PM explains his stand on retaining ISOC, denies he is ‘a puppet of anyone’
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday rejected criticism by certain media outlets that he was a puppet of the Pheu Thai Party and the Shinawatra family for not dissolving the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) board.
Launching his defence, Srettha said dissolving the ISOC was not a stated policy of Pheu Thai, and his policy address to Parliament also made no references to dissolving the ISOC board.
He said the Pheu Thai-led coalition government aimed to modernise the military, bringing it more in line with democratic values. Making clear his stand on the ISOC, he said state repression of enemies during the Cold War had ended. He now wanted the security agency, under his leadership, "to play a role in ensuring democratic stability, protecting the rights and freedoms of the people, and, in times of crisis, contributing to the economic stability of the people”.
The Pheu Thai Party and government believe in gradual change in the midst of a political landscape that has been deeply divided for almost 20 years, he said, adding they did not want to choose the path of destruction and upheaval. He said continuity of governance in an electoral system is the heart of sustainable and lasting democracy.
Srettha said as the prime minister candidate of the Pheu Thai Party, he had campaigned for support and secured legitimacy from the people and the Parliament. He said those who were calling him a puppet were "underestimating the will of the people".
