Pita quits as MFP leader

[reader]

From The Nation

Pita Limjaroenrat resigned as Move Forward Party leader on Friday, relinquishing his chance of becoming opposition leader.

Pita explained in a Facebook post that he was forced to quit after being suspended as an MP pending the Constitutional Court ruling in his media shareholding case.

He also pointed out that Move Forward was forced into opposition despite gaining the most votes in the May 14 election.

Pita said he decided to quit as party chief after talks with his party's executive committee and MPs.

He added that Move Forward must lead the opposition in Parliament to promote change in Thailand, which is not part of government policies.

"Hence, I have decided to resign as Move Forward leader to allow the party to choose an MP who is able to become opposition leader in Parliament and party leader in my stead," he said.

He also vowed to contine to do his best for Move Forward and the people in order to drive forward reform in Thailand.

[vinapu]

so sadly for now 1-0 for old establishment

[PeterRS]

I can understand the reasoning, but it seems to show a lack of desire on his part to play the key role in the Party that many expected and wanted him to do. In a way it seems a little similar to neither him nor any of his close Party colleagues bothering to check his past history and discover the media company shares. Very sad for what we thought would be a positive move for democracy in this country.

Could he not have considered becoming ex-government Chairman of the Party?

[vinapu]

apparently according to what I read on Gaybutton board constitution requires that leader of opposition must be MP, that's the reason for stepping down

[PeterRS]

6 hours ago, vinapu said:

apparently according to what I read on Gaybutton board constitution requires that leader of opposition must be MP, that's the reason for stepping down

I can understand that the leader of the opposition has to be sitting in parliament. But there are lots of cases around the world where the Chairmen of political parties do not sit as MPs.

[reader]

From Thai PBS World

Chaithawat voted new Move Forward leader

Move Forward party secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon was elected new Move Forward party leader today (Saturday), succeeding Pita Limjaroenrat who stepped down.

Chaithawat received 330 votes in favour, against five dissenting, at the extraordinary general meeting of the party this morning at the party’s head office.

A native of Songkhla province, 45-year-old Chaithawat graduated with a BA in Environmental Engineering from Chulalongkorn University. He was the leader of the Student Federation of Thailand in 1998/9 and a founder and editor of the Fah Diew Kan political magazine. He was a committee member of the Asian Public Intellectuals Fellowship Program, the Nippon Foundation and the Institute of Asian Studies at Chulalongkorn University and an advisor to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights from 2014 to 2018.

The meeting will also elect a new executive committee, as the previous one was automatically disbanded after Pita’s resignation.

For the time being, Pita is been banned from performing his duties as an MP in parliament by the Constitutional Court, after it agreed to consider a complaint that Pita owned shares in a media firm when he applied for his May 14^th general election candidacy.

The court’s ban has also prevented Pita from assuming his role as leader of the opposition which, according to the law, is reserved for the leader of the largest opposition party.

The election of Chaithawat does pave the way for him to become leader of the opposition, but it remains to be seen whether he will take the post.

If he does, however, it would mean that the party’s MP, Padipat Suntiphada, will lose his post as the deputy House speaker, in accordance with Section 106 of the Constitution, which stipulates that a member of the opposition party, of which the leader of the opposition is also a member, cannot be a minister, House speaker or deputy House speaker.

If the Move Forward party wants to keep Padipat as the deputy House speaker, but under the banner of another opposition party, it will have to expel him, so he can join a new one within 30 days (to retain his parliamentary membership).

 

[reader]

From Thai PBS World

New Move Forward leader outlines strategies for more change in Thai society

The Move Forward party will press for more change in Thai society, expand its political base across the country and transform the party into a political institution of the people, newly-elected party leader Chaithawat Tulathon told supporters at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s youth centre (formerly Thai-Japanese youth centre) in Din Daeng on Sunday.

Speaking at a political event entitled “Next Step, Move Forward Throughout the Land”, Chaithawat said that, although the Move Forward party has a new leader, Pita Limjaroenrat remains the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

He said that many party members are disappointed while others have lost hope, because the party could not form a government, even though it won the most seats in parliament.

“Today, we leave our tears and sadness behind. No more regret,” said Chaithawat, as he urged party members to work with the party to bring about more change.

He outlined the party’s four strategies, one of which is to expand its political base to include the whole country. “We will maintain our old turf and to create new ones,” he said, as he urged party members to try harder to win elections in constituencies currently controlled by the other parties.

Another strategy is to turn the Move Forward party into a people’s political institute and the third is to perform its duty as the opposition the best it can, to vigorously check the performance of the government in a straightforward manner “without fear and with substance.”

The final strategy, said the party leader, is to push for the writing of a new Constitution by a people’s assembly, as he called for a referendum so the people can decide whether they want a new charter.