Opposition MP slams Paetongtarn over her no-show in Parliament
PM says she has entrusted ministers with a better understanding of the issues to respond
People’s Party MP Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat lambasted Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for her absence on the first day of the House session and failing to answer queries from the opposition.
Nattacha on Thursday said he had already informed the government of his interpellation before the House meeting was convened on Thursday.
He wanted to question the PM about the alien Blackchin tilapia fish invasion of the ecosystem, which, he claimed, had severely affected local fishermen.
“I intended to use the first day of the session to ask the leader, the PM. But before the meeting today, I heard the PM say that she was looking for an ‘appropriate’ time, and then she said that today is not appropriate.
“What kind of person is this to say that the first day of work is not appropriate for work?” a furious Nattacha said.
The Bangkok lawmaker said that Paetongtarn had ordered Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat to answer his questions, but no one showed up.
Nattacha added that responding to queries is among the PM’s top responsibilities.
Paetongtarn, together with her Cabinet, spent Thursday detailing her government’s achievements in its first 90 days in office and her plan for the next year in a speech broadcast on Channel 1.
On Wednesday, she denied dodging questions from the opposition and said that she had entrusted ministers who had a better understanding of the issues to respond instead of her.
