Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej assured executive members in his People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday that he was not discouraged by the latest legal troubles that threatened his party and the government's survival.
The premier, in his capacity as PPP leader, called an urgent meeting of party executives at its headquarters on Wednesday.
According to the PPP's spokesman Kuthep Saikrajang, Samak affirmed his will to stay in office though recent court verdicts have made it difficult, if not impossible, for him to keep the jobs for some key members in his cabinet.
Wednesday's meeting was held amid a series of blows against the ruling party.
The Constitutional Court on Wednesday disqualified Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsup as a cabinet member for failing to declare part of his wife's assets before deadline.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court ruled that a Thai-Cambodian communique on the ancient Preah Vihear Temple at the border, which was signed by Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama on June 18, was in breach of the Constitution for lack of prior parliamentary approval. The verdict has added pressure for Noppadon to step down.
The opposition Democrat Party has said it would seek impeachment of Noppadon.
On the same day, a Supreme Court verdict found former PPP deputy leader and ex-House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat guilty of vote-buying in last December's election, and deprived Yongyuth, who had earlier resigned as House Speaker, of his status as a member of parliament. The verdict also banned him from running in elections for five years.
A more serious possible consequence of the verdict is that it could lead to the dissolution of the PPP party by the Constitutional Court as Yongyuth was a PPP executive when the convicted electoral fraud offence took place.
If dissolved, all PPP executives, including Samak and some key cabinet members, will be banned from electoral process for five years.
The Samak government, since taking office five months ago, had earlier seen its Prime Minister's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair resign on May 30 after police investigation found him guilty of lese majeste over an English speech he made last year at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Thailand.
According to Kuthep, Samak has told the party's executives that what happened to the government was not beyond his expectations. He said that despite its election victory, the PPP had been "targeted for demolition" because it was viewed as a tool for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to retain his political power.
Samak was also suggested to dissolve the House of Representatives, in which the PPP holds the most seats, as a way to ease the political pressure on his government.
However, Kuthep said the solution of a House dissolution was not accepted at Wednesday's meeting.
The party spokesman said the government still had the legitimacy to run the country because the PPP still had the majority control in the House.
He also expressed confidence that the other five parties which allied with PPP to form the current coalition government, would stay united with the PPP, rather than switching sides to the opposition Democrat Party.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has urged the prime minister to make a major cabinet reshuffle, installing better qualified members, to restore confidence in his government.
Source:Xinhua
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