Phumtham: Cabinet nominees' qualification check to take more than ten days

Cabinet Secretariat to take extra time on qualification checks

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai confirmed on Thursday that the Cabinet Secretariat would take more than ten days to scrutinise the qualifications of new members of the Paetongtarn II Cabinet. He explained that the process would take longer than usual to prevent ethical issues, which could be widely interpreted.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is reshuffling her Cabinet following the withdrawal of the second-largest partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, which left six Cabinet seats vacant. The reshuffle comes after former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was removed by the Constitutional Court last year for appointing a Cabinet member in clear violation of good ethics. Paetongtarn has since adopted a more cautious approach to checking the qualifications of her Cabinet members.

Qualification checks for new Cabinet members

Phumtham revealed that, unlike previous Cabinet reshuffles, the background check would take longer this time. "Normally, it takes only a few days for a background check, but this time it will take more than ten days," he said. The extended review period aims to ensure there are no future problems related to ethics and qualifications.

Substitute Cabinet members as a precaution

Phumtham admitted that substitute candidates had been prepared in case any nominees are found to have backgrounds that could make them unqualified. However, he stressed that these substitutes were not a sign of mistrust but rather part of risk management measures.

Impact of Constitutional Court’s potential suspension of Paetongtarn

When asked about the possibility of a delay in forming the Cabinet due to a suspension of Paetongtarn by the Constitutional Court, Phumtham reassured that the reshuffle process would proceed as planned. He explained that the appointment of the new Cabinet could continue under the law, regardless of any suspension. The Constitutional Court is expected to decide on July 1 whether to accept a petition from a group of senators requesting Paetongtarn's removal over an audio clip in which she appeared too lenient with Cambodia during a border conflict.

Government confidence and contingency measures

"We're not worried as we are confident nothing was wrong. Anyway, if any untoward incident happens, we’ll have a contingency measure," Phumtham stated. He also confirmed that the government would push ahead with the enactment of a bill to legalise casinos, despite the House's postponement of its first reading.

Bhumjaithai's threat of a censure debate

Phumtham added that the government was not concerned by Bhumjaithai's threat to hold a censure debate, warning that Bhumjaithai had left several issues unresolved during its time running the Interior Ministry.