LONG-TIME Democrat Party deputy leader Jurin Laksanawisit was yesterday elected to lead the country’s oldest party amid political uncertainty both inside the party and in the post-election Parliament.

The 63-year-old takes the reins as the divided party heads into unknown and potentially dangerous territory.

The Democrat slid to fourth place in the recent election, winning only 52 seats in the House of Representatives, a result that puts the once-mighty party in the same league as the medium-sized Bhumjaithai party. The Democrats have, for nearly two decades, been one of the two largest parties in Parliament, alongside arch-rival Pheu Thai Party.

The previous Democrat leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, stepped down less than two months ago following an election result that saw the party toppled in its Bangkok base.

Meanwhile, ideological divisions inside the party have emerged as a major point of concern. The party is reportedly divided into two camps with divergent views on whether to join the pro-junta bloc as part of a coalition, or to remain in opposition to maintain its traditional stance as a pro-democracy party.

During the past decade of political conflict, the Democrats had been widely criticised for not living up to the party’s name and upholding democracy.

Jurin, who became the eighth leader of the party, winning with more than 50 per cent votes, has the tough task of charting its future political course.

Those who voted for Jurin included members wanting to join the pro-junta Phalang Pracharat bloc while the other group prefers to play an independent opposition role, a source in the party told The Nation.

Observers believed it was likely that the party would decide to join the pro-junta bloc. The party is expected to hold a meeting to make the decision next week.

In his vision speech yesterday before the vote, Jurin told members that the party would maintain its ideology of |parliamentary politics under democracy and constitutional monarchy. However, the party administration must be changed, which would involve adopting a modern approach to deal with the current disruption.

“Gone is the age of Superman. What’s here is the Avengers,” Jurin said, referring to the blockbuster superhero films. “All superheroes in the party must work together to be Democrat Avengers.”

Speaking about the party’s dismal performance in the elections, he said: “The leader must think about how to make it 100, 200, or more in future. The answer is that we Democrats have to stay united.”

After Jurin’s election as leader yesterday, Pheu Thai spokesperson Laddawan Wongsriwong urged the party as well as other undecided parties, including Bhumjaithai, to turn against the ruling junta and join Pheu Thai in forming a democratic coalition.

“Pheu Thai is willing to join forces with all neutral parties right now in order to pull the country out of economic recession and political crisis and bring prosperity to the country and the people.”

Laddawan, citing her previous experience of being a Democrat member for over eight years, congratulated the Democrats on their leadership elections and said she had been impressed with Jurin as a high-quality human resource in politics.

Jurin was both gentle and visionary, she said, adding that he was a good coordinator who was perfectly fit to lead the Democrat Party now.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai veteran politician Chalerm Ubamrung said he believed it was unlikely that the Democrats would join the pro-junta camp under Jurin’s leadership.

“Jurin is a man of principle,” he said. “Of all the four Democrat leader candidates, he is the one with the least likelihood of joining Phalang Pracharat. So, it is highly possible that Democrats will be split into two camps after this.”

Jurin won with 50.5 per cent of the votes from party MPs and members.

Peerapan Saliratwipak came second with 37.2 per cent.

Korn Chatikavanij, who had been in the limelight as the most likely candidate, received 8.4 per cent backing and Apirak Kosayothin received 3.6 per cent support.

The new leader will probably determine the direction of the party and whether it will join the pro-junta bloc in government.

Sources in the party said members who voted for Jurin were divided into pro- and anti-junta camps.

THE National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) took a major step towards retaining power by naming scores of people it patronises and who are loyal to it as constitutionally endorsed senators.

Of the 250 names announced yesterday for the junta-picked Senate, 104 were military or police officers –retired and in service – while other figures included former members of junta-appointed bodies who had served the post-coup regime in the past five years.

The move marks an about-turn for the junta, which had pledged to stay away from politics and had come to power promising to cleanse the country of corruption and nepotism.

In addition to people from the Armed Forces, the senator list also included family members of junta leaders as well as close aides.

The list includes General Preecha Chan-o-cha, the brother of NCPO chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha; Admiral Sisthawatchara Wongsuwan, the brother of NCPO No 2 Prawit Wongsuwan; Air Marshal Chalermchai Krea-ngam, the brother of deputy PM Wissanu Krea-gnam; and former banker Som Jatusripitak, the brother of deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak.

According to the Constitution, the Senate can vote to help determine the country’s prime minister. Also, it has a whip hand to ensure the elected government complies with the 20-year national strategy written by the junta.

When cornered by reporters yesterday that the newly-appointed Senate was no different from the so-called “spouse” parliaments of the past dominated by politicians and their family members that the current regime had vowed to fight, PM Prayut, who had handpicked the 250 senators in his capacity as the head of the NCPO, explained that the junta-appointed figures were more efficient.

