The senior military officer has been making moves along with his wife, Boonyaporn Natathanapatra, in setting up the “Volunteers for the Power of the Thai Nation” organisation, which has already seen two branches taking root in the Northeast.

As a member of the military organisation set up immediately following the May 2014 coup to work intensively on “reconciliation” on the ground via military-driven activities, it is inevitable that Songklod is now linked to the ruling junta’s apparent bid to set up a new political party ahead of the general election.

Speculation has been swirling as the major-general himself announced in June that he was preparing to set up a new party – Power of the Thai Nation.

The following month, he cemented his thinking on the matter on his wife’s birthday with the establishment of the Volunteers for the Power of the Thai Nation organisation.

After Boonyaporn’s birthday, the first coordinating centre of the organisation was opened in Khon Kaen’s Muang district, a red-shirt hotbed in the Northeast.

At the opening ceremony, it was reported that more than 2,000 guests and volunteers of the organisation had joined the event.

In October, a second centre was opened, this time in Udon Thani, another red-shirt stronghold.

There have also been reports of attempts to open such centres in other parts of the country, including the North, the South and the Central region.

Political observers see this as a political strategy deployed during a period when the ban on political gatherings has not yet been lifted by the junta.

If it were not in effect an “undercover” movement in the form of volunteering, the new effort, which could be linked to the junta, might be attacked as running counter to the ban.

When all is said and done, at present there are no other political activities as stark as this one.

Other parties have reportedly been busy with reregistering their members, as required by the new political party law.

His brother, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, a senior leader in the National Council for Peace and Order, complained yesterday Patcharawat had been subjected to especially close scrutiny because he was the brother of a junta leader.

Prawit also denied any knowledge of his brother’s case and appointment to the vetting committee, saying Patcharawat was already in his 60s and his work was his business and had nothing to do with him.

NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said Patcharawat had been nominated to take the controversial post through a normal process and he did not have the authority to interfere with that.

The committee only had authority to scrutinise the organic law and had nothing to do with the investigation process conducted by the NACC, Pornpetch said.

The NLA president also said people of interest would not be able to participate in meetings that had agendas relating to their legal cases.

For instance, he said, NACC president Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit and Supa Piyajitti were also on the panel and would be excluded from meetings with agendas that were related to them.

Responding to the controversy, Pornpetch said: “I can guarantee with my honour that the NLA will not issue any laws against the rule of law.”

Meechai Ruchupan, head of the Constitution Drafting Commission responsible for the so-called “graft eradicating” Constitution as well as the organic law, said he would monitor the committee’s work regarding the organic law and would not hesitate to raise a red flag if the law demonstrated irregularities.

Patcharawat has been scrutinised by the NACC for allegedly being unusually rich due to his ownership of a stable and a hotel reportedly worth hundreds of millions of baht.

When he was appointed to the committee reviewing the NACC organic law, critics questioned whether the appointment was appropriate, sparking a controversy.

The fact Patcharawat is Prawit’s younger brother further stoked the controversy, with people questioning whether the coup-installed regime was sincere in its attempts to combat corruption.

ANY ATTEMPT by the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to prolong its political power by setting up a nominee party would only repeat “the history of Thai politics” and be unhealthy for both politics and the junta itself, academics and politician have warned.

Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said yesterday that he would not confirm if the NCPO would form a party. “If it is necessary, we will set up a party, but if it’s not, we won’t. And now it isn’t necessary,” he said.

The comments critical of an extended political role for the junta came following reports that a retired Army major general has established a movement called Palang Chartthai, or “Power of the Thai Nation”. The 2,000-member group is most active in the Northeast with a regional headquarters, or its “volunteering cooperation centre”, in Udon Thani.

The group has raised speculation that either the military or the NCPO, or perhaps both, might field nominees to reach out to communities as part of the junta’s preparations ahead of the expected election in November next year.

As parts of his “volunteering”, Maj-General Songklod Thipparat has been seen in the field speaking on stage with his wife and team members, with all of them wearing pink shirts and traditional clothing similar to how politicians approach the public. Songklod may not be a national figure, but he is not unknown after working with the NCPO’s reform committee tasked with maintaining “Thai people’s happiness”.

He has also served as chief of staff at the Defence Ministry’s permanent secretary office and at the Internal Security Command Office. He retired last year as a staff judge advocate.

Songklod has denied any intention to set up a party or even get involved with politics. “I undertake volunteering simply to help people,” he said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the NCPO still has not lifted the ban on political gatherings of five or more people, which was have imposed in 2014, which renders any political activities, including registering a party, theoretically impossible.

