PM insists he will not resign, saying he is not going to ‘abandon the country during crisis’
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha categorically stated in Parliament on Tuesday that he will not resign or “run away from problems during a crisis”. He was responding to an opposition proposal that he should step down amid the student-led political protests.
“You should think back to the political rallies in 2006 and 2014, when the ones in power also did not resign,” he told the opposition coalition during an extraordinary session of Parliament, in which the opposition proposed that he quit.
“I refuse to comply with the proposals that do not represent the needs of the majority of the people, and will not run away from problems or abandon the country during crisis,” he stated.
“Ask yourself whether the victory you will gain on top of the country’s wreckage will be worth it or not, because by then we will have nothing left to change. Think about the children. Don’t use them to drive political movements.”
The prime minister then thanked Parliament members who expressed their opinions and suggested solutions to solve the political problem, and vowed to adapt them based on real situations.
“However, what worries me the most is the outbreak of Covid-19. I want every party to be extra careful as I don’t want to see the country go back into lockdown as in April,” he warned.
Prayut said the government is working on problems to do with the economy and prioritise solving unemployment and providing welfare to all groups of affected people.
“The political rallies could undermine the confidence in our economy, but what worries me is that it could cause a rift in Thai society. We used to say that Thais treat each other as family members and respect one another. I don’t want to see this culture disappear because of misunderstanding between generations,” he said.
About the incident in which Pheu Thai Party MP Visan Techatirawat slashed himself with a knife in Parliament earlier on Tuesday, Prayut said a news source revealed that the incident had been prepared in advance to gain attention from media around the world.
“However, I regret that it happened, as such an incident has never taken place in Parliament before,” Prayut added.
Related Story: MP slashes own arm in Parliament to protest treatment of pro-democracy movement
