Parliament waiting for Pheu Thai to announce its policy statement: Wan Noor

The Constitution requires the new government to announce its policy statement. Wan Noor said the new government can inform Parliament when it is ready to do so.

The policy statement can be announced after the prime minister leads his Cabinet members in a swearing-in ceremony.

“So far, the government has not contacted us, but I think it will inform us soon,” Wan Noor said.

Once the government informs the Parliament of its readiness to announce its policy statement and debate it, Wan Noor will meet parliamentary whips to set a date for the announcement and debate.

“It will depend on the government whether the debate will be held next month or not as the Parliament is always ready,” Wan Noor said.

Wan Noor said he has assigned his deputy to coordinate with all political parties on how chairs of all House standing panels will be chaired.

Wan Noor said that once the new Cabinet takes office, he will ask the largest opposition party, which has no Cabinet seats or no post of House speaker or deputy speaker, to announce whether it wants to lead the opposition.

Currently, the Move Forward Party is the largest opposition party but its MP, Padipat Santipada, was appointed a deputy House speaker during its failed bid to form a coalition government.

If Padipat declines to step down as deputy House speaker, the Democrat Party, which is the second-largest party outside the governing coalition, will lead the opposition.