Though the aim of the apology was to help mend the ongoing struggles within the Palang Pracharat Party over cabinet positions (let alone the other 19 parties involved in the pro-junta bloc), Prayut also hinted that he wanted things to move forward instead of returning to old problems, “which could lead to a solution nobody wanted”.
But Thai social media, weary of the over three months to form a Cabinet, took Prayut’s reference to an “undesirable solution” as a threat for an impending military coup.
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the anti-junta Future Forward Party, and currently suspended from parliament over media-share technicalities, wrote on his Facebook page that the general’s remark worried him.
“It is 97 days after the election and Thailand is yet to have a government,” Thanathorn wrote.
“What’s clear is that we have the same premier, General Prayut, who has just threatened to stage another coup to end the fight for Cabinet seats.”
Thanathorn said Prayut’s message highlighted how the election led to disorder and disarray among politicians, so coups can be seen as a shortcut to “saving the country”.
“While the general is trying to blame the politicians for the ongoing turmoil, it is actually the former junta leader who is benefiting from the chaos.”
Without a government in place, Prayut can continue enjoying his status as chief of the NCPO and the sweeping powers granted to him by Article 44, Thanathorn said.
Pheu Thai Party’s de facto leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan sent out a similar message in a Facebook post last night, in which she wrote that the pro-junta bloc had failed to reach an agreement on Cabinet portfolios because they cared only about their personal interests.
SOURCE: The Nation
