Party says PM would be dodging scrutiny
The People’s Party (PP) says that if Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolves parliament on Dec 12 — the day the parliamentary session opens — in response to a no-confidence motion, it would be akin to a contractor abandoning a project to evade scrutiny.
Parit Wacharasindhu, list MP and PP spokesman, said on Friday that the prime minister’s remark on dissolving the House, particularly if done to avoid scrutiny or responsibility for any constitutional amendments, is “no different from a contractor abandoning a project to escape scrutiny”.
“While there is still legal debate regarding whether parliament can be dissolved after a debate is filed, I believe the constitution clearly states that the prime minister is prohibited from using his power to dissolve parliament to escape scrutiny,” he said.
Mr Parit said he did not know what message the PM intended to send with the remark, but warned that such a dissolution “will affect the public’s view of him, especially when the upcoming election nears and the PM has announced his prime ministerial candidacy”.
He said the PP would file a no-confidence motion under three circumstances: if parliament is not dissolved by Jan 31 as agreed in the PP–Bhumjaithai Memorandum of Agreement (MoA); if constitutional amendment is not completed by the third reading before year-end; and if any government policy causes significant harm to the public.
Asked whether the PP may need to choose between pushing for constitutional amendment and supporting the government, Mr Parit said in a statement that the MoA clearly states that their partner — whoever it is — would be a minority government so that House mechanisms, including a no-confidence debate, can be used to bind its hands in fulfilling the MoA.
However, other parties, including Pheu Thai, can file a no-confidence motion as is their right, he said, adding that all parties want to see the constitutional amendment completed as soon as possible.
Dr Cholnan Srikaew, a Pheu Thai MP for Nan and a member of the House committee reviewing the constitutional amendment, said the PM’s remark on dissolving the House amounted to “a threat to the opposition, which is prepared to seek a no-confidence debate”.
He said it was also akin to “holding the constitution hostage”.
Mr Anutin made his remark on Thursday.
He said that he was ready to dissolve parliament on Dec 12 because the political situation had become untenable for a minority government like his, and it would inevitably fail in a no-confidence debate.
Prime Minister’s Office Minister Paradorn Prissanananthakul said the parliamentary timeline would not allow completion of the constitutional draft’s third reading — which requires a 15-day interval.
It also said that dissolution would nullify the entire amendment bill, forcing the process to restart.