When Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon told the media last week he was not ready to assume the leadership of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), that doesn't mean he will reject the offer in the near future. Otherwise he would have said he didn't want the job because he has been the de facto leader from the very beginning.
Uttama Savanayana, the finance minister and PPRP leader, knew he is just a figurehead who has no control of the party, especially the MPs from different factions.
So did Sontirat Sontijirawong, the party's secretary-general and the energy minister. That explains why the pair, who are part of the economic team under Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, rarely joined the meetings with MPs or associated with them, as alleged by Paiboon Nititawan, one of the 18 members of the party's executive committee.
They resigned en masse one day after the House passed the three executive decrees worth 1.9 trillion baht in total that are designed to tackle the impact of the coronavirus.
For a party leader, associating himself especially with elected MPs or taking care of his MPs is a must under Thai political norms. And you should know it means to take care of an MP who has invested big money to get elected and wants to ensure that spending does not go to waste.
The rebel committee members have made it clear they want to get rid of both Mr Uttama and Mr Sontirat and replace them with Gen Prawit as party leader and Anucha Nakhasai, an MP of Chai Nat province, has been tipped as a candidate to succeed Mr Sontirat, the secretary-general.
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, a veteran politician and a leader of the Sam Mitr faction, has hailed Gen Prawit, currently the party's chief strategist, as a man with "strong points" who can consolidate the party.
He also admitted the change of the executive committee is related to a cabinet reshuffle.
So, the rebel MPs' real motive is to demand a cabinet reshuffle with Gen Prawit as their leader. This is an ill-thought gambit given that they made their move at a time when most Thais are suffering from a loss of jobs and incomes under the lockdown.
We are halfway through the fight to contain the contagion and yet these MPs are shamelessly demanding cabinet seats and they cannot wait.
They should have known that Gen Prawit is not their best bet because of the luxury wristwatch scandal which will haunt him for the rest of his political life.
The latest ruling by the National Anti-Corruption Commission that the expensive wristwatches he claimed to have borrowed from a close friend, now dead, are regarded as "loan for use" items and, hence, not required to be declared by the general appears to have fuelled more suspicion about the true nature of the timepieces.
It was not surprising the rebels' move to unseat Mr Uttama and Mr Sontirat was greeted with criticism from the public.
They might succeed in unseating both Mr Uttama and Mr Sontirat. But to demand a cabinet reshuffle is another matter and that which will depend on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The big question is, if there is a cabinet reshuffle and some rebel MPs like the Sam Mitr group are given the ministerial posts they want, will the cabinet be better equipped to cope with the scale of the economic crisis, especially once the 1.9 trillion baht fund dries up?
The last instalment of the 5,000 baht subsidy for millions of affected people runs out in July.
So, what's next for the millions of unemployed while the country's main engines driving the economy such as tourism which provides jobs to millions of people is dead.
I don't think any have new ideas or know how to deal with the economic crisis. Perhaps all they want is to stir up trouble in the party to demand a say in the management of the 400 billion baht fund set aside to rehabilitate communities in the post-coronavirus period.
That's a a big piece of cake. And that the cake is to be managed by the National Economic and Social Development Council and local officials without the participation of elected MPs is simply unthinkable and unacceptable for many.
Veera Prateepchaikul is former editor, Bangkok Post.