Thaksin calls in to 'instruct' Cabinet
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday denied that her brother, former prime minister Thaksin, was influencing her government by issuing instructions when he called in via a Skype call on Wednesday as Pheu Thai Cabinet members were holding a meeting
"All he did was offer moral support and tell them it's their job to serve the people," Yingluck said.
She explained that Pheu Thai Cabinet members had gathered to exchange their views on various issues now that the government has been running the country for a month.
"It was really a meeting among us, with Thaksin offering encouragement towards the end of the meeting," she said.
Yingluck insisted that she was the "real prime minister", dismissing allegations that Thaksin was pulling the strings.
"I do my duties every day. I attend meetings and do everything. The mechanism of making decisions rests with the Cabinet. I do my job. I am on my own," she insisted.
On Wednesday, Thaksin participated in the meeting held at the Pheu Thai headquarters for more than an hour via Skype - an application that allows users to make video calls over the Internet. The ex-premier suggested that the government quickly help victims once the floodwaters receded and also reportedly advised them to go ahead with stimulus policies, such as the village fund project.
Meanwhile, senior opposition figures yesterday urged the government to not let itself be influenced by Thaksin or become obsessed by his problems.
Chief opposition whip Jurin Laksanawisit, who is a senior Democrat Party figure, said Thaksin's participation in the Cabinet members' meeting, even though it was via Skype, proved that Yingluck is his "puppet".
"This shows that Thailand has two prime ministers - the real one and the puppet. This should not have happened," Jurin said. "Yingluck has the duty of running the country and respecting her post. She should be aware that the Cabinet works for the entire country, not one particular family."
Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is also chief of the Democrat Party, said Thaksin might have used this opportunity to prod the government to start making its election promises come true. He said the government's actions over the past month indicated that instead of formulating policies that would benefit the country as a whole, it was more obsessed with Thaksin. Abhisit pointed to the government's moves to change the law so the fugitive former premier could get his Thai passport back.