“Make the comparison. Look how many legislations they made in the past five years. It’s more than 500. Before that, how many did they do? It’s unparalleled.”

Meanwhile, junta No 2 Prawit who chaired the confidential committee that pre-screened the Senate candidates before Prayut’s final selection, ignored all media inquiries about their controversial Senate picks.

He refused to explain why so many of the Senate nominees were military and police officers and snapped on the selection of a number of his close aides.

“What are you talking about?” the general said, apparently upset by the question. But when reporters started naming several officers, including his brother, Prawit dodged past the media throng, got in his car, and left Government House.

As soon as the Royal Gazette published the names of the 250 successful senator candidates, there was widespread criticism. Despite a wide realisation that the NCPO would rely on the Senate to retain power, the list was seen as reeking of nepotism.

Weng Tojirakarn, core leader of the red-shirt movement, told The Nation that the Senate was dominated by pro-coup figures.

“We cannot place our hopes in them to bring back democracy,” Weng said, referring to the regime’s promise to restore better democratic rule. “Clearly, they [the senators] are here to support the NCPO and General Prayut. This is even worse than the ‘spouse parliament’.”

The senator selection committee was confidential. However, Weng called on the powers that be to unmask them and scrutinise if the selection process had been just and constitutional.

Jade Donavanik, an adviser to the now-defunct Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) responsible for the rules governing the selection of the Senate, admitted that the Senate composition was highly questionable.

However, he said the CDC had done its best to make the Senate a good mechanism in the checks and balances system. In the permanent clauses, the Senate should be cross-elected, he explained. The current situation was the result of the transitional provisions that will last five years, he said, adding that it should be the NCPO that should answer questions not the CDC.

Meanwhile, Seri Suwanpanont, a member of the newly elected senators who also had been in previous junta-appointed assemblies, was unfazed by the controversy over his selection.

“We come with responsibility as prescribed in the Constitution and other laws,” he said. “I am not concerned about anything, including the role to vote for the PM. We are already here. People will always have opinions no matter what we do. So, we have to be determined and have the courage to make a decision and do our job.”

Pheu Thai secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai questioned why the junta had spent as much as Bt1.3 billion only to name its associates to the Senate. The NCPO has never disclosed the names of the selection committee members as required by the charter, he said.

THE TRANSITION TO UPPER HOUSE

THE junta has spent Bt1.3 billion to handpick 250 names for the Senate, most of whom helped create the ruling National Council for Peace and Order. Now they will play the role of the junta’s guardians, by installing the new prime minister and controlling the implementation of the government’s 20-year national strategy. This handpicked Senate is a reflection of the patron-client tendencies and nepotism in the Thai political scene.

Six military /police members were named as senators based solely on their position, namely Defence Ministry’s permanent secretary-general General Natt Intrachroen, Supreme Commander General Pornpipat Benyasri, Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong, Navy chief Admiral Luechai Ruddit, Air Force chief Air Chief Marshall Chaiyapruk Didyasarin and National Police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda.

Sorted by different categories as follows

By sources

– Former NLA        71

– Former Cabinet members        17

– Former Reform Steering Committee    24

– Former NCPO        5

– Picked up by position        6

– Nepotism of junta leaders        4

By profession

– Military         90

– Police        14

– Diplomat         3

– Business executive        4

By Gender 

– Female         26

– Male         224

Some of the new Senate’s members sat in the committee tasked with nominating senatorial candidates to be selected by the National Council for Peace and Order.

These include General Tanasak Patimapakorn, Admiral Narong Pipattanasai, Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong and Police General Adul Sangsingkeo, who recently left the Cabinet shortly before their appointment as Upper House members.

The full list of 250 newly appointed senators was announced in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday.

More than 100 of them are retired or active high-ranking officers from the armed forces and the police, including 70 from the Army, 12 from the Navy, eight from the Air Force and 12 from the Royal Thai Police.

Many new senators are family members of people in power.

These include General Preecha Chan-o-cha, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha; Air Vice Marshal Chalermchai Krea-ngam, who is the younger brother of Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam; Admiral Sitsawat Wongsuwan, who is the younger brother of Deputy Premier and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan; and Som Jatusripitak, who is the elder brother of Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak.

Fifty of the 250 senators were selected from occupational representatives, six are ex-officio members from the military and police, and 194 are from candidates nominated by the selection committee.

The full list, which included the junta leader’s brother and scores of military officers, was appointed by junta number two Prawit Wongsuwan, endorsed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn and published in palace mouthpiece The Royal Gazette.

Army Chief Apirat Kongsompong and National Police Chief Jakthip Chaijinda are now senators, as expected, thanks to a controversial military-scripted constitution adopted in 2017.

