If the names mentioned in speculation ahead of the Thai Cabinet
reshuffle are an indication, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra seems to have
had a considerable say in the make-up of her new Cabinet.
But whether the new line-up will
benefit is another matter entirely. First of all, the likely line-up serves to
confirm the widespread opinion that the Pheu Thai Party's quota of Cabinet
seats is rotated between its core members. It appears that reshuffles are not
aimed at increasing Cabinet performance at all.
Among new faces in the Yingluck 3
Cabinet will be core members of the now defunct Thai Rai Thai Party - members
of the so-called House Address 111 - who have just completed their five-year
ban from politics.
They include Pongsak
Raktapongpaisal, who is set to become the energy minister in place of Arak
Chonlatanon, an outsider in the Yingluck 2 Cabinet under the Pheu Thai quota.
Pongthep Thepkanchana, another
former Thai Rak Thai executive, is set for the post of deputy prime minister
along with the position of education minister, replacing Suchart
Tadathamrongvej, who has had conflicts with Pheu Thai MPs.
Warathep Ratanakorn, another
House 111 member, should also win a Cabinet seat under the quota of Yaowapha
Wongsawat, Yingluck's elder sister.
Another interesting new face in
the new Cabinet will likely be Government Spokeswoman Sansanee Nakpong. She is
expected to become a PM's Office minister. This has led many to question why
Sansanee would be given a minister's post when she has been performing well as
a spokeswoman and coordinating with Yingluck and PM's Secretary-General Suranan
Vejjajiva efficiently. And who would replace Sansanee in the sensitive job of
government spokesperson? Will she hold the two positions concurrently?
The rest of the reshuffled posts
are widely seen as changes for the sake of political harmony. For example,
Transport Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan, who is tipped to be next Pheu Thai
leader, is expected to become the interior minister, replacing former Pheu Thai
leader Yongyuth Wichaidit.
The much-speculated list contains
no changes to key economic ministries. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance
Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong will almost certainly keep his positions despite
rumours that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been disappointed
with his performance. It is said that Thaksin ordered his sister to remove
Kittiratt, who is very close to Yingluck, from the Cabinet, or at least take
away one of his posts.
Yingluck, however, refused to
comply. This seems to indicate that Yingluck has gained in confidence as a
leader and is willing to defy her brother's wishes and take decisions on her
own.
Yingluck yesterday confirmed she
had sent her new Cabinet list for Royal sanction and boasted that her brother
had had nothing to do with the reshuffle.
Another indication that there
will be no changes in economic leadership comes from strong speculation that
Boonsong Teriyapirom will retain his position as commerce minister. Boonsong is
close to the influential Yaowapha and is in charge of the controversial
rice-pledging scheme.
Boonsong's continuing presence in
the Cabinet would indicate that Yingluck is not worried that the rice-pledging
scheme will become a critical weak point during the no-confidence showdown with
the opposition. On the contrary, it would indicate that the government is ready
to go ahead with the scheme.
If the speculation is correct,
Pongthep will become the third education minister in the Yingluck government,
following Woravat Auapinyakul and Suchart.
Another interesting new face is
likely to be Dr Pradit Sinthawanarong, an expert in Thai traditional medicine
and a member of the National Health Insurance Board. Pradit, the managing
director of J&W Development, is set to become the public health minister.
J&W Development is known to be a business ally of the firm Saensiri led by
managing director Settha Thawesin, who is very close to Yingluck.
More evidence that Yingluck now
has a considerable say in big decisions is that red-shirt leader Jatuporn
Promphan will be left out of the new Cabinet.
It has been reported that
Yingluck resisted an order from her brother to appoint Jatuporn to the Cabinet
for fear that his presence would affect the government's image. Yingluck
decided to defy red-shirt opinion and exclude Jatuporn. The news was confirmed
by Jatuporn on Wednesday night, during an appearance on his TV show.
The cases of Kittiratt, Pradit
and Jatuporn seem to show that Yingluck is daring to defy interference from
beyond government and should serve to quell criticism that she is merely a
puppet of her brother. Nevertheless, the reshuffle seems unlikely to increase
the working efficiency of the government.
Senior business figures yesterday
called on Cabinet members to work harder and contribute more to the economy.
Charoen Wangananont, chief
adviser of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said that though he did not know
who would be promoted, he did not think the reshuffle would have any impact on
the tourism industry overall. What he wanted to see from the new Cabinet was a
commitment to work more efficiently towards the progress of the country.
Buntoon Wongseelashote, a Board
of Trade member and chairman of the committee monitoring trade issues, said the
reshuffle would have no impact on private-sector confidence because its only
aim was to serve political ambitions.
"The government needs to
draw clearer policies to promote economic growth, as well as appointing more
professionals to work for the country. In the past, the government has
appointed some ministers in 'trainee' capacities. As soon as they learned how
to do the job, the Cabinet was reshuffled, so their tasks were not
achieved," he said.
Buntoon said the government
needed to recruit experts or people with professional experience as key
economic ministers in order to promote the economy's growth and efficiency.
Somroutai
Sapsomboon
Business & Investment Opportunities
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