Weeks of speculation that a controversial political figure was being positioned to take over the ruling political party came true Monday.
Deputy junta leader-turned-deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, a publicly unpopular figure known for a series of scandals including his penchant for expensive watches, yesterday was confirmed as the new leader of the Palang Pracharath Party.
At the Government House this morning, Prawit did not make any comment to a reporter’s question about the new position. He only smiled and walked into the building.
Prawit replaces Uttama Savanayana, who lost leadership after 18 members of the party’s executive board resigned earlier this month, automatically triggering a new vote for its leadership.
Accepting the position, Prawit told his supporters to unite and focus on doing their jobs. The party has been plagued by infighting since its inception to contest the 2019 election, especially over cabinet seats sought by its and other coalition members.
The 74-year-old army general survived a 2017 scandal after he was seen wearing dozens of ultraluxury watches worth tens of millions of baht that were not disclosed among his assets as a public servant. The National Anti-Corruption Commission cleared him of any wrongdoing a year later after he said they were borrowed from “old school friends.”
The former army commander-in-chief is considered by political observers the real power that’s held the military-aligned government, nominally ruled by retired Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, together since it first seized power in 2014.
His callous remarks blaming Chinese travelers for the sinking of a boat off Phuket that killed dozens of them in 2018 were directly credited with a sharp downturn in tourism. He has been accused by pro-democracy campaigners of orchestrating street beatings of activists, which he has denied.
Taking over the Palang Pracharath Party as its leader, Prawit will play a key role in overseeing a THB1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package that has set off alarms about potential corruption.
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