Prawit has also denied any NCPO involvement with Songklod’s movement.

Often seen as deeply connected to political figures, Prawit also denied that he had made a deal with anyone regarding setting up party.

Attasit Pankaew, a Thammasat University politics lecturer, said nominee parties set up to support the military were not uncommon in Thai politics. In 1992, the now-defunct Samakkhee Tham Party was established to support then-junta leader General Suchinda Kraprayoon.

Describing Thai politics as “emotional politics”, Attasit said it was essential for players to keep in touch with people to garner favour, instead of elaborating policies. Political nominees tended to be good at the job, he added.

Parties could also be beneficial to the military in other ways, he said. The 2017 charter’s election mechanism will probably enable more emerging parties to gain parliamentary seats, giving them a chance to nominate candidates for the new premiership. However, the nomination of new prime ministerial candidates had to take place before it could be judged whether a party was really a military nominee, he added.

Independent academic Chamnarn Chanruang agreed, adding that it would be best for parties to cease acting as nominees, which would just demonstrate the junta’s “addiction to power” and lead to their own degradation.

“Perhaps the powers-that-be could be afraid of losing their shield when they step down from power so they need to stay in power one way or another,” Chamnarn said.

Key Pheu Thai Party figure Pongthep Thepkanchana said that while it might be too soon to judge whether Songklod’s movement was connected with the NCPO, mechanisms stipulated in the 2017 charter would be conducive to prolonging the NCPO’s power.

“The NCPO’s support for a nominee movement, if real, would only be in line with these mechanisms,” Pongthep said.

Democrat Party deputy leader Ongart Klampaiboon, however, said there was nothing uncommon in the movement as Songklod, whether connected to the NCPO or not, had a right to participate.

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Box:

Two roads for Prayut to retain power after next general election

Junta chief Prime Minister Prayut |Chan-o-cha’s possible routes to another premiership:

A. In the first scenario, Prayut would have to be enlisted by a political party before the election takes place. If that party wins at least 5 per cent of the total seats in the Lower House, he would be able proceed to the next step.

Then, in order to be eligible to contest the premiership, Prayut would have to be endorsed by at least 10 per cent of all the MPs for the nomination. Finally, if he wins a majority vote in the Lower House, he would be entitled to the job.

B. If MPs cannot settle on an MP candidate to be prime minister, the decision would be deferred to a joint meeting of both Houses of Parliament. At least half of the members of the elected Lower House and selected Senate – or 376 votes – must be cast for an outsider to be eligible to take the post.

Then, if two-thirds of members in both Houses agree, an outsider could be nominated as a candidate. That candidate would have to win a majority vote of the two Houses in order to become prime minister.

The senior military officer said he had been focused on “volunteering”, apparently referring to the new organisation he had set up to work on volunteering to boost what he called “Thai Nation’s Power” – the party that he had said back in June he was planning to set up.

He conceded that he was part of the National Council for Peace and Order, having been working for the council under its committee for reform preparations for Thai people’s happiness.

Songklod said that as he was still receiving complaints from people during his work on the ground, he had come up with the idea of his new work in order to carry out his intention to undertake volunteering.

“I don’t work for politics, I’m not good at it,” he said. “I have not yet done anything about the setting up of a political party as speculated. I have no idea about it at all. Maybe, people now know me a lot [following the reform committee’s work on the ground], so they link me up with politics.”

The major-general retired from the Defence Ministry as a staff judge advocate in 2016.

He had worked as a chief of staff at the ministry’s permanent secretary office, and of the Internal Security Command Office.

The senior military officer has been making moves along with his wife, Boonyaporn Natathanapatra, in setting up the so-called Volunteers for Thai Nation’s Power organisation, which has already seen two branches taking root in the Northeast.

As a member of the military’s organisation set up immediately following the May 2014 coup to work intensively on “reconciliation” on the ground via military-driven activities, it is inevitable that Songklod is now linked to the ruling junta’s apparent bid to set up a new political party ahead of the coming national election.

Speculation has been swirling as the major-general himself announced in June that he was preparing to set up a new party – Thai Nation’s Power.

The following month, he cemented his thinking on the matter on his wife’s birthday with the establishment of the Volunteers for Thai Nation’s Power organisation.

After Boonyaporn’s birthday, the first coordinating centre of the organisation was opened in Khon Kaen’s Muang district, a red-shirt hotbed in the Northeast.

At the opening ceremony, it was reported that more than 2,000 guests and volunteers of the organisation had joined the event.

In October, a second centre was opened, this time in Udon Thani, another hotbed of the red shirts.

