Opposition leader calls on Paetongtarn to prove she is ‘real PM’
Natthaphong says she avoided answering opposition’s questions in Parliament, refrained from chairing important meetings
Opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to prove that she is the real PM by not evading questions from the opposition and reporters.
In a year-end interview, Natthaphong said he hoped to see Paetongtarn act and behave as the real prime minister instead of having her father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, steal the show by making public comments on national affairs.
Natthaphong said Paetongtarn’s behaviour during the past year showed that she was not the real prime minister.
For example, he said, Paetongtarn avoided answering the opposition’s questions in Parliament and refrained from chairing the meetings of the Energy Policy and Planning board and sidestepped reporters’ questions.
“When reporters asked her one thing, she gave an answer on a different matter. All of these prompted us to suspect she is not the real prime minister. Besides, she stayed aloof when issues occurred,” said Natthaphong, who is the People’s Party leader.
He said if Paetongtarn wants to regain the public's faith, she must straightforwardly answer reporters’ questions and must be more responsible to Parliament by attending House meetings and answering MPs’ questions in the House of Representatives.
Natthaphong said he also expected that the rifts in the Pheu Thai-led coalition government would dissipate in 2025.
He said the coalition was formed of partners with different ideologies but they were brought together with vested interests.
Natthaphong said conflicts had prompted the Bhumjaithai Party to stand in the way of the Pheu Thai’s policies again and again, so it would be hard for the coalition leadership to implement its policies.
The opposition leader said he would like to receive support from other parties, including Pheu Thai, in the People’s Party’s push for amendments to the Constitution. He said Pheu Thai would also need to persuade coalition partners to join forces for the charter amendments or the attempts would fail.
