Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s cabinet is totally nonchalant about the fact their boss could be stripped of his post tomorrow.
Given the chances that the Constitutional Court will rule against Gen. Prayuth when it delivers its verdict on ethics charges — remote is being kind — his deputy said today that he felt zero anxiety about the outcome.
“I’m not worried. It’s the court’s business,” said Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, the 75-year-old head of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party who’s served as Prayuth’s right hand since they staged a coup d’etat together in 2014.
Asked if they have prepared a list of candidates for acting prime minister in case the ruling is unfavorable, Prawit simply said “no.”
The court, which holds power over the executive and has a history of dismantling opposition parties, will rule on whether Prayuth violated ethics laws by continuing to live in military housing after he retired from his post as army commander and made himself prime minister.
Prawit told reporters at the Government House that it was all up to the court. He added that the police would “take care of” the pro-democracy protesters planning to rally outside the court.
Yesterday evening, the chief strategist of the largest political party, Pheu Thai, Sudarat Keyuraphan and other key members resigned without explanation following months of internal acrimony. Reporters asked if Prawit what he thought and whether he was interested in recruiting them for his party.
“It’s their business,” he said with a shrug.
Reporters also approached Anutin Charnvirakul, another deputy prime minister, to ask whether he was ready to be chief executive – to which he joked that he already is, of a government election agency.
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