It was confirmed on Thursday that the Sangha Supreme Council has selected Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn as the new supreme patriarch, but his formal nomination must wait.
PM's Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said he had received the council's written resolution from the National Office of Buddhism (NOB), and that 17 senior monks at the council's special meeting on Jan 5 agreed to nominate Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn.
The council can hold a special meeting to consider an important issue and the resolution was legitimate and had been confirmed, the minister said.
He said the procedure is that he forwards the resolution to the prime minister for consideration, but he had to first gather more comprehensive information from the NOB, monks and Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, and look into surrounding factors, because the issue was sensitive.
Mr Suwaphan said he would have to assess the situation as he intended to ensure that Buddhism prospers in Thai society and protect it from any damage.
Mr Wissanu said the Sangha Supreme Council monks had now completed their duty and the government must now handle it according to the law, traditions and the people's expectations.
If opposition to the nomination was likely to cause unrest, the government would have to deal with that first, he said.
No government would propose any matter to His Majesty the King for approval that was wrong, improper or controversial and drew opposition and disorder, Mr Wissanu said.
There has been vocal opposition from some Bhuddist groups to the nomination of Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn for the position.
Mr Wissanu questioned whether the appointment was necessary amid conflict, and said the government would investigate allegations against the nominee submitted by activist monk Phra Buddha Isara, with 300,000 supporting signatures.
There was no timeframe, he said. Past appointments had been delayed for several months, while the appointment of the eighth supreme patriarch had been postponed for as long as 37 years.
Pending the appointment, an acting supreme patriarch could perform the required duties, Mr Wissanu said.
Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn, the 90-year-old abbot of Wat Pak Nam Phasi Charoen who is also known as Somdet Chuang, is the acting supreme patriarch. He has been facing criticism over an allegedly close relationship with Phra Dhammachayo, the controversial abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, and alleged involvement in luxury car tax evasion.
Wat Phra Dhammakaya has been accused of distorting Buddhist teachings and is linked to the multi-billion-baht fraud at Thailand's richest cooperative, Klongchan Credit Union.
The position of supreme patriarch has been open since the death of the 19th leader, Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, on Oct 24, 2013.
