confidence motion was filed solely against Ms Paetongtarn, it is tantamount to a motion against the entire cabinet, said Mr Anutin who is also deputy prime minister and interior minister.
He added that he believed in Ms Paetongtarn’s competence, despite the pressure of this being her first censure debate.