OP ED EDITORIAL | The Straits Times says: Thai power elite thwarts popular choice
Pita Limjaroenrat
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It would seem a travesty that Thai prime ministerial hopeful Pita Limjaroenrat, whose eight-party coalition secured no less than 312 of the 500 seats contested in the May 14 election, should be denied his opportunity to hold power.
But there you have it; the 42-year-old Harvard-educated Pita’s bid was quashed when the 250-seat Senate, stacked with military-appointed representatives handpicked precisely to produce outcomes such as this, acted as a conservative bulwark to thwart him by an overwhelming margin.
A second attempt failed after Mr Pita was suspended from Parliament pending the resolution of a court case about owning shares in a dormant broadcasting company, and legislators then voted to say he could not be re-nominated.
Earlier, the Move Forward Party (MFP) was unable to prevail on its coalition allies to secure the position of House speaker either.
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A memorandum of understanding inked by Mr Pita’s coalition in May makes no mention of amending the lese majeste law.
During the six-hour parliamentary debate, legislators from Mr Pita’s MFP tried to focus attention on governance issues facing a kingdom left adrift for too long.
Nevertheless, senators and legislators from the caretaker coalition kept up a steady din on the subject of the monarchy, alleging that MFP could endanger the nation by amending lese majeste.
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READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/st-editorial/thai-power-elite-thwarts-popular-choice
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