Prawit’s aide accuses Pheu Thai of betrayal after PPP’s expulsion
Palang Pracharath leader’s self-proclaimed aide claims Pheu Thai misled them into supporting Paetongtarn as prime minister before breaking the commitment
A so-called close aide of Palang Pracharath Party (PPP) leader General Prawit Wongsuwan accused Pheu Thai of deceiving the PPP into voting for Paetongtarn Shinawatra before throwing them out.
Samart Janechaijitrawanich, a non-MP party member and self-proclaimed close aide of Prawit, said on Wednesday that Pheu Thai had violated political etiquette by not honouring its commitment.
He said that after the Constitutional Court removed Srettha Thavisin as prime minister on August 14, Pheu Thai had assured PPP that the coalition partners would remain unchanged and the current ministers would keep their posts.
Samart said that PPP had regarded this message as a gentleman’s promise and voted for Paetongtarn as prime minister.
“We did not expect to be betrayed by Pheu Thai,” he said. “I’ve never seen a coalition leader lure any party to vote for it and then break its promise later.”
He noted that Paetongtarn, in her capacity as Pheu Thai leader, had even told the press that PPP would remain in her coalition.
Samart also dismissed Pheu Thai’s allegation that Prawit was behind the complaint filed by a group of 40 then-senators against Srettha, which led to his removal. He noted that Prawit had far more support in the Senate than these 40 individuals, none of whom were his allies.
Meanwhile, he said, Prawit remains unfazed by the expulsion, adding that “he still smokes his pipe in good humour and did not feel pressured when he watched the news about Pheu Thai’s resolution”.
As for the faction of rebel PPP MPs led by party secretary-general Thamanat Prompow, who have pledged support for the Pheu Thai-led coalition, Samart said that though they had the right to do what they wanted, the party had its own regulations to deal with such behaviour.
However, he stopped short of saying that the PPP executive board would expel the faction. “It’s the executive board’s affair. I can’t comment on that,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said, he had learned that Prawit will not give up his MP’s post and that PPP would have no problem sitting in the opposition bench. He also said that a united opposition was not necessary, so PPP will not have to coordinate with the People’s Party, which regards Prawit’s party as its main rival.
