Government House, “Wisanu” reveals “Chan” does not have to automatically stop performing his duties, suggests the Ministry of Interior to ask the court because no incident has ever happened.
Mr. Wisanu Krea-ngam, advisor to the Prime Minister, talked about the election of the mayor of Pathum Thani Province, in which Mr. Chan Phuangphet was the winner, but there is an old case pending in the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct, whether he will have to stop performing his duties or not. He said that this matter is up to the Department of Local Administration, Ministry of Interior, to decide what to do because if they follow the original circular letter from the Ministry of Interior, which asked for the opinion of the Office of the Council of State, they will have to stop performing their duties immediately. But if they are not sure, they will have to ask the court only. Right now, it is in the hands of the Ministry of Interior.
Mr. Wisanu said that whether the duties are automatic or not, this is th
e issue that must be asked of the court. The province may ask the court itself or the Ministry of Interior may ask. And it is not automatic because it is not certain whether it is automatic or not. But if there is no problem, it will be according to the circular that has been sent to governors nationwide. But when there is a debate like this, if you want clarity, you have to ask the court. And it should be something that should be debated because there has never been an example like this before. We used to wonder when Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, the former Minister of Transport, who was ordered to suspend his duties, if Mr. Saksayam later won the election, would he be able to become a minister? We wondered about this but there is still no answer because the matter has not happened yet. And in the case of Mr. Chan, it is considered that he is fully qualified to run, but the qualifications and the performance of duties are different matters. In Mr. Chan’s case, he was not prohibited from running, as Mr. Phumtham Vej
jayachai, the Deputy Prime Minister, said, which is correct.
Mr. Wisanu said that in this case, if the provincial administrative organization secretary has to stop performing his duties, he can perform his duties like the real one. But if it is seen as taking too long, a new election can be held. Now, we are waiting to hear the court’s decision, which will start with the Ministry of Interior as the host of the inquiry to make everything clear.
Source: Thai News Agency