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BANGKOK: Thailand’s opposition party on Wednesday lodged a motion
of no confidence against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, piling
pressure on his embattled four-month-old government.
The Democrat Party wants to grill Samak and
seven members of his Cabinet over their performance so far after
state unions threatened to join ongoing street protests demanding
Samak step down.
“Even though just four months have passed,
Samak’s government has caused severe damage to the country due to
inefficiency and disunity,” it said.
One of the party’s key complaints was that
Samak has been acting as a proxy for deposed Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, who was banned from politics for five years in 2007 by a
constitutional tribunal.
The motion also accuses Samak of mishandling
soaring global oil prices and rising inflation, which have sparked
threats of nationwide protests, and ignoring the crisis in the
insurgency-hit south.
Democrat Party member Sathit Wongnongtoey said
they hoped the debate could take place before the current parliament
session ends on June 28, followed by a vote of no confidence.
Deputy House Speaker Somsak Kiertsuranond, an MP
with Samak’s ruling People Power Party (PPP), said he would pass
the motion to the house speaker, who would choose the appropriate
time for the debate.
If a simple majority of parliamentarians voted
against the government, Samak would be forced to step down, although
he could stall the motion by prolonging other debates, potentially
until next year.
Samak led the PPP to victory in the December
elections, which ended more than a year of military rule following
Thaksin’s overthrow in September 2006.
After intense political haggling, Samak formed a
coalition government in early February with five other parties.
-- AFP
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