Chuan elected speaker of lower house on dramatic day

[rooster59]

Chuan elected speaker of lower house on dramatic day

By The Nation

 

Former prime minister Chuan Leekpai walks through a group of MPs after being elected as House Speaker on the first day of the Lower House meeting on Saturday.//Rachanon Intharagsa

 

Democrat patriarch and party-list MP Chuan Leekpai was elected the speaker of the House of Representatives on Saturday, after much wrangling between the pro- and anti-junta blocs.

 

Ex-premier Chuan, the candidate proposed by the pro-junta Phalang Pracharat Party, secured 258 votes to 235 for Pheu Thai nominee Sompong Amornvivat. One MP abstained.

 

The election of the lower house speaker, the only item on the agenda at the first meeting of MPs, took more than eight hours after Phalang Pracharat proposed a postponement of the vote for unspecified reasons.

 

There were simmerings of discontent in the pro-junta camp after Phalang Pracharat reportedly wanted to field its MP, Suchart Tancharoen, for the post of speaker but the the bloc nominated Chuan at the last minute.

 

Pheu Thai MP Jirayut Huangsap objected to the proposal to put off the vote. A prolonged debate between the two blocs led to pro tem speaker Chai Chidchob, the most senior MP and former house speaker, adjourning the house.

 

After a two-hour break, the house voted on the first motion to decide whether or not to reschedule the election of speaker.

 

The anti-junta camp, comprising seven parties that had signed a pact earlier, voted against deferring the election.

 

Finally, the house voted 248 to 246 with two absentions to elect the speaker on Saturday. Some of the pro-Suchart MPs also voted against the postponement.

 

The Phalang Pracharat-led bloc tried to swing the vote in its favour but failed.

 

The house hence had to vote to choose between Democrat Chuan and Pheu Thai’s Sompong.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30369985

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-26

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[MRToMRT]

Actually I think that he is a good choice, all things considered. 

 

[geoffbezoz]

1 minute ago, MRToMRT said:

Actually I think that he is a good choice, all things considered. 

 

In the Thai Junta organised field of politics I don't think there is such a thing as a good choice, not as far as the country is concerned.  What I think, to go along with your own comments, is that Chuan is one of the better ones from a "very bad barrel of rotten apples"

[Briggsy]

Chuan could be considered more of a technocrat than a typical Thai politician.

 

Generally they are the governments in Thailand that get most done. But Chuan is just speaker, not PM. As long as the rapacious 'military - elite nexus' cling on to power, the population can just expect more corruption and so, higher prices and higher taxes (think indirect taxes) for worse government services.

[Eligius]

The real battle in parliament (and beyond it) will begin when Thanathorn is disqualified from being an MP and certain other members of his party (such as Piyabuttr) are also removed - and ludicrous interpretations of 'parliamentary rules' are invoked to silence the anti-oligarchs.

Then 'Speaker' or no 'Speaker' - things could turn nasty.

 

Everything depends, ultimately, on what the Thai People permit to persist in their land  ...

 

[mikebell]

3 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Everything depends, ultimately, on what the Thai People permit to persist in their land  ...

They 'll permit anything that gets them a baht.  It's hard to resist those with guns.

[worgeordie]

I think he's a bit mild mannered to be house speaker,

it's going to need a much tougher character. 

regards worgeordie

[Wilsonandson]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Finally, the house voted 248 to 246 with two absentions to elect the speaker on Saturday.

Does this mean that the Democratic Party and Bhumjaithai Party have joined the Palang Pracharath pro-regime alliance?

[CGW]

He certainly knows his way around the political circus, but is 80 not a little old to resume a political career ????

[spidermike007]

Sorry to hear that Chuan sold out to the Junta. Not good news for Thailand and it's people. 

[BobBKK]

Dems bought and paid for.

[BobBKK]

46 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

Does this mean that the Democratic Party and Bhumjaithai Party have joined the Palang Pracharath pro-regime alliance?

They go to the highest bidder, it's that simple.  What a disgrace they are!  they told their voters they would not. Totally without any ethics.

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Chuan could be considered more of a technocrat than a typical Thai politician.

 

Generally they are the governments in Thailand that get most done. But Chuan is just speaker, not PM. As long as the rapacious 'military - elite nexus' cling on to power, the population can just expect more corruption and so, higher prices and higher taxes (think indirect taxes) for worse government services.

Like there was no corruption with the red governments?

[BobBKK]

23 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Like there was no corruption with the red governments?

Two wrong don't make a right. Yellows are not persecuted or prosecuted (unless they fall out of favour). 

[LivinLOS]

3 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Chuan could be considered more of a technocrat than a typical Thai politician.

 

Generally they are the governments in Thailand that get most done. 

Chaun presided over the Suthep lead scandal that knocked them out of power, left the dems reeling for a decade, and stole 10s of 1000s of rai of land down south in Sutheps ballywick in the sor por kor scandals of the 90s. A theft and multi billion baht handout of public property given to wealthy families the majority of which was never recovered and is still grinding through courts even now. 

The idea of Suthep as a corruption fighter, or that any of these names should recieve anything other than punishment and an end to political life, is only for those with very short memories or high levels of ignorance and apathy, sadly that sums up the Thai voting population quite well. 

[LivinLOS]

43 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

They go to the highest bidder, it's that simple.  What a disgrace they are!  they told their voters they would not. Totally without any ethics.

Reducing corruption ????????????

[Becker]

40 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Like there was no corruption with the red governments?

BWAHAHAHAHA! I thought we'd seen the last of the "But, but, but Thaksin!" posts but apparently I was wrong. And that's after four years of junta misrule where corruption and cronyism on the highest levels has been in-your-face and endemic.