Besides the Northeast, there have been reports of similar attempts to open such centres in other parts of the country, including the North, the South and the Central region.

Political observers see this as a political strategy deployed during a period when the ban on political gatherings has not yet been lifted by the junta.

If it were not in effect an “undercover” movement in the form of volunteering, the new effort might be attacked as running counter to the ban, which could be linked to the junta for allowing such moves to take place while the ban was still in place.

When all is said and done, at present there are no other political activities as stark as this one.

Other parties have reportedly been busy with reregistering their members, as required by the new political party law.

The deputy prime minister said parties should bide their time as the easing of the ban was imminent, given that the NCPO had been discussing the issue.

If the ban were lifted now, it might disadvantage several parties as only a few were ready to commence political activities, he said.

“Why do I have to confirm? The NCPO is not involved in politics. If it is necessary, we will set up a party, but if it’s not, we won’t. And now it isn’t necessary,” Prawit said, responding to a question about the possible formation of a party.

He added that he did not know if the junta would set up a party in the future.

Recent speculation in Thai-language media has centred on a new party to be set up by a member of the NCPO’s working group on national reform, Maj-General Songklod Thipparat, who reportedly planned to found the new Palang Chartthai Party. Details were unclear whether the new party would support the junta in the next election.

However, Prawit said he did not know Songklod or anything about the rumoured party.

He also denied that he was the leader behind efforts to set up a party, adding that he had not made deals with anyone.

KEY FIGURES from the country’s two major political parties have urged Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to take bold steps in reshuffling his Cabinet to achieve better results, especially in tackling economic issues.

Charern Kanthawong, a former party-list MP of the Democrat Party, said Prayut should adopt the management style of former premier Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat by appointing highly competent persons to his new Cabinet, and minimise the number of former military men in charge of important ministries.

At present, 11 former members of the military and police top echelons hold key portfolios in the 35-member Prayut Cabinet, following the resignation of Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul.

Charern said Prayut needed to be bold in reshuffling his Cabinet after spending three years at the helm with too many former military men serving as ministers. Citing ex-premier Sarit as an example, he said the former military strongman had chosen many competent persons from various fields to run his administration in the 1960s.

He said Prayut should follow Sarit’s style to tackle economic issues, which have seriously affected the well being of the grassroots population as the prices of agricultural produce have stayed at record lows for a long time.

“Prayut will gain more popularity if he appoints more capable civilians to his Cabinet,” he said, adding that the PM should also consider removing conditions that barred political parties from conducting activities so that they have the time to prepare for the upcoming election.

Ong-art Karmpaiboon, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, said the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle should be aimed at solving economic problems of low-income people and others in agriculture and small-scale trading, sectors where business was still not good.

Pol Lt-General Viroj Pao-in, the acting leader of Pheu Thai Party, shared the opinion that the economic well being of low-income people remained a major issue hence the Cabinet reshuffle should take it into consideration.

Viroj said the premier should also follow the political “road map to democracy” by removing conditions that barred political parties from various activities, since the pre-election process had already started. According to Viroj, most people and all political parties wanted to see the country return to democracy with the general election held soon, hence there should be no excuses to delay the process.

Regarding the Cabinet reshuffle, Prayut has said he is not sure if it would be done before the New Year. He was also non-committal if the reshuffle would be wide-ranging or just cover the labour portfolio left vacant by Sirichai’s resignation.

Critics have suggested that there are too many ex-military people in the Cabinet while most of the ministers’ performance was not outstanding.

Besides Prayut himself, the defence portfolio is controlled by deputy premier General Prawit Wongsuwan, while General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Air Chief Marshal Prajin Junthong and Admiral Narong Pipatanasai are also deputy premiers.

In addition, General Udomdej Sitabut is deputy defence minister, while General Chatchai Sarikulya is agriculture minister. General Surasak Kanjanarat is natural resources and environment minister, ACM Anantaporn Kanjanarat is deputy energy minister, General Anupong Paochinda is interior minister, General Surachet Chaiwong is deputy education minister and Pol General Adul Sangsingkaew is social development and human security minister.

THE CABINET reshuffle may not create change for the better, as private investors still have questions about political stability and consumers remain in a debt trap, economists said.

Political analysts have different impressions of the move, with some saying the junta may have learned a lesson from putting people into the wrong jobs, and others believing that the reshuffle will not see substantial change.

As Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha plans to revamp his Cabinet, amid suggestions that three ministers will be sacked, economists are not positive about the country’s outlook.

“Consumers are cautious about spending, as they are not confident about their future income,” said Viroj Na Ranong, an economist at the Thailand Development Research Institute.

