Priewpan might run for Bangkok governor
Play
Outgoing National Police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong yesterday emerged as one of the Pheu Thai Party's candidates in the race for the Bangkok governor's post next year.
Though the ruling party has yet to name an official candidate, three names – veteran politician Sudarat Keyraphan, Deputy PM and Finance Minister Kittratt Na-Ranong, and Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee – have come up as possibilities.
However, a source from Pheu Thai said banned politician Yongyuth Tiyapairat had put Priewpan’s name forward as an alternative. It is reported that party members are in discord about who would be the best candidate, and many believe that the outgoing police chief would be a good solution for the party as well as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
“The PM was thinking about fielding Kittiratt, but she doesn’t want to lose her economic chief, so she decided instead to support Priewpan,” a source close to Yingluck said.
However, the final decision on whether to run for the governor’s position lies in the hands of Priewpan, who reportedly is not interested in politics, another sour-ce said.
Priewpan, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s brother-in-law, is to retire at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, the ruling party said it had conducted a poll and learned that though the capital’s incumbent governor, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, is quite popular among Bangkokians, the Democrat Party is still divided about whom it wants to back.
“This is the right time to introduce new blood – someone who has not sustained any political wounds,” the source said. Pheu Thai is expected to name its candidate in November.
Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobam-rung also voiced support for the national police chief, adding that if Pheu Thai wanted to win the Bangkok election, then Priewpan would be the most suitable choice.
As for his qualifications, Chalerm said Priewpan was well known and considered an honest person with good performance on anti-corruption cases. He added that the national police chief would be able to keep the city in order and solve the traffic problem.
“If I had to choose between Priewpan and Kittiratt, I would opt for the police chief. Who will tackle the economic problems if the party fields Kittiratt?” he said.
As for critics saying that the Shinawatra family would have full control on all levels of administration if Priewpan were chosen, Chalerm said it depended totally on voters. Earlier, Chalerm was pushing for Priewpan to get a post in the Cabinet in light of his experience in drug suppression, but said the police chief refused to take the post.
Meanwhile, Sudarat yesterday posted a comment on her Facebook account saying there was no possibility of her running for the governor’s post, adding that she would rather focus on restoring Buddhist sites in Nepal.
