The deputy leader of Move Forward says the party remains insistent on getting the House Speaker post, despite Pheu Thai wanting it. Sirikanya Tansakul says her party needs the post in order to get 45 draft bills over the line, having promised voters to do so.
The deputy leader says she doesn’t believe the issue will cause the Pheu Thai Party to leave the newly-formed coalition, adding that, as the party that won the most seats in the House, Move Forward has a right to demand the Speaker post. She says the party has a number of qualified candidates, adding that youth should not be considered a problem.
“Otherwise, there will be no change.”
According to a Thai PBS World report, Sirikanya points out that all coalition parties want to succeed together in government, regardless of who gets the Speaker post. She adds that this is one of many issues yet to be agreed among the parties, including the increase to the minimum wage and how ministerial portfolios are distributed.
She says she wants to reassure all coalition parties that Move Forward will not engage in “back-stabbing” of any other coalition members and that any differences will be handled in a transparent and straightforward way.
Strategically, there is no real upside for Pheu Thai pulling out of the coalition, given that their policies are more closely aligned with Move Forward than any of the other political parties in Thailand.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
