Cabinet reshuffle 'an attempt to please loyalists'

Yingluck said she wanted to make changes in her Cabinet line-up after six months in office in order to “put things in place and for the sake of suitability”.

She added it would also fill the vacant seat of industry minister as the current holder, Wannarat Charnnukul, was resigning due to health reasons.

The PM said changes were not made because the Cabinet members to be replaced or removed had performed poorly. However, when asked why the imminent reshuffle involved so many Cabinet seats, the prime minister declined to answer and excused herself while joking: “It’s time I am going”.

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday called for an explanation for the reshuffle just six months in office involving almost half the ministers – 16 out of 36 Cabinet members. 

Abhisit asked whether the prime minister’s action was because the ousted ministers failed to achieve performance targets or because the ruling Pheu Thai Party wanted to reward party figures.

The Democrat Party leader, speaking during a programme on the satellite-based Blue Sky Channel, said that for some “difficult ministries”, the Cabinet members responsible would need more than six months to adapt themselves and it would also take time for their policies to yield expected results. He also described as “strange” the fact that some Cabinet members would be shifted to new positions while others were removed from the Cabinet entirely.

Abhisit, Yingluck’s immediate predecessor, also expressed concern that certain red-shirt leaders would be rewarded for “their aggressive acts”. He was referring to street demonstrations that led to riots in 2010.

The outgoing deputy agriculture minister, Pornsak Charoenprasert said yesterday he personally viewed a Cabinet seat as “an asset you share with other people”. 

Pornsak is expected to be replaced by red-shirt leader Natthawut Saikua. Pornsak yesterday said Natthawut’s appointment to the Cabinet was mainly due to calls from the red-shirt movement.

Natthawut yesterday described news of his possible appointment to the Cabinet as “something pleasant”. He did not confirm the news but said he was “ready to work in any position”.

Meanwhile, Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, rector of the National Institute for Development Administration, said the timing of a Cabinet reshuffle was right for the government and for the prime minister. He said an early shake-up would encourage the remaining Cabinet members to work harder – a tactic successfully used by Yingluck’s brother Thaksin Shinawatra when he was prime minister.

The academic described Natthawut’s appointment to the Cabinet as a reward to the red shirts for their “service” – also a tactic employed by Thaksin to win loyalty from his people. 

Sombat noted that some new Cabinet members were close to Thaksin – maybe because it was easy for him to influence them.