Senator seeks Nattawut hire probe

The Democrat Party has pledged to push anti-corruption initiatives and treat the issue as an urgent national agenda item if elected back in office.

Alongkorn Ponlaboot, a party deputy leader and chairman of the Democrat's strategy committee, said corruption had reached crisis levels and required a collective effort to stamp out.

Anti-corruption efforts must be part of the national agenda so manpower and resources can be used effectively, Mr Alongkorn said.

The Democrat Party would hold a "Listen, Think, Act To Beat Corruption" forum to gather stakeholders' input to help formulate the party's anti-graft campaign policies.

Democrat leader Jurin Laksanawisit said corruption tarnishes the country's reputation and hinders democratic progress.

Mr Alongkorn cited last year's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranked Thailand 101st among 180 countries surveyed.

Seats for Seri Ruam Thai

The Seri Ruam Thai Party estimates it will capture about a dozen House seats, most of which will be from the party list system.

The party expects to win no more than 3 million votes nationwide, which works out to 9-10 list MP seats, plus three MP seats in constituencies in the Northeast where the party has a strong chance of winning, according to Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, chairman of Seri Ruam Thai's policy steering committee.

Mr Somchai said Mangkorn Yontrakul, the party's No. 2 list candidate and former chairman of Roi Et provincial administrative organisation, supervises campaign activities in the Northeast. He said party candidates contesting in several constituencies are well-connected to local politics, having worked in tambon administrative organisations or municipalities.

In the previous election in 2019, the Seri Ruam Thai Party, led by Pol Gen Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, won 10 MP seats with more than 800,000 votes.

For the next election, Pol Gen Sereepisuth will be the party's No. 1 list candidate, and Mr Somchai will be the 6th candidate. They are among 57 list candidates the party has fielded.

BACK TO BASICS

The development of a strong grassroots economy ranks high in the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party's campaign priorities, the party's economic team says.

Anucha Nakasai, a prominent member of the UTN's economic team, made the point during a tour of Constituency 11 in Khon Kaen, where he was joined by Dr Premsak Piayura, the party's MP candidate for the constituency.

Dr Premsak is also a former mayor of Ban Phai municipality and a veteran politician.

Mr Anucha said the party, of which Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha serves as chief strategist, would continue expanding the infrastructure and transport projects launched by the government and stimulate tourism to generate income for locals.

The UTN has designed policies to improve people's quality of life, with an immediate focus on farmers, who make up the majority of people. One project the party plans is distributing cows to one million farming families under an income supplementary scheme, he added.

INVESTIGATION SOUGHT

A probe is being sought into Pheu Thai Party's hiring of Nattawut Saikuar, director of the so-called "Pheu Thai Family."

Former senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana on Wednesday petitioned the Election Commission (EC) to investigate if Pheu Thai has complied with the law in hiring Mr Nattawut as its election campaign assistant.

Mr Nattawut has been restricted to working as a campaign assistant due to the political ban he is under. The ban was imposed due to the Constitutional Court's dissolution of the Thai Raksa Chart (TRC) Party. Mr Nattawut served as a list MP for the party in the 2019 general election.

The court dissolved the TRC for nominating Princess Ubolratana, the elder sister of His Majesty the King, as its prime ministerial candidate.

According to Mr Ruangkrai, there are legal limitations in employing a campaign assistant under the Election of MPs Act and various EC regulations.

He said the EC must investigate whether Mr Nattawut has engaged in party activities legally off-limits to him. He noted Mr Nattawut had been a star speaker who regularly joined Pheu Thai's campaign rallies.

Source:
courtesy of BANGKOK POST

by POST REPORTERS

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