Jatuporn puts brave face on renewed Cabinet snub
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An obviously disappointed red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan has promised to go on supporting the government despite being passed over for a seat in the new Cabinet.
Jatuporn went on Asia Update satellite TV on Wednesday night to tell his red-shirt supporters that he would not get a Cabinet seat, while fellow red-shirt leader Natthawut Saikua would keep his position as deputy agriculture minister.
Jatuporn appeared disappointed, even as he spent about 15 minutes assuring his supporters that he accepted the decision to exclude him from the Cabinet. It had been speculated that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would reward Jatuporn with the seat of deputy interior minister.
“The issue is over for me,” Jatuporn said. Jatuporn said he had no conflicts with Natthawut, adding that there had never been an agreement between the two to take turns in the Cabinet.
“This issue is not for Natthawut to decide. The one who has made the decision is the government leader,” Jatuporn said.
Jatuporn said he did not want red-shirt supporters to hold bad feelings toward the government, so he decided to go on TV to tell them that he would not be getting a position in the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle.
He said he wanted to make sure the decision did not become an issue, adding that the public interest should always take priority.
“No matter what happens, I’ll remain myself; nothing has changed. No situation is certain, or lasts forever,” he added.
Occasionally sounding bitter, Jatuporn said that although red-shirt supporters wanted him to become deputy interior minister, their wishes could not always be met.
“In politics, one plus one does not always equal two; there are complicating factors in politics,” Jatuporn said.
He rejected concerns that if he joined the Cabinet he would be a prime political target, and said he did not believe that this was the main reason he was denied a seat.
On speculation that he was excluded from Cabinet because he is seen as an obstacle to the government reconciling with its opponents, Jatuporn said he was easy to talk to if the discussion was based on principles.
He said he would not leave the red-shirt movement or form a new party.
“My failing to receive a Cabinet seat is a trivial issue. If I wanted to leave, I would have done it a long time ago,” Jatuporn said.
He said he considered himself fortunate in comparison to those red-shirt protesters who were killed or injured during the 2010 demonstrations. He said he would dedicate himself to serving the red shirts by holding rallies and hosting TV programmes.
Jatuporn ended his TV statement by expressing an apparent resignation to his fate.
“I have a lot of political wounds because I have fought a long-time war. Our world is like a theatre stage. But I have been too serious. I won’t leave to form a new party because my mission with the UDD [United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship] is not complete,” Jatuporn said.
“My personal feelings are nothing compared to [the thought of] losing the UDD. It’s fine for me to wear any hat; all is make-believe.”
