The main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) has said it won't hold a censure debate against the government anytime soon, insisting any grilling should only proceed at the appropriate time.
MFP list-MP Pakornwut Udompipatskul, who is the opposition chief whip, said the opposition parties have not formally discussed a no-confidence debate to be filed against the government.
Only informal talks have taken place over the phone, he said.
This comes as opposition parties today decide whether to file a no-confidence motion before the current parliamentary session ends on April 9.
Mr Pakornwut said a censure debate should not become an annual ritual, adding that it would be pointless to hold one when there are no serious allegations to address, for which the government must be brought to account.
He noted several old-school politicians have entertained the notion that frequent censure debates must be pushed ahead no matter what.
"Well, if such a no-confidence debate does nothing but drag personal issues into the open, I won't go for it," he said.
Topics to debate must be concrete, and they must justify censuring certain cabinet ministers and show they are unfit to continue performing their ministerial roles, Mr Pakornwut said.
A censure debate based on nonsensical issues risks being viewed as a charade or a political game, he said.
But Mr Pakornwut said that the MFP is keeping a close watch on 40 to 50 issues related to government performance.
He said the party needs more time to gather evidence of government mismanagement before it can seek to open a no-confidence debate.
Meanwhile, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, former leader of the now-defunct Future Forward Party (FFP), which was reborn as the MFP, on Tuesday dismissed speculation that the MFP has reached a secret deal with the ruling Pheu Thai Party not to have the latter grilled in a censure debate anytime soon.
"Because the no-confidence debate is actually the most important mechanism for the opposition to keep the government in check, the MFP should avoid using it too often.
"Without a sound reason to mount a censure debate, the party could end up embarrassing itself," said Mr Thanathorn, who is now chairman of the Progressive Movement, the MFP's main political ally.
Mr Thanathorn said that he understands why the MFP have appeared reluctant to seek a censure debate for the time being, with the government having only been in office for a short period.
He said it would be fair to allow the Srettha administration to continue working for a while longer before the opposition party considers submitting a censure motion.
He called for public understanding about why the MFP won't rush a censure motion.