Yingluck calls on NLA for fairness and justice as she delivers her statement
In her closing statement to the National Legislative Assembly, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra categorically denied all charges against her over the rice-pledging scheme, saying she was being wrongly singled out by the National Anti-Corruption C
She called on the NLA to be fair when voting today on whether she should be impeached, as it might result in her being banned from politics for five years.
“I want to deny all charges levelled against me,” Yingluck said, insisting that she was innocent. “Trying to prosecute me alone illuminates the fact that there’s a hidden agenda.
“I have never thought of cheating, nor have I been negligent in my duties or behaved in any way that would point to possible corruption,” the former premier said, as she wrapped up her hour-long statement yesterday.
She also reminded the NLA that the 2007 Constitution did not exist any more, hence filing an impeachment motion against her based on it was not correct.
“This is tantamount to limiting my chances of presenting evidence in the investigation process. How can you then trust the NACC?” she asked.
As for the seven witnesses chosen to find fault with her, she pointed out that at least four of them were political opponents, including opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.
“Is it fair that these people should be acting as witnesses?” she questioned.
Yingluck also said that NACC took just three months to indict her, not one year and 10 months as claimed by NACC representative Wicha Mahakun, who delivered a statement on behalf of the anti-graft body earlier yesterday.
She went on to say that Wicha’s bias against her was evidenced by the fact that he delivered a speech in Thammasat University in April 2014 and accused her government of making a huge amount of stored rice disappear. But, she said, he did not provide any evidence, which “misled the public”.
Yingluck also called on the assembly to look at the big picture and realise that this is not about the scheme losing money, because it was not a business enterprise, but a policy to help poor farmers. She also said that the real balance sheet should be taken into consideration, as the scheme benefited the economy in terms of boosting GDP growth, increasing tax revenue and purchasing power.
“I insist that the scheme was beneficial to the country, so there was no reason to stop it,” she said, adding that her government was flexible and when the opposition raised concerns about the long-term viability of the scheme. She said the guaranteed price per tonne was cut from Bt15,000 to Bt12,000 and a cap was eventually placed for each individual farmer to not mortgage more than Bt350,000 worth of rice.
“I ask that you give the poor people a chance to better their lives so they can make both ends meet. They are the backbone of the country. Let’s not just look at one side [of the issue].”
