BANGKOK: Thailand’s acting prime minister is set to helm the country for only one full day on Wednesday (Jul 2), standing in for suspended premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra before being replaced himself in a Cabinet reshuffle.
Transport minister and deputy prime minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit began his engagements by attending a ceremony in Bangkok celebrating the longevity of the prime minister’s office.
The event marks the 93rd anniversary of an institution Suriya is set to command for far fewer than 93 hours as Thailand reels from the suspension of Paetongtarn, heiress of the country’s dominant political dynasty.
During a brief ceremony open to media Suriya declined to respond to queries asking how he felt about his ephemeral leadership, which caps a decades-long political career.
He said his most urgent business had been to “sign a paper” ensuring a smooth transition to his successor on Thursday.
The Constitutional Court said Tuesday there was “sufficient cause to suspect” she breached ministerial ethics during a diplomatic spat with Cambodia, suspending her pending a probe that could last months.
“I DON’T KNOW THE GUY”
The 38-year-old Paetongtarn is the daughter of political heavyweight Thaksin Shinawatra, whose family and party have been jousting with Thailand’s conservative establishment since the early 2000s.
Power immediately passed to 70-year-old Suriya, a veteran operator with a reputation in Thai media as a political weathervane for always aligning himself with the government of the day.
“I don’t really know the guy, but I don’t care anymore who becomes prime minister,” 54-year-old motorbike taxi driver Paitoon Kaewdee told AFP.
“I’ve lost hope in Thai politics. I used to care a lot about politics and the Shinawatra family but now, it’s all the same.”
Suriya’s time as acting premier is due to end with a Cabinet reshuffle already scheduled before Tuesday’s court bombshell.
It takes effect in an oath-swearing ceremony scheduled on Thursday, he is set to be superseded by incoming Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
The ruling Pheu Thai party said late Tuesday that Phumtham will take over after the Cabinet reshuffle because he will receive a deputy prime minister title that is higher in the order of succession than Suriya.
The “power vacuum at the top” may threaten Thailand’s bid for a US trade deal to avert President Donald Trump’s threat of a 36 per cent tariff, said Capital Economics senior Asia economist Gareth Leather.
“I want a new election,” complained 40-year-old Bangkok office worker Chatchai Summabut. “This country needs stability.”
