Jatuporn refuses to be UDD chair

Jatuporn refuses to be UDD chair

United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship leader Tida Tawornseth has asked Jatuporn Prompan to replace her and lead the red shirt movement, but Mr Jatuporn has refused, a Pheu Thai MP said on Monday.

Speaking at a UDD meeting on Sunday, Mrs Tida said she wanted to resign the UDD chair after two years in the position. She asked Mr Jatuporn to replace her, giving the fact that he had not been included in the last three cabinet line-ups, including the latest one on Sunday, and that he was competent and would be the right man for the job.

However, Mr Jatuporn did not accept the proposal, saying he was not ready for the top job of the red shirt movement yet because he was still busy and had something else to handle for the near future. However, he said he might be able to take the position in the future, Pheu Thai Party-list MP Korkaew Pikulthong said late Monday evening. 

Mrs Tida remains as the UDD leader, Mr Korkaew, who is also a UDD key figure, said. 

“In the future, if Mrs Tida insists on stepping down from her post, we’ll discuss the issue again in a meeting when that time comes to select and vote for the new chairperson,” Mr Korkaew said.  

Pheu Thai MP for Samut Prakan Worachai Hema said the resolution to ask Mr Jatuporn to take the UDD helm was passed at a meeting at K Resort in the Ram Intra area on June 29-30. The meeting involved UDD core members from throughout the country. Those present included Mrs Tida, Veerakant Musikhapong, Deputy Commerce Minister Nattawut Saikuar and Mr Jatuporn.

Jatuporn Prompan (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)

The meeting decided Mr Jatuporn should step up to chair the UDD because the political situation in the next few months would become critical. They believed the Democrat Party had mobilised southerners to join the fight against the UDD.

The V for Thailand movement of the white masks was also growing and expanding its activities in Bangkok and other parts of the country, Mr Worachai said.

Mr Worachai, a key UDD member, said the government also faced problems from independent agencies, the latest being the Central Administrative Court's order that it hold public hearings on the 350-billion-baht water and flood management projects.

Therefore, the UDD needed a strong person at the top to cope with the situation. Mrs Tida had no objection, the MP said.

Mr Worachai said the UDD also resolved at the meeting to continue the fight to safeguard democracy and the people.

The UDD would fight for justice for people facing political cases in the courts by pushing for an amnesty law and fighting for compensation for them from the government. It would also support all of the constitutional amendment bills now in the parliament.

He said the meeting did not raise for discussion the issue of why Mr Jatuporn was not included in the new cabinet lineup, because the cabinet reshuffle was the prime minister's exclusive power. The UDD meeting was scheduled long before the cabinet change, he said.

Mr Worachai claimed many people were of the opinion that the government might be backing down politically, judging from Chalerm Yubamrung being moved to the labour portfolio and Chaturon Chaisaeng being made education minister, as neither of them were now in a position to make political counter-attacks.

However, he did not expect the cabinet reshuffle would lead to conflict in the ruling Pheu Thai Party.

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