Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday held a one-hour meeting behind closed doors with Cabinet members from the Pheu Thai Party to prepare for the no-confidence debate later this month.
She instructed the targeted ministers to prepare their data for the debate and she did not show signs of concern, Science Minister Woravat Auapinyakul, who was among the Cabinet members present, said.
Yingluck is among the four Cabinet members to be grilled in the censure motion in addition to her deputy Chalerm Yoobamrung, Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat and Deputy Interior Minister Chatt Kuldiloke. All ministers from the Pheu Thai Party, including party secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai, attended the meeting at Ban Phitsanulok.
Chalerm yesterday told the meeting that he was well prepared for the opposition grilling and expected no problems in countering the allegations, according to a source.
Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said the Opposition has evidence to show corruption in the government and its failure to run the administration. He warned the government against using dirty tactics to block the Opposition from carrying out its work, for instance its attempt to strip Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva of his military rank and reclaim past salaries.
Chavanond said the government's move to discredit Abhisit was an attempt to see that the planned censure motion is scrapped by trying to rush the Defence Ministry's committee to strip Abhisit of his military rank and recover salaries he earned as a military lecturer.
He said Abhisit had not been notified about the appointment of a committee to investigate the allegation involving him, nor was he given any chance to defend himself.
He said the order to strip Abhisit's rank was hastily typed without being checked. Chavanond said Abhisit had nothing to do with the falsified documents the ministry panel claimed he used in applying for the post of military lecturer. He said the document was issued by a military agency.
Chavanond said the government's plan to sabotage the censure debate would not succeed because if the government seeks a Constitution Court ruling to disqualify Abhisit, the Opposition would seek an Administrative Court ruling for an injunction. According to law, the Constitution Court ruling disqualifying political office holders cannot have retroactive effect.
He dismissed as unreasonable the call for Abhisit to show political spirit by quitting. He said Abhisit had not committed any offence while in office so it is not right to compare Abhisit's military rank case with ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra's Ratchadaphisek land case.
Chavanond said the PM should not have other people answer questions on her behalf and Pheu Thai Party MPs should not try to come to her defence as happened in earlier House sessions.
He said the Opposition has decided not to grill Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul over his alleged violation of ministerial regulations by issuing a new passport to ex-PM Thaksin because the Opposition believe the PM should be held responsible because she is the highest authority in charge of the matter, but she has failed to act on the issue.
Meanwhile Pheu Thai deputy spokesman Jirayu Huangsap said the party is well-prepared for the censure motion. Although the Opposition is planning to attack the government over the rice-pledging scheme, opinion polls show that the scheme has contributed to increasing rice prices, he said. Pheu Thai MPs will not interrupt the debate without reason in order to protect the PM, adding the party has information about corruption in the Thai Khem Khaeng project during the Abhisit government, which will be revealed during the censure debate.
Jirayu also warned Rak Thailand Party leader Chuwit Kamolwisit, who has announced that he would spearhead the censure debate, saying Chuwit should look back at the history of the Democrat Party and beware that he would be "slaughtered" by the Democrats after they find him to be of no use.
House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranond said he does not mind if the censure motion is held on the weekend.
Meanwhile, Senate Speaker Nikom Waiyaratpanit said he was consulting with Abhisit to have Parliament vote on the censure motion on the morning of November 27 so that the Senate can start its general debate against the Yingluck government in the afternoon and continue until midnight of November 28.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/11/11/yingluck-meets-cabinet-tells-targeted-ministers-to-ready-for-censure/
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