TRT rules out leadership change for election

By ThaiDay

27 July 2006

Despite relentless calls from his critics to take a “political break”, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will forge ahead to lead his party in the October 15 election.

“Since Thaksin remains our party leader, there is no reason why we should not campaign for him to become the next prime minister (after the new election),” Thai Rak Thai (TRT) deputy leader and caretaker Agriculture Minister Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday.

Following conflicting reports last week about his political future, Thaksin’s latest stance to lead the party in the upcoming poll was confirmed at a party meeting yesterday, which was convened to map preparations in the lead-up to the election.

TRT Deputy Spokesman Pimuk Simaroj said Thaksin told the meeting that he was confident the October 15 election would take place and asked all party members to make the best possible preparations for the poll.

“The party leader asked party members to adhere to three basic guidelines – campaigning as a party with concrete policies to solve the people’s problems, upholding the democratic system with His Majesty the King as Head of State, and also upholding the Constitution,” Pimuk said.

Thaksin also reportedly told TRT members that the party would be ready to contest the October 15 poll regardless of who was appointed as the new election commissioners.

Deputy party leader Somkid Jatusripitak, who is caretaker deputy prime minister and also commerce minister, was assigned at the meeting to head a working group for preparing the party’s economic policies to be presented to voters.

Caretaker Deputy PM and Justice Minister Chitchai Wannasathit will head a working group responsible for drafting the party’s social policies.

“Although we are facing pressures on various fronts, the party leader said he would lead our party to contest the new election,” Pimuk said.

“He (Thaksin) said he had endured many things but he would not allow democracy to disappear from this country.”

Asked about Thaksin’s political future, Pimuk said it was not discussed at the meeting. “He just emphasized that we should all get ready for the election.”

Thaksin reportedly also said that for politics to move forward, concurrent political reforms were necessary.

The party has so far not appointed anyone to take charge of working on political reform, but it is expected that senior party stalwarts Bhokin Pollakul and Pongthep Thepkanjana will be assigned the task.

Significantly, TRT Secretary General Suriya Jungrungreangkit told the meeting that preparations of candidates for both party-list and constituency MPs were 90 per cent complete, and that they mainly comprised the party’s former candidates.

Thai Day