A prominent opposition figure told Thai Enquirer that a rift in the ruling party was hurting the governance of the country and it was unclear where the rift would lead to.
Infighting between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and several high ranking members of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party has captured the attention of the public over the course of the last month.
Prayut’s position has been tenuous since a putsch attempt by members of the ruling party in September resulted in a fractured PPRP and the removal of two key deputy ministers from the cabinet.Â
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, long seen as one of the most powerful members of the cabinet, has publicly sided with Prayut while privately signaling his support for the ousted deputy ministers.
Despite his public statements that all was well within the ruling party and that they still continued to back the prime minister, Prawit was seen in the company of the two ousted ministers while visiting several provinces this past weekend.
Chaturon Chaisaeng, a prominent opposition figure and former deputy prime minister, told Thai Enquirer that the rifts between Prayut and Prawit was real and that the conflict inside the PPRP was quite “intense.”
“It has affected the efficiency of the government,” Chaturon said. “This internal conflict is causing problems and affecting the work of the government.”
“Instead of concentrating on the problems of the country, of which there are many, they are busy competing for popularity with their electorate and who has the most support.”
Chaturon said that no one can predict where the conflict could go in response to rumors of an early house dissolution. (Read more here)
‘No one knows where this conflict will lead to or if there will be reconciliation between the two sides,” Chaturon said.