Plot aims to oust premier
published : 3 Sep 2021 at 09:39
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Post Reporters
A "political deal" to unseat Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been revealed after some MPs in the government coalition confirmed the plot exists.
Among small coalition parties approached to join the move to cast no-confidence votes to oust the PM is the New Palangdharma Party.
The party leader said small parties are a key factor in the current political situation, confirming that a report about key figures in the ruling-Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and the opposition Pheu Thai having struck a deal to vote against Prayut and remove him from power is true.
Currently, there are nine small government coalition parties, each with one MP, and there are also coalition parties with less than 10 MPs such as the Chartthaipattana and New Economics Parties.
They have about 20 votes combined, the party leader said, adding if the small parties joined the opposition in voting against the PM, they would have about 212 votes, which are enough to unseat Prayut.
The government is facing a grilling from the opposition during a four-day no-confidence debate that started on Tuesday, with votes to be cast on Saturday. The debate targets the PM and five cabinet ministers.
On the third day of debate on Thursday, the Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Mai accused Prayut of paying 5 million baht to some MPs in exchange for votes of support.
Prayut yesterday said "I confirm that I did not do that. [The MPs] came to greet me."
The move to oust Prayut involves PPRP heavyweights, including Thamanat Prompow, as well as a coalition of micro-parties and politicians in the main opposition Pheu Thai Party.
They colluded to form a plan to cast no-confidence votes against Prayut, according to sources.
The PM admitted that he was aware of the rumour about the political deal to oust him.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- accused: to be said to have done something wrong or committed a crime - ถูกกล่าวหา
- cabinet ministers: government ministers who meet as a group (the cabinet) to make and approve government policy - คณะรัฐมนตรี
- coalition: a temporary union of different political parties that agree to form a government together - พรรคร่วมรัฐบาล
- collude: to act together secretly or illegally in order to deceive or cheat someone - สมรู้ร่วมคิด
- deal (noun): a formal agreement, especially in business or politics - ข้อตกลง, การตกลงซื้อขาย, การซื้อขาย
- debate: a discussion in which people or groups state different opinions about a subject - การอภิปราย, การโต้วาที, การถกเถียง
- grilling (noun): asking someone a lot of questions, especially for a long time - การซักถาม
- heavyweight (noun): someone or something that has a lot of influence, status, or knowledge - คนหรือสิ่งที่มีอิทธิพลมาก, หนักเป็นพิเศษ
- micro (adj.): very small -
- no-confidence: believing that someone is unsuitable for a job or not capable of doing it, usually used in parliament during a censure debate - ไม่ไว้วางใจ
- opposition: of a political party that is not part of the government or a group which is against the government - ฝ่ายค้าน ผู้ต่อต้าน
- oust: to force to leave a position of power - ขับออกจากอำนาจ
- party: an organized group of people who have similar ideas about the way in which a country should be governed, and who work together to try to persuade people to vote for them in elections - พรรค การเมือง
- rumour: a piece of information, or a story, that people talk about, but that may not be true - ข่าวลือ
- unseat (verb): to remove somebody from a position of power - ถอดจากตำแหน่ง
