BANGKOK: The ruling Pheu Thai Party has presented a proposal to Bhumjaithai Party, offering two ministerial positions, including Health Minister and Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, in exchange for returning the Interior Ministry to Pheu Thai. The decision needs to be made within 48 hours, by 3:00pm on Thursday (June 19).
At 3:00pm on June 17, Pheu Thai’s leadership officially communicated the proposal to Anutin Charnvirakul (pic right), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, who leads Bhumjaithai. The proposal would see Bhumjaithai return the Interior Ministry and receive the Ministry of Public Health and another ministerial post under the Prime Minister’s Office instead.
If Bhumjaithai does not accept the proposal and refuses to return the Interior Ministry, Pheu Thai is prepared to proceed with a Cabinet reshuffle that excludes Bhumjaithai from the government.
According to Pheu Thai’s assessment, without Bhumjaithai, the coalition would have approximately 260 MPs, which is still more than half of the total seats in the House of Representatives. It’s also expected that some opposition MPs will support the government officially.
Meanwhile, United Thai Nation Party (UTN), which has faced internal divisions, has confirmed it will remain in the government coalition.
In response to the offer, Bhumjaithai is scheduled to announce its stance on June. According to high-ranking sources from Bhumjaithai, while Pheu Thai had previously hinted at exchanging the Commerce Minister and Health Minister positions for the Interior Ministry, this offer was never made officially.
Bhumjaithai has since been informed of the latest offer, which includes the positions of Health Minister and Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office. However, Bhumjaithai has made it clear that it will not accept any terms or exchange of ministries.
The party has a firm stance: if it is to continue in the coalition, it demands a complete reallocation of ministries across all coalition partners.
Bhumjaithai argues that Pheu Thai seems focused on reshuffling ministries only within Bhumjaithai, without addressing other issues within the coalition. The party also pointed out that the UTN, despite almost splitting, has been allowed to remain untouched by Pheu Thai.
Sources have indicated that the offer of the Ministry of Public Health could stem from the fact that the position no longer aligns with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's interests in ongoing legal matters.
Even Somsak Thepsuthin, the current Health Minister, has found it challenging to resist pressures from the Medical Council.
Regarding the Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, Bhumjaithai believes the position, which already has multiple holders, holds little value unless the Prime Minister assigns clear duties. - The Nation/ANN
