EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

'Public will demand next PM probes Thaksin'

TRT's Pongpol says the next premier's first test will be to prove he or she is not beholden to the party leader

Whoever succeeds Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister, if he or she ignores public pressure to investigate Thaksin's record and policies, they'll be unable to lead the country, Pongpol Adireksarn, chairman of the Thai Rak Thai Party's party-list MPs, said yesterday.

"I'm not telling the next premier what he or she should do, but that person will be the target of pressure. So they'll have to be independent and smart enough to manage the pressure and the questions that will follow," he said in an exclusive interview with The Nation.

Pongpol is the first member of the ruling party to point out that public demands for an investigation of Thaksin will add to the pressure already facing his successor when they take office.

If the successor can pass the first public test by investigating Thaksin, people will welcome him or her without being suspicious of the new premier as just a nominee of Thaksin.

Asked whether or not he thought Thaksin would allow his successor to investigate him, Pongpol said Thaksin, fully aware of the public's expectations for such a probe, had chosen to remain silent on the issue.

But if Thaksin is confident he has not broken the law, he shouldn't be afraid, Pongpol said, adding that he believed justice would prevail.

Pongpol said the Thai Rak Thai Party leader should make his political plans known soon. "The quicker he makes the decision, the better it will be for Thai politics," he said.

Two weeks ago, Pongpol urged Thaksin to break his silence over speculation that he might not accept the premiership if the party wins the next election.

The decision will affect the party's election campaigning strategy across the country. Pongpol believes that if Thaksin decides to take a break from politics, the party will seek a successor who is suitable and not regarded as Thaksin's nominee.

Thaksin will cease to attract so much criticism because attention will turn to his successor, he said.

As soon as the party announces the name of its premiership candidate, people will know whether he is Thaksin's nominee, Pongpol said. "No one who [tries to] act as Thaksin's nominee will be able to run the country for more than three months. Even Thaksin is in trouble and cannot resolve the crisis," he said.

"The premiership candidate will be [subject to] an open vote by the House of Representatives, so every MP will have freedom to vote."

Pongpol said a quick decision by Thaksin on his future would help the party to prepare its election campaign. Party members, when visiting their political bases, will know who their opponents and supporters are.

Some political observers have speculated that if Thaksin decides to stay at the helm, the political temperature will go through the roof and the result may be violent.

Pongpol disagrees.

"A violent situation will not happen if both sides [Thaksin and his opponents] sit down and talk," he said. "If Thaksin considers himself a politician, then he must resolve [the political crisis] with a political solution, which means talking to his opponents." Pongpol suggested Thaksin should seek a solution by making better use of his party.

"We have more than 100 executives, but they have never talked about the political crisis. If he [Thaksin] brought problems to the party's executive meeting for discussion, they could help him to explain controversial matters."

Pongpol said he dared to say this because he has no personal interest in the outcome and has nothing but good wishes for Thaksin.

"I am here, but he doesn't even ask for my advice. None of Thaksin's advisers knows more than me when it comes to politics," Pongpol said. "I've been involved in politics since the day I was born. I have spent 26 years as a politician, so I understand the truth of the political drama."

The Adireksarn family is part of the Ratchakhru lineage. However, Pongpol's family seems to be fading from the political scene.

Asked if Thaksin had ignored his suggestions, Pongpol said: "Does the Shinawatra family want to be the same as the Adireksarn [family]? If not, he should listen to me."

Although he was warned about his future after expressing his views to the party leader, Pongpol said he's not worried. To the contrary, he's keen to see how Thaksin will react to his comments.

"At worst, Thaksin may not field me as a party-list MPs in the next election," he said with a smile.

Somroutai Sapsomboon,

Sucheera Pinijparakarn

The Nation