Bangkok: "Parit" submits a question to "Napinthorn" regarding the alleged collusion in the Senate election, urging her to answer the public after requesting a postponement of the live interpellation.
According to Thai News Agency, during a House of Representatives session chaired by Mr. Sophon Saram, Mr. Parit Wacharasindhu, a party-list MP and deputy leader of the People's Party, submitted an urgent interpellation to Mr. Napinthorn Srisarppang, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, regarding the alleged collusion in the Senate elections. However, Mr. Napinthorn requested a postponement of his answer, citing a field visit as the reason. Consequently, Mr. Parit requested to ask the question through the House, suggesting that Mr. Napinthorn address it on social media or through the press outside of Parliament, as he considered it an urgent issue given that the Election Commission is expected to reach a conclusion on the Senate collusion case within this week.
Mr. Parit expressed disappointment that in the first week of this parliamentary session, he recalled the Speaker of the House emphasizing the