Anutin tacitly tells media to shut up over vow he’s ready to be PM
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday chided reporters who asked him about his declaration that he was ready to be the next prime minister.
Anutin gave a terse reply when reporters approached him for comment on the statement he made while campaigning in Lopburi on Sunday.
The minister used a Thai term that borrows the Chinese word sounds, “si sua ta”, and walked away. The term is defined by the Office of the Royal Society as “speaking without thinking”.
On Sunday, Anutin held a rally in Lopburi to introduce four Bhumjaithai Party MP candidates for the province. While asking for support from Lopburi locals, Anutin said he was ready to take the post of prime minister if his party received overwhelming backing from voters at the next general election.
Bhumjaithai is the second-largest party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Reporters approached Anutin at Government House on Monday, where he was attending a meeting with Prayut on preparations to host November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.
According to political etiquette, the leader of a coalition partner does not publicly challenge the coalition leader for the post of prime minister while the House is still in session. The House is scheduled to complete its four-year tenure in March – the last date on which the general election can be called.