Changing the PM won't solve flood crisis, senators say

They said ruling politicians would do better to focus on tackling the worsening flood problem rather than politicising the issue.

Bangkok Senator Rosana Tositrakul said she did agree to a suggestion by a group of pro-Thaksin politicians from the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party that the PM be replaced for her alleged failure to deal with the flood problem.

“You can’t blame the prime minister alone for the flood crisis. This problem involves people in different sectors. My personal view is the entire government should be replaced because they fail collectively,” Rosana said.

She said the government should put a priority on tackling the flood rather than political problems. Any change in the government heads would not immediately resolve the crisis.

“No matter who becomes the new prime minister the flood crisis would still exist. As long as the people responsible are not serious about tackling it, the flood crisis will only worsen.”

The call by the Group of 111 politicians, who are close to Yingluck’s brother Thaksin, reportedly wanted the premier to be replaced by either Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung or Justice Minister Pracha Promnok.

Ratchaburi Senator Kecha Saksomboon also disagreed with the call to change the PM. He said the change would do more harm than good in terms of solving the flood problem.

The senator said forcing the prime minister to resign would lead to the departure of the entire Cabinet, and a caretaker leader would not be able to deal with the problem efficiently.

Yingluck yesterday shrugged off the reported call for her to resign, saying that it “jazzed up” the situation. When asked about her home in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao area, the premier said some water had leaked into the house.

Pracha, meanwhile, rejected the call for him to replace Yingluck as government head. “It’s enough for me to be the head of Udon Thani University’s executive board,” he said.

And the coalition Chart Thai Pattana Party said yesterday it was unlikely that Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut would be replaced in a future Cabinet reshuffle in connection with the flood crisis.
Party spokesman Watchara Kannikar said this was because Chart Thai Pattana’s patriarch Banharn Silapa-archa still had good ties with Thaksin, the de facto leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party. Chart Thai Pattana leaders had not talked about possible a Cabinet reshuffle, he said.

The spokesman also countered Pheu Thai MP Payap Panket, who claimed inefficient release of water from dams by the Agriculture Ministry had caused severe flooding in many provinces. Watchara said he considered Payap’s comment an attempt to get revenge at Chart Thai Pattana for many election losses to the party.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra insisted yesterday she was working to the best of her ability to tackle the crisis.

She called for cooperation from all the parties and elements involved and asked for fair judgement to her performance and effort.

“We are fighting with water. I am not discouraged. I am just doing my work as best as I can and I have to be patient. My request is that everyone should work together and stop playing political games. Let’s do our job to the best of our ability. I am ready to cooperate with everyone,” the prime minister said.

When asked if she expected a gloomy political outlook for her, Yingluck said: “My duty is to do my best and I hope that I will get fair judgement from people who observe what I am doing.”

She said that she had never heard a poor assessment by the military top brass about her performance in tackling the flooding. “I meet regularly with military leaders and I heard nothing about that.”

Yingluck was referring to media reports that a recent meeting of senior military commanders concluded that the PM and her government failed on many points in tackling the worsening flood crisis.