Srettha tells disgruntled deputy finance minister to rethink decision to quit

Speaking about the development, Srettha said he had spoken to Kritsada and given him a day’s time to rethink the decision.

Srettha said that Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira had tried to call Kritsada, but the deputy minister, who is from the United Thai Nation Party, did not answer. Therefore, the prime minister had to reach out to the disgruntled deputy minister.

Kritsada said that the resignation letter was on its way, but the PM had advised him to reconsider his decision overnight.

Srettha said that Kritsada had laughed when told by the PM that he would not accept the letter now. Srettha said he considered Kritsada as his brother because he had known him for a long time.

The PM said that these were developments he wanted to avoid and emphasised the need for dialogue.

When asked about the reasons behind Kritsada's resignation, Srettha admitted, "It's probably about task division."

He told Kritsada that if there were concerns about task division, there were still many projects within the Ministry of Finance that could be worked on in collaboration with the Prime Minister's Office.

The Ministry of Finance also is ready to assign him additional tasks if needed.

Addressing task allocation within the Ministry of Finance, the PM underscored the necessity of honouring the ministers' duty in assigning tasks, and cited numerous unspecified additional responsibilities and collaborative projects for Kritsada. He maintained confidence in Kritsada's potential contributions, as a former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance where he effectively steered various policies.

If Kritsada resigns, he would become the second member of the Cabinet to quit in less than a week after the reshuffle. Shortly after the announcement of the new Cabinet, Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara had resigned as foreign minister, miffed at losing the post of deputy prime minister he held in the previous Srettha Cabinet. The PM said that this was not a problem and those who had resigned had already been replaced.

Srettha is expecting Kritsada to change his mind tomorrow.

Deputy Prime Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, who is also Minister of Energy and head of the United Thai Nation Party, disclosed that Kritsada had not consulted him on the issue of delegation of duties. He said that should Kritsada resign, the party would need to identify a replacement.

In addition to Kritsada, the Ministry of Finance has two other deputy ministers — Julapun Amornvivat and Phaophum Rojanasakul, both affiliated with the Pheu Thai Party.

Kritsada's responsibilities primarily pertained to overseeing the Public Debt Management Office, contrasting with his colleagues' broader portfolios.