Internal rifts are common in politics, and the latest debacle within the leading party of the government coalition is just another form of restructuring, according to Sira Jenjaka, a Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP for Bangkok.
"The PPRP has been a member of the ruling coalition for a year, and the time has come for party members to review the work [of PPRP executives]. As such, it is a not unusual to see rifts between members," Mr Sira told the Bangkok Post in an interview.
In fact, the ruling party has been rocked by instability since the start of the month, when 18 party executives resigned from their posts -- a move which political pundits considered as an attempt to undermine PPRP leader, Uttama Savanayana.
The mass resignation is believed to pave the way for Deputy Prime Minister and PPRP chief strategist Prawit Wongsuwon to assume the party's leadership and push for the "rotation" of the PPRP's cabinet seats to appease other factions within the party.
While the PPRP itself is a newcomer to the Thai political scene, the party comprises many veteran politicians who had belonged to other, older political parties -- as such, it is inherently divided along several lines.
However, there are two factions which are competing for better portfolios, both within the party as well as the cabinet. The first is the faction which supports PPRP's current leader and Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana. Meanwhile, the second faction -- led by Wirat Ratanaset and the "Sam Mitr" group -- favours Gen Prawit.
Mr Sira said he preferred to describe the mass resignations as "organisation restructuring", before adding that it will lead the party to a better future.
"It is not an attempt to defeat someone," he insisted. "The party will elect new executives and those with good performances can always be re-elected."
While his assessment made recent developments within the PPRP seem like an ordinary corporate exercise in efficiency, it must be remembered that in Thai politics, allegiances and loyalties ultimately matter the most.
Mr Sira is known as a staunch supporter of Gen Prawit, and he has been seen defending Gen Prawit time and time again, publicly throwing his support behind the deputy prime minister.
The Nakhon Sawan native said that he is proud of being a self-made man, as he came from a poor family background. He describes himself as a jack of all trades, as he worked a variety of jobs which ranged from selling noodles to cars, and even picking and sorting recyclables just to put food on the table.
Mr Sira graduated from Krirk University in Bangkok and made his fortune selling traditional Thai wooden houses, before opening a law firm. He began his political career when he emerged as an MP candidate from the Rak Santi Party for Bangkok back in 2001.
After the 2014 coup, he was elected as a National Reform Councillor (NRC) by the coup-makers.
Prior to his appointment, he was already known to be sympathetic to the military.
He accommodated the politically-active monk, Phra Buddha Isara -- who came to Bangkok from Nakhon Pathom to speak in front of the anti-Thaksin People's Democratic Reform Committee at Chaeng Watthana Road -- at his Thai-style house in the capital. He had also acted as Phra Buddha Isara's lawyer.
However, Mr Sira then showed his flair for compromise by serving as a mediator and negotiator for the Yingluck government.
In 2019, he was elected as an MP for Bangkok with a total of 34,907 votes.
He said he was invited to join the party by Deputy Prime Minister and the party's chief strategist Gen Prawit. As such, it isn't surprising to hear that he also wanted to see Gen Prawit to be leader of the PPRP.
"I will vote for Gen Prawit to become the party leader," he said with confidence.
"He earned the nickname "Phi Yai" [Big Brother] for a reason -- he is a widely respected figure in military and bureaucratic circles. He is a really special person and everyone loves him," he said.
"So there must be a special thing about Gen Prawit."
Mr Sira said Gen Prawit is a charismatic leader and he will take care of the party's members.
He said under Gen Prawit, the party will have more unity.
"The problem is whether or not other executive members will let 'Phi Yai' assume the position.
"Some people within the party are still attached to positions and just cannot let go. People need to learn to about the party system and democracy by listening to the voice of the majority in the party," he said.
"However, despite many factions, we all have one thing in common -- that is, respect and loyalty. We will never take advantage of other people because we are representatives of the people," he said.
The PPRP is expected to vote in the new party executives sometimes in July, he said.
For secretary-general, Mr Sira said Santi Promphat or Anucha Nakasai are both appropriate due to their high profiles and long experience.
Mr Sira said he hoped the internal rift would end before the July vote, and he called on members to accept the outcome of the vote.
But regardless of which faction comes out ahead in the end, Mr Sira said he still has faith in the PPRP.
"The party will become stronger. As the ruling party, we have learned a lot of lessons.
"We know the true colour of the people, we know who has real talent, we know who is sincere and gives love to the PPRP."