Govt to face censure bid on Nov 25

Govt to face censure bid on Nov 25

PM won't be present for first day of grilling

Government and opposition whips have agreed the no-confidence debate will take place on Nov 25 and 26, chief opposition whip Jurin Luksanavisit said.

Jurin: Cabinet rejig affects debate plan

The no-confidence vote is planned for Nov 27. If the debate carries on longer than scheduled, then the vote will be taken on Nov 28, he said yesterday.

It will be the first no-confidence motion faced by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra since taking office one year ago.

The government's rice pledging scheme, which has been plagued with allegations of corruption, will be firmly in the opposition's sights.

Mr Jurin said the Democrat Party will submit its no-confidence motion against the Pheu Thai-led government to the House speaker on Nov 9. Bhumjaithai Party MPs will sign their names in support of the motion, he added.

The opposition chief whip admitted the recent cabinet reshuffle has affected the opposition's plan to grill the government. He said the reshuffle was designed partly as a strategy to prepare for the censure debate _ the cabinet was not reorganised merely to improve the government's efficiency.

Mr Jurin said Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, who has been a target for the Democrat Party over the rice pledging scheme, was not removed from the cabinet because Prime Minister Yingluck wants him to answer questions about the pledging scheme on her behalf.

Suphachai Chaisamut, deputy secretary-general of Bhumjaithai, said yesterday his party would discuss whether all members would sign up to support the censure motion. So far, 27 of the 34 Bhumjaithai MPs have confirmed their support for the censure motion, he added.

Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the party was not worried about the censure motion because it could predict the issues that will be raised during the debate: mainly the rice pledging programme and flood prevention projects.

The ruling party is providing information to cabinet members targeted by the opposition so they can prepare for the grilling.

A Pheu Thai source said Ms Yingluck will not attend the censure debate on Nov 25 because she has other engagements, but she will appear the following day.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung insisted the rice pledging scheme is free of corruption.

Mr Chalerm chairs a panel to investigate graft allegations in the scheme. He said nothing suspicious was found in searches of more than 500 of the 800 warehouses. Mr Chalerm had previously said that more than 10,000 tonnes of rice was unaccounted for at one warehouse in Nakhon Ratchasima province. Police had arrested suspects in the case, he said.

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