Deputy leader of the Pheu Thai Party, Chusak, mentioned the qualification review of the Petongtan cabinet ministers in the parliament. He stated that the committee responsible for this task has submitted the review materials to the relevant institutions to determine who was complained about, the specific reasons for the complaints, and the progress of the cases.
The Secretary-General of the National Anti-Corruption Commission has issued a statement and sent the review results back to the committee for further deliberation, to be submitted to the King for approval and to complete the cabinet formation. Issues of honesty and ethics are the focus of the review, which must be clearly judged by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, but the review has not yet reached this stage.
Chusak believes that personally, complaints about these issues will continue and there is no thorough solution. When there are complaints, the government and the National Anti-Corruption Commission must take the case. Whether the complaints are true is another matter, requiring deliberation and judgment, and does not imply that the person complained about necessarily has a qualification issue. If a complaint alone counts, then no one could be appointed, and ultimately no one would be able to serve.
If after the final ministerial list is announced, someone raises complaints similar to those faced by former Prime Minister Seta, Chusak responded that each person's situation is different. Everyone is clear about the key points of the Seta case, but so far, no mistakes have been found in the new cabinet's ministerial nomination list.
Regarding whether the complaints received by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the courts against 11 ministerial candidates constitute bullying of the government, Chusak stated that although he is unsure of the specific purpose of the complainants, it must be understood that this is how Thai politics works. As long as moral issues are involved, the discussion will not stop. This also leads to difficulties in Thailand's development.
As for the government asking legal experts Micha and Wisanu to assist in the review, Chusak said that this is to ensure the smooth progress of the qualification review. Although he does not know the specific standards of the qualification review department, he believes that as long as there is no judgment saying someone has made a mistake, that person is innocent, and if not, the country cannot move forward.
Thai Prime Minister Petongtan went to the Sinawat Building to attend a Pheu Thai Party parliamentary meeting, where she discussed the progress of the new cabinet list. She stated that the list has been basically finalized, but still needs further verification with the Cabinet Secretary to ensure its completeness. Petongtan confirmed that all processes and lists have been completed.
When asked by reporters whether the list could be submitted to His Majesty the King within this week, Petongtan nodded and said, "I think it should be possible." Regarding individuals in the list with issues, she emphasized that they will be submitted for verification as per the procedure.
When repeatedly asked by reporters whether the allocation of cabinet positions was personally decided by the Prime Minister, Petongtan clearly stated, "Yes, and there will be no problems."
When asked if she was worried about possible future complaints, Petongtan briefly responded: "Not worried."
Thailand's Acting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Putan, explained the progress of the Petongtan government's cabinet formation at the Ministry of Commerce. Putan stated that the cabinet formation is nearly complete, and the new cabinet members are expected to start their duties no later than September 15. All processes, including submitting the list to His Majesty the King, taking the oath of office, and reading the policy statement to the parliament, will proceed as planned.
Putan pointed out that the qualification review of ministerial candidates has been completed by the State Council and returned to the Cabinet Secretariat, overall no problems have been found, and it is unlikely that there will be any issues. Although all relevant details have been thoroughly reviewed and the results are satisfactory, he advised the public to wait patiently for the final results, as they are not yet fully confirmed. Before the official announcement of the list, everything is still subject to change.
When asked if this qualification review might lead to changes in the candidate list, Putan responded that it is advisable to wait until the final results are out before commenting. However, he added that from what he sees now, there are no problems with the list. Additionally, Putan also responded to whether the new cabinet could be formed as scheduled on September 15, saying, "We will do our best."