Congrats to FritsSikkink who clearly deserves some kind of medal!

[Wilsonandson]

52 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

They go to the highest bidder, it's that simple.  What a disgrace they are!  they told their voters they would not. Totally without any ethics.

So if the Bhumjaithai Party are joining the Pro-Regime Alliance does that mean that very soon we shall see the legalisation of marijuana in Thailand?

[Briggsy]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

Like there was no corruption with the red governments?

You have missed my point completely.

[Briggsy]

30 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Chaun presided over the Suthep lead scandal that knocked them out of power, left the dems reeling for a decade, and stole 10s of 1000s of rai of land down south in Sutheps ballywick in the sor por kor scandals of the 90s. A theft and multi billion baht handout of public property given to wealthy families the majority of which was never recovered and is still grinding through courts even now. 

The idea of Suthep as a corruption fighter, or that any of these names should recieve anything other than punishment and an end to political life, is only for those with very short memories or high levels of ignorance and apathy, sadly that sums up the Thai voting population quite well. 

You have missed the point completely.

 

Every government in Thailand is corrupt and every government in Thailand relies upon either the power of the military or regional strongmen and their votes. Chuan relied, in part, on Suthep's votes.

 

Nowhere did I say Suthep was a corruption fighter (that is a strawman invented by you, and a pretty fanciful one at that), in fact nowhere did I even mention Suthep Thaugsuban.

 

My point is that Chuan and technocrats like him tend to be the best type of administrator in moving Thailand forward both economically and socially. Whilst the worst type of administrators tend to be the regional godfathers that you reference and the reactionary generals that others have mentioned.

[jayboy]

16 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

You have missed the point completely.

 

Every government in Thailand is corrupt and every government in Thailand relies upon either the power of the military or regional strongmen and their votes. Chuan relied, in part, on Suthep's votes.

 

Nowhere did I say Suthep was a corruption fighter (that is a strawman invented by you, and a pretty fanciful one at that), in fact nowhere did I even mention Suthep Thaugsuban.

 

My point is that Chuan and technocrats like him tend to be the best type of administrator in moving Thailand forward both economically and socially. Whilst the worst type of administrators tend to be the regional godfathers that you reference and the reactionary generals that others have mentioned.

Chuan is as about as much a technocrat as my pet goldfish. His appointment is a disgrace but probably shouldn't surprise anyone.

 

As the blogger Kaewamala put it:

 

"The biggest loser gets House Speakership. The runner-up party will get premiership. The middling-small parties drive a hard bargain to get yummy ministries, upping the price of their soul. People’s will be damned."

[White Christmas13]

4 hours ago, Eligius said:

The real battle in parliament (and beyond it) will begin when Thanathorn is disqualified from being an MP and certain other members of his party (such as Piyabuttr) are also removed - and ludicrous interpretations of 'parliamentary rules' are invoked to silence the anti-oligarchs.

Then 'Speaker' or no 'Speaker' - things could turn nasty.

 

Everything depends, ultimately, on what the Thai People permit to persist in their land  ...

 

Thanathorn has been disqualified as an MP already

[Eligius]

1 minute ago, White Christmas13 said:

Thanathorn has been disqualified as an MP already

As I understand it, Thanathorn has only been 'temporarily' suspended (until a definitive decision has been made on his 'guilt' or innocence in the media-shares case); but of course, we all know that he WILL be blocked from political activity - as he is the single greatest threat to the fascist Old Guard in Thailand.

[Ozman52]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

Like there was no corruption with the red governments?

Oh dear, you aren't allowed to say that, it's an inconvenient truth. But it is an irrefutable fact that a lot of low-lifes completely missed the boat this election - the whole PTP party list (because PTP got HALF the votes of the last election), Suthep and his cronies, and Issan Rambo even after he changed sides.

[klauskunkel]

the very first day in parliament

and only one item on the agenda

the very first action of the junta party

is to seek postponement of that item

how very illustrating

 

(this was supposed to be a haiku, but it came back with too many "deleted", f*** and $#%!!!)

(I hope I captured the spirit, though )

 

 

 

[Neeranam]

The least corrupt PM there has ever been.

[FritsSikkink]

2 hours ago, BobBKK said:

Two wrong don't make a right. Yellows are not persecuted or prosecuted (unless they fall out of favour). 

Not true

[seajae]

have met and talked to the man, was surprised at his openess and attitude towards his fellow thais. From what I saw personally he should be ok if he stands up to his own values, far better than any ptp or pro  junta/army people

[losworld]

22 minutes ago, seajae said:

have met and talked to the man, was surprised at his openess and attitude towards his fellow thais. From what I saw personally he should be ok if he stands up to his own values, far better than any ptp or pro  junta/army people

yeah i am sure your in depth discussions and investigations are quite accurate....

[smutcakes]

1 hour ago, seajae said:

have met and talked to the man, was surprised at his openess and attitude towards his fellow thais. From what I saw personally he should be ok if he stands up to his own values, far better than any ptp or pro  junta/army people

Yes of course a man if moral and ethics. Now why oh why would all the Pracharat party vote for Chuan? Possibly they just love the man? Or maybe 'deals' have been made behind closed doors? Chuan is as spineless as a jellyfish and if he had any spine he would be embarrassed about being chosen as speaker given the Democrats election performance.

 

He reason he was not to tainted as PM was due mostly to his complete spinelessness and just letting the military, his brother and party MP's just do what they want.

 

Christ after 5 years of reform we have 90 year old kamnan Chai handing over to pathetic spineless beauracrat like Leekpai at 80+ years of age.