I've done nothing wrong, Somsak insists
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Speaker says he isn't taking orders from Thaksin, confirms stance on bills
House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont insisted yesterday that he had done nothing wrong by discussing political issues with his Pheu Thai Party members, a recording of which was leaked by pro-Democrat Blue Sky Satellite TV channel earlier this week.
“Democratically, every political party and party member is eligible to discuss political issues. I openly discuss issues, such as reconciliation bills, with party leaders,” he said.
The House Speaker, who is also a Pheu Thai MP for Khon Kaen, said the Democrat Party’s accusations were false because he did his job without taking orders from fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra. He added that he was not worried if the Democrats decided to use the tape to try to impeach him for partisan behaviour.
Somsak admitted that the voice in the widely circulated recording was his, and that he had indeed discussed the issue with people close to him at a private gathering.
He said the tape confirmed his stance on the charter amendment bills – that he wanted to wait for the Constitution Court’s ruling on whether the charter amendment bills were unconstitutional or not before voting on a third reading.
The House speaker also admitted that he had discussed the issue with the ruling party’s strategic committee, and it appeared that they were likely to agree with his suggestion. However, he said, it still depended on how the rest of the Pheu Thai members decide on the issue.
In the tape Somsak is heard saying that on August 1, when the House is scheduled to reconvene, the reconciliation bills should be withdrawn and put up for public deliberation in every square inch of the nation. The bills are at the top of the agenda when the House opens next month.
Meanwhile, Somsak testified as a defendant at the Constitution Court yesterday – the second day of the trial against proponents of the charter-amendment bills.
The plaintiffs tried to ask Somsak several questions about the recording, but he refused to answer saying it was irrelevant. The judge finally told the plaintiffs to stop asking questions about this because they will not get an answer.
When asked if Thaksin had issued any orders on the charter-amendment bills, Somsak said no. He had earlier told the court that he hailed from a small village and would not have risen this far if he did not live in a country with a democratic monarchy.
“I have never thought to hurt the monarchy in any way, so the accusation of ‘treason’ is unacceptable,” he said during cross-examination. He added that he did not think anybody was able to control a Speaker of the House, no matter which party he hailed from.