But Prawit also selected some 100 serving and retiring military and police officers — making up 40 percent of the senate. He also picked more than 50 members of the rubber-stamp National Legislative Assembly (NLA), and 15 ministers to be elevated to the senate.

    Well-known family names of the junta’s top-ranking officials and allies are on the list as well, most notably Prayut’s younger brother Preecha Chan-O-Cha, who retired from his position at the NLA last week.

Joining him are siblings of Prawit and deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, as well as the older brother of deputy prime minister Somkid Jatusripitak.

The younger brother of army-aligned fortuneteller Warin Buawiratlert — who predicted coup leader Prayut would hold onto power after the March 24 poll — will also be in the senate.

The 250 members will vote alongside 500 elected lower house MPs to select the prime minister after parliament convenes in the coming weeks.

With the senate in hand, junta-backed Palang Pracharat will need only 126 votes in the lower house for Prayut to sail to the top position.

Anti-junta parties would require a whopping 376 votes to gain a majority in the 750-seat parliament and override the senate advantage.

So far, the coalition led by junta rival Pheu Thai, linked to billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, holds 245 seats against the 135 promised to Palang Pracharat.

Horsetrading and negotiations for the remaining seats are under way.

“The nepotism is blatant” in the senate appointments, said analyst Paul Chambers of Naresuan University, adding that the endorsement sends a “negative message” to parties trying to scoop up more seats.

“Palang Pracharat now has the upper hand.”

Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul made it clear yesterday that his party will not support a PM candidate who does have the backing from a simple majority of MPs in Parliament.

Anutin, who has come under criticism over his silence in the formation of the government, clarified that no Bhumjaithai MP would vote for a candidate who relied on the Senate to become the head of the government.

Amid the ongoing uncertainty, the rival camps engaged in brinkmanship to form the government, while the Democrat Party and Bhumjaithai continued to maintain their silence on joining either bloc.

Neither the pro- nor the anti-junta blocs have been able to muster enough MPs to have a simple majority in the 500-member House of Representatives. The anti-junta bloc has 245 seats and its rivals 135.

Despite being more than 100 MPs short of a simple majority in Parliament, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the PM candidate of Phalang Pracharat, told the press yesterday that the party’s government formation process was going on.

As the negotiations were mainly about the distribution of Cabinet seats, Prayut admitted that the party was considering how to allocate ministerial positions. The 11 minor parties, who will also be part of the lower house, announced yesterday they will join Phalang Pracharat to form a government and back Prayut’s bid to return as PM.

Phalang Pracharat leader Utama Savanayana joined a press conference |yesterday to receive the official documents endorsed by the 11 parties and expressed confidence that Phalang Pracharat would become the coalition leader.

Negotiations with both Democrat and Bhumjaitai parties were underway, Utama said, declining to disclose how the deal was being cut.

Meanwhile, the anti-junta Future Forward Party, which opposes Prayut’s return to power, remained hopeful that they could still block the general.

Though some 11 minor parties have revealed their stance in favour of Prayut, Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit said yesterday that it was still possible to gather some 375 MPs to vote for a PM against the junta-appointed Senate and the minority MPs.

Thanathorn said Future Forward was talking to different parties, including Democrat and Bhumjaitai, to join the anti-junta camp.

He did not reveal how the negotiations were going.

Bhumjaithai leader Anutin yesterday led his party’s successful candidates to receive the official documents from the Election Commission (EC), approving their MP status, and told the press that the party had not discussed anything with Phalang Pracharat about setting up a government.

However, Bhumjaitai is scheduled to have a meeting next Monday and Anutin said that it was possible the party’s decision would be made on that day.

At the EC office, Anutin also met with anti-junta politician Seripisut Temiyavet, who had also come to receive his documents.

Seripisut told Anutin in front of the media to join the bloc. “[You] can be the PM or the transport minister. Pheu Thai is okay with that.”

The Democrat Party, meanwhile, will make a decision only after it gets a new leader tomorrow.

The group, led by Siam Theerawut’s family, asked the three bodies to help follow up the situation, since there had been no updates from the Thai authorities despite the fact that it is believed that lese-majeste suspects Siam, Cheep Chivasut and Kritsana Thupthai had been deported from Vietnam to Thailand last Wednesday.

At the NHRC’s head office, the letter was received by human-rights commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit.

The group asked the NHRC to help find out whether the trio had indeed been deported from Vietnam and where they were being detained, as well as ensure that their human rights were respected.

Angkhana told the family that if it was within the NHRC’s authority, her agency would summon the Foreign Ministry and the Office of the Attorney General to make inquiries.

The family also submitted a letter to the Vietnam Embassy, inquiring whether the refugees remained in the Vietnamese authorities’ custody or had been deported and, if so, how and when.

