Sanan: 'Watch Out For Renegade MPs'

Sanan Kajornprasat cautioned on Friday a number of MPs of the Puea Thai Party might make an about-face and finally deny Yingluck Shinawatra premiership, following Jul 3’s electoral contests. The Chat Thai Pattana Party’s chief counsel, seeking re-election in the nationwide polls, said the Puea Thai Party, staunchly loyal to ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, might eventually not succeed in setting up a post-election government as widely speculated because, he said, those MPs might pick anybody other than Mr Thaksin’s sister for head of government. Maj Gen Sanan did not name names among the rank and file of the pro-Thaksin party who might possibly choose to not vote for Ms Yingluck in parliament next month.  ‘There might be some renegade MPs. They’ll be another group of cobras to disappoint and deny (the Puea Thai Party) the opportunity to set up a government of its own as had been the case of the Chuan 2 government,’ said the veteran politician, referring to 1997’s phenomenon in which dozens of government MPs chose to pick then-Opposition leader Chuan Leekpai as prime minister. In Thai political jargon, renegade MPs who might possibly choose not to vote for the leadership of their own party premiership and instead pick somebody else, especially the one from the other side of the parliament aisle, are called ‘cobras.’  Maj Gen Sanan was responding to comments earlier made by Sanoh Thianthong of the Puea Thai Party who claimed to have already made ‘nearly all preparations’ for the making of a post-election government headed by Ms Yingluck, the party’s top contender.  Mr Sanoh did not elaborate and sidestepped speculation the Chat Thai Pattana Party, de facto headed by ex-premier Banharn Silpa-acha, had quietly formed a loose alliance with the Bhum Jai Thai Party, de facto headed by Newin Chidchob, with intent to join the new government, which would likely have either the Puea Thai Party or the Democrat Party as its core.  Mr Newin’s men, who were among MPs of a dissolved People’s Power Party, did pick caretaker prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for prime minister in lieu of the party’s choice a few years ago. ‘Mr Sanoh was just bragging and daydreaming. There’s no such thing as preparations for setting up of a government for the time being because no party can tell how many MPs they will make out of the election,’ retorted Maj Gen Sanan.  Produced by VoiceTV