PDRC’s Sathit needs to get his facts right on last government
Re: “The reasons why Shinawatras couldn’t be left to rule”, Letters to the Editor, May 27.
“First, the junta did not overthrow an elected government. There was no government at the time, since Yingluck had dissolved Parliament.”
Khun Sathit is woefully wrong at the start. Section 181 of the 2007 Constitution makes it quite clear: “The outgoing Council of Ministers shall remain in office for carrying out duty until the newly appointed Council of Ministers takes office...”
It’s exactly the same provision that applied (following the May 2011 dissolution) to the Abhisit government – which remained legitimately in office as the official caretaker government right up until the Yingluck government was sworn in to replace them in August (several weeks after the election and several months after the dissolution).
Despite repeated calls from Khun Sathit’s fellow activists on the PDRC rally stages, the elected government did not resign – nor was it lawfully dismissed. Thus, it, too, remained legitimately in office until General Prayut took matters into his own hands via the coup. Khun Sathit is fully entitled to his own opinions – but not to his own “facts”.
Steve CM
