“Suriya” admits to shedding tears over “Settha” leaving the position of Prime Minister, says he is a determined, dedicated person, and works without a day off. He sees “Paetongtarn” as suitable to be the Prime Minister, points out that the 2017 Constitution will be an obstacle in the long run, aims to amend and find a lawyer to sit in the ministerial chair, confirms that the “Land Bridge” will move forward 100%.
Mr. Suriya Juangroongruangkit, acting deputy prime minister and minister of transport, said about Mr. Settha Thavisin, who left his position as the 30th prime minister, that he shed tears, like many other Pheu Thai MPs, because he worked closely with Mr. Settha. Reporters must admit that when Mr. Settha was prime minister, he worked without rest for the benefit of the country and the people. Mr. Settha did as he said he would, going to various areas to see the people’s problems. Once he understood, he returned to solve the problems, with tangible results, as can be seen from the increase in agricultu
ral product prices, such as rice, rubber, and sugarcane.
In addition, during the time that Mr. Settha was Prime Minister, Thailand’s economy was in a recession for many years. Confidence in Thailand was gone, so he traveled abroad to provide confidence to investors. Finally, the world ranking organization raised the ranking by 5 places.
In terms of tourism, Mr. Settha has paid attention to the free visa policy, which has increased the number of Chinese tourists by 30 percent. As for the Ministry of Transport, it can be seen that Mr. Settha has pushed for the Land Bridge project, which is now accepted that many countries and companies want to come and compete in the bidding. All of this is what Mr. Settha has devoted himself to in order to solve problems for the country and its people, which is something that I will always remember.
When asked about what the government should do after the verdict and how it will proceed, Mr. Suriya said that there have been discussions between the coalition parties. From th
e Pheu Thai Party MPs this morning, the MPs agreed that Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, the party leader, should be supported as prime minister. He thought that Ms. Paethongtarn was still young, strong, and ready to devote herself to the country. He had to commend her because it was a sacrifice. He believed that Ms. Paethongtarn actually still had to take care of her young child. But when this situation arose, Ms. Paethongtarn thought it was necessary and came to help. The next step is to vote for the prime minister.
When asked if there would be no changes from the MPs’ meeting when they entered the party executive committee meeting, Mr. Suriya said that if the party executive committee did something different, he doubted that the party executive committee would be able to stay. The party’s board of directors was already confident that it would be in line with what the MPs wanted, and he believed that Ms. Paethongtarn would not object.
When asked if there is a possibility that Ms. Paethongtarn will become the
31st Prime Minister, and from now on, what role will Mr. Thaksin play in helping the government and the Pheu Thai Party? Mr. Suriya stated that he believes that anyone who was in the Thai Rak Thai Party era would see Mr. Thaksin’s knowledge and ability. And from appearing on TV shows, helping people and solving economic problems, he believes that if Mr. Thaksin’s daughter becomes Prime Minister and they work together, she would be able to give advice to Ms. Paethongtarn.
When asked if people in the Pheu Thai Party are concerned about the uncertainty in the current political situation and whether they will have to be especially careful when Ms. Paethongtarn comes in, Mr. Suriya thinks that in the long run, the part that the constitution has written will definitely be an obstacle. What we have discussed in the government party is that we will have to see how it will be adjusted in the future. And the Pheu Thai Party should have lawyers in the cabinet to oversee and ensure thoroughness. Anything that risks beco
ming a point of contention, we must try to avoid.
At the same time, Mr. Suriya confirmed that the Land Bridge project will continue 100%. As for economic policy, if we look back in the past, when Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra was Prime Minister, the Tom Yum Kung crisis occurred. The economy declined. Mr. Thaksin was able to restore it and pay the money on time. That is a strength in solving economic problems. I think it is a strength of the Pheu Thai Party that can definitely solve economic problems. -316.
Source: Thai News Agency