Jatuporn poised for promotion to Cabinet?

Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan yesterday hinted he was ready to accept the post of deputy interior minister in what could be the most explosive Cabinet appointment yet by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Yingluck, facing weeks of headache as the 111 banned politicians will have served their five-year political banishment at the end of this month, kept mum on her plans to reshuffle the Cabinet. “Let’s not talk about this at the moment,” she said.
Despite her unwillingness to discuss the Jatuporn issue, speculation has intensified over the past few days about the red-shirt leader’s “promotion”, not least because of explicit support from the exiled Thaksin Shinawatra and Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit.

thaksin’s suggestion
Thaksin had suggested during a recent phone-in to the red shirts that Jatuporn would be up for an imminent reward. The latter’s persistent and belligerent mobilisation of red-shirt protesters two years ago led to legal charges against him, but also the eventual downfall of the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Although Jatuporn’s critics will point at his numerous violations of the law in an attempt to undermine his qualifications to hold a powerful post for keeping law and order, he faces virtually no legal barriers to becoming a deputy interior minister. Uncertainties over his MP status will be decided by the Constitution Court this month, and even if he ceases to be an MP, he will still be constitutionally qualified to be a minister. His legal trouble stemming from the red-shirt uprising two years ago has not been ruled on by the court, hence it will not hinder his ambition to join the Yingluck Cabinet.
However, analysts see intensified speculation about Jatuporn’s “promotion” as a potential conspiracy to pre-empt it. In this scenario, people who don’t want him to become a Cabinet member set him up for public scrutiny by spreading news about his imminent “promotion”, hoping that a public uproar over his past and the “reward” could torpedo his political rise.
Jatuporn said yesterday that it was up to Yingluck and her big brother Thaksin to decide his future.
“PM Yingluck has a direct mandate on the Cabinet line-up and my future is still a matter of speculation,” he said.
He said his immediate concerns were his life-long devotion to the red-shirt movement and his MP status. He said he did not know whether he would have his House seat after the May 18 verdict on his qualifications.
He said he would serve in any capacity deemed necessary by the prime minister.
He dismissed the allegation that he might become a lightning rod for the government if appointed to the Cabinet, saying that as a red shirt, he was not the “weakest link”.
He said he did not foresee a power struggle between Pheu Thai MPs and the 111 barred former Thai Rak Thai members who will complete their ban this month, arguing that the prime minister would assign each individual to serve in an appropriate role.
Yingluck refused to answer a direct question on the Cabinet line-up, saying this was not the time to comment on the issue.
Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit said that in his opinion, Jatuporn was qualified as deputy interior minister but the prime minister would have the final say on the matter.
Yongyuth said that despite the wild speculation about the Cabinet line-up, Yingluck had not indicated plans to shuffle her ministers at this juncture.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Natthawut Saikua voiced support to bringing his fellow red shirt Jatuporn into the Cabinet.

Natthawut: No demands
Natthawut dismissed concern that Jatuporn would cause a greater political divide, saying the red shirts did not make any demands but would abide by any decisions on ministerial appointments.
Democrat MP Thepthai Senapong wryly said he had already congratulated Jatuporn on his upcoming appointment.
“I think the position of deputy interior minister is too small for Jatuporn,” he said.
Thepthai said he had heard that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra might reward Jatuporn with a “surprise” appointment. Thaksin should agree to name Jatuporn as the interior minister, he said.
He said he welcomed the return of the 111 barred executives upon the completion of their ban.
Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome said her husband Sonthaya was poised to join the Cabinet after the expiry of his five-year ban this month.
Sukumol said she expected Sonthaya to replace her.
Sonthaya, meanwhile, said he
was open about the ministerial
quotas allocated to his Palang Chon Party.
He said he was awaiting a signal from the prime minister, denying the allegation that he was lobbying for either the Culture portfolio or the position of tourism and sports minister.
PM’s Office Minister Woravat Auapinyakul said he believed certain Thai Rak Thai figures would join the Cabinet in the next few months, arguing that the present line-up showed temporary appointments.
The Industry portfolio might need to be filled with a real office holder and positions being held concurrently might be reallocated, he said.
He said a person with a clean record such as Suwat Liptapanlop might be invited to join the Cabinet while splinter individuals such
as Newin Chidchob and Anuthin Charmvirakul might find it
difficult to work with the Pheu Thai Party.
He also said the ruling party might need more time before resuming ties with the faction leader Somsak Thepsuthin.