This has a chain effect, with private investors reluctant to make new investments because they fear sluggish demand for their products.

Viroj said that Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak had pushed hard for public investment and expected that private investors would follow suit, but this hope has not yet materialised.

“The big question is concern about political stability,” Viroj pointed out. He said many people thought that the coup in 2014 would create confidence and lead to high economic growth, but three years had passed and this had not happened.

Although exports and the economy had recovered, growth was at a slower place than in neighbouring countries, he said. For some export items, the growth was caused by a windfall rather than a competitive edge.

For example, the rise in exports of frozen chicken was partly because many other countries suffered from avian flu, he said.

‘Too many generals’

Nada Chunsom, dean of NIDA Graduate School of Development Economics, said Prayut should have appointed professionals to Cabinet portfolios, but instead had appointed too many generals to his team. This was a mistake in the first place, she said.

“Many investors have adopted a wait-and-see strategy, as they want to see where the political road map will lead,” said Nada, referring to the government’s promise to hold a general election next year. They are also waiting to see what the 20-year national strategy will be after the government recently set up committees to draft one.

“Government infrastructure projects have not much progressed as planned [and] this has also adversely affected investor confidence,” said Nada.

But firing the Transport Minister who supervises many public investment projects may not help much, she added.

Consumers remain cautious in their spending because personal debt remains high, she said. Household debt was equivalent to 78.4 per cent of gross domestic product in the second quarter this year.

The government also is facing a tax-revenue shortfall, leading to a continued budget deficit. The Finance Ministry has not succeeded in collecting more taxes, she said.

Nada added that the Industry Ministry has not been able to help local manufacturers upgrade their procedures, which is not an easy task.

An informed source has said that Prayut may fire three ministers – Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith and PM’s Office Minister Omsin Chivapruek.

‘Beyond their expertise’

Political analysts have different views regarding the potential reshuffle.

Chamnan Chanruang, an independent political scientist, said he thought the change in the Cabinet could come because time has proved the military does not have what it takes to run the country.

The military men may be bright, as getting into cadet school is not easy, the scholar said. But they have not been trained in politics or public administration, he stressed.

“[Inefficiency in administration] was clear and it has shown perhaps [the military] does not know what they are doing. It’s beyond their expertise,” Chamnan said. “Ministers may only lay out and pass down policies. But they must be specialists, have expertise, and have networks of people in the field in order to achieve favourable results.”

Although the reshuffle was coming rather late given the fact that this was the last year of junta administration, the scholar said it was better late than never. The government needed more civilians who had expertise, he said, and the best way to save the country was to hurry and return the power to the people by holding an election.

Pramuan Aimpia, deputy spokesman for the Democrat Party, too, believed that the junta had learned the lesson that some work was not appropriate for the military, as they had not been trained to run the country.

Citing the reform that is a major agenda item for the NCPO, Pramuan said that the government, too, needed to reform itself, firstly by learning how to put the right person into the right job.

The Democrat politician urged Prayut to have courage to remove inefficient people from the Cabinet. Veteran political critic Sukhum Nuan-sakul saw the matter differently. It was too quick to jump to the conclusion that the junta would actually replace their fellow military men with civilians, he said.

“This is only a minor reshuffle, not a major one where we will see significant change,” the political scientist predicted.

“I still believe strongly that the military will stick it out together until the end. If there is really to be any change, maybe the persons taking the posts will still be old faces from the bureaucratic sector rather than highly capable people from the private sector who could actually help.”

Deputy premier Wissanu Krea-ngam will chair the meeting of DSI’s board of directors to consider these “special cases” next week. Three cases have been proposed to DSI by the Anti-Money Laundering Organisation (AMLO). In the fake government-to-government rice export case, AMLO is pursuing charges against Siam Indiga Co and its major shareholder, Apichart Chansakulporn, over the use of fraudulent government-to-government (G-to-G) contracts.

The defendants did not export the rice to China on a G-to-G basis as announced by the Thai Commerce Ministry, but instead repackaged the rice purchased from the previous government’s rice-pledging scheme for domestic sales. Previously, over Bt7 billion worth of assets owned by Siam Indiga and Apichart were confiscated by authorities pending further legal actions.

In addition, AMLO is pursuing a money-laundering charge against a former employee of the Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand (MCOT). The employee allegedly took a bribe of over Bt600,000 from Rai Som Co in return for allowing the firm to air TV commercials exceeding the limit set by MCOT, causing financial damage of over Bt130 million to the state agency.

Other cases include the embezzlement of more than Bt2.5 billion from a teachers’ welfare fund, and the sale of unreliable testing devices by a private firm to the armed forces.