Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin insisted on Wednesday that he wasn’t aware of any cabinet ministers attempting to persuade MPs from the opposition Move Forward Party to switch sides by offering them 20-30 million baht.
Speaking before the Constitutional Court ruled to disband the party yesterday, Mr Srettha said that if the claim was to be believed, it would not be right for any party to attempt to buy an MP from another.
If Move Forward stands firm on its claim that the person who approached some MPs was a minister in his government, he said, the party should seek legal action against such misconduct.
“If that’s true, [the MFP](#) had better produce evidence to prove the claim and pursue legal action [against the alleged wrongdoer](#),” said Mr Srettha.
Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward MP for Chachoengsao, claimed on Tuesday that an assistant to a cabinet minister approached him through a friend in his constituency with an offer of 20-30 million baht.
Mr Jirat said the minister was preparing to form a new party and wanted him to help the minister with that, which he refused to do.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the Move Forward chief adviser, said party MPs had shown him chats on their phones in which they were encouraged to defect by offering a range of benefits, including money and important positions.
“They will never go for the offered money or positions because it is the public trust in them that matters most to these MPs and makes me feel relieved,” he said.
He said he was talking about these dirty political tricks simply because he wanted people to know of the ugly reality in Thai politics.
Mr Pita said he was confident Move Forward MPs held true to a firm political ideology and believed they would never leave the party for money or other benefits.
All MPs were screened well to ensure they shared the same ideology before they were chosen and fielded in last year’s general election, said Mr Pita.
When Move Forward’s predecessor Future Forward was dissolved in 2020, some of its MPs defected to parties in the coalition headed by the 2014 coup leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha. When they stood for re-election in their constituencies in 2023, they all lost.
The party on Wednesday expressed confidence that no such defections will happen this time as it prepares to announce its third incarnation on Friday.