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As Mr Somchai is even closer to Mr Thaksin, the criticism of the PPP is likely to be even more heated
PRADIT RUANGDIT
Somchai Wongsawat's rise to the position of prime minister-elect is a blessing in disguise.
The Nakhon Si Thammarat native was elected by the House as the country's 26th prime minister with a clear majority of 298 votes to 163.
He is the first deputy leader of a political party ever voted in to lead the government.
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| Somchai: Attention to detail and a calm approach |
As a former judge and permanent secretary for justice, Mr Somchai's long experience as a civil servant is his strength in soliciting the cooperation of the various state agencies to implement policy.
Chamlong Khrutkhunthod, Mr Somchai's classmate at Thammasat University's faculty of law and a former Thai Rak Thai MP, described the prime minister-elect as a prudent person who pays attention to details and has an optimistic attitude towards others.
He does not rush into judging others and is tolerant enough to listen to different opinions, he said.
This was evident when he negotiated his nomination with the rebellious People Power party (PPP) faction headed by Newin Chidchob.
He endured harsh criticism from Mr Newin's camp during the talks, but did not respond aggressively, Mr Chamlong said. Instead, he listened carefully.
Mr Chamlong hailed Mr Somchai as a professional administrator with a good sense of judgement and able to separate personal affairs from public interests. He would not let any fault go unattended, he said.
A PPP source close to Mr Somchai said if ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had another choice he would probably not support the nomination of the party's deputy leader nomination as prime minister, because Mr Thaksin knew well he could not completely control him.
Despite the praise, his undeniable weakness is that he is married to Mrs Yaowapa, Mr Thaksin's younger sister.
This was the key objection raised by the Newin faction against his nomination.
They argued that former prime minister Samak Sundaravej was labelled Mr Thaksin's proxy and was given a tough time by the government's opponents. As Mr Somchai is even closer to Mr Thaksin, the criticism of the PPP is likely to be even more heated.
Mr Newin, who enjoyed a high-level of trust from Mr Samak, opposed the nomination of Mr Somchai because he was unsure if his faction would be recognised and receive good treatment.
Mr Newin has a following of 73 northeastern MPs, and views his faction as the "seventh party" in the six-party coalition led by the PPP.
In the Samak administration, the faction had four cabinet seats.
In the end, after extended negotiations, Mr Newin on Tuesday agreed to support Mr Somchai's nomination. Mr Newin was then heard telling his close aides, "We've already given them our hearts, let's see what they will give us in return."
Certainly, the conflict between the Newin faction and other factions in the PPP will continue, with the rebels ready to rise against the party's resolution anytime they feel they have received an unfair slice of the cake.
Mr Newin's faction reportedly has the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship protest group under its control and could mobilise demonstrations against Mr Somchai's government whenever they want.
One bright prospect regarding the new prime minister is that Mr Somchai has a much more compromising attitude towards the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) than both Mr Samak and Mr Newin.
At the least, Mr Somchai's conciliatory attitude could leave room for an easing of the political hatred.
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