An official at the embassy said only that it would contact the family if there were any updates.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which facilitated submission of the letters, said the letter submission on Monday had been followed and interfered with by Thai Special Branch police the whole time.

As lese-majeste suspects, Siam, Cheep and Kritsana fled the country after the 2014 coup, when crackdowns on anti-monarchist elements were prevalent.

On Tuesday, the group will also submit a complaint with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangkok.

Phalang Pracharat leaders Utama Savanayon and Sontirat Sontijirawong also appeared at the press conference on Monday to receive official documents signed by the 11 parties.

Despite their support, the parties also vowed to maintain their independence and to scrutinise Phalang Pracharat’s government.

Utama thanked the parties for joining its coalition. All parties would be treated as partners and Phalang Pracharat would welcome any suggestion or criticism, he pledged.

Despite the help of the micro parties, Phalang Pracharat remained some 100 MPs short of being able to legitimately claim the right to form government. The remaining seats in contention between the pro-junta block of parties and the pro-democracy bloc were with the medium-sized Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties.

Utama reiterated that negotiations were underway and he would prefer to refrain from telling the press about the deal making.

The success of the 11 parties remains contentious. Having been short of the vote threshold of 71,000 designated under the Constitution, it was widely debated whether they should be allowed any seats in the House of Representatives.

Larger parties that were placed at a disadvantage by the seat allocation by the Election Commission to minor parties are planning to petition against the move. It remains uncertain whether the micro parties will eventually be seated in the chamber.

The Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties, which have about 50 MPs each, now hold the key to deciding which camp will run the country after both major blocs failed to muster enough seats on their own to form a government.

The Democrats will reportedly make their decision after the party chooses its new leader on Wednesday. Bhumjaithai, meanwhile, has kept mum, saying it was listening to the voice of the people. There have been news reports that neither part was satisfied with the Cabinet seats offered them by the pro-junta camp.

The anti-junta camp led by Pheu Thai and Future Forward has 245 MPs, short of a simple majority in the 500-member House of Representatives, while their rivals have about 120, mainly from three parties – Phalang Pracharat, Action Coalition for Thailand and People’s Reform.

While the anti-junta camp has been pressing the medium-sized parties to make a decision and “show respect” for the people’s voice, it also appeared ready to give up important seats in the government despite the large number of votes they gained.

Pheu Thai de facto leader Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday that the medium-sized parties joining the anti-junta bloc did not necessarily mean they had to support Pheu Thai’s bid to secure power.

“We don’t mean to have them back us as a government or our choice for prime minister,” she said. “We’re only looking for ways to stop the junta from retaining power. If political parties join forces, the National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] will have to go home. They [the parties] don’t have to support Pheu Thai’s bid for power at all.”

Sudarat, however, denied offering the government’s top job to Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul.

“We haven’t talked yet,” she said. “Now, let’s focus on their stance – whether they want this election to be a rebirth of democracy for the people or justify the NCPO’s status.”

The Future Forward Party, which gained more than 80 seats in the Lower House in its election debut, also said it prioritises elimination of the junta and was ready to vote for any good candidate as PM. Its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, however, dismissed news reports that his party would even support Democrat ex-leader Abhisit Vejjajiva as PM in order to put an end to the current regime.

Thanathorn reiterated that Future Forward was ready to vote for anyone who could muster sufficient MPs to stop the junta. This did not mean they would back the Democrats unconditionally, he stressed.

Four of them – Pipob Thongchai, Somkiat Pongpaiboon, Somsak Kosaisuk and Suriyasai Katasila – walked free from Bangkok Remand Prison and were welcomed by a group of supporters who gave them flowers and hugs. They wore short hair, white T-shirts and short pants and appeared to have lost weight

They sat before a portrait of the King before waiing him to show their gratitude for releasing them. Meanwhile, Chamlong Srimuang, 72, another leader of the now-defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy, was separately released from a prison hospital. It was not known why he had been admitted to the hospital.

The five began their prison sentence on February 13 after the Supreme Court found them guilty for seizing Government House in 2008. They were due to be released in October but the royal pardon allowed them to walk free after only three months inside.

Somkiat said that he, as a subject of the monarch, felt gratitude for his mercy in granting pardons for the prisoners so that they could return to their families.

Apparently referring to former premiers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, who escaped court verdicts on corruption charges by fleeing to foreign countries, Somsak said he and his group respected the sentences and served time in prison instead of escaping.

He pledged to work to protect the country’s interests from corruption and social disparity. Somkiat also referred to another leader, Sondhi Limthongkul, who also received the pardon but remained in prison over other offences. Somkiat said he had not met Sondhi in prison but once met him during a court session.

During the jail term he met some red-shirt leaders and had opportunities to exchange experiences on many occasions, he said. “We critiqued ourselves and our own lessons. We expect to write a book about life in prison,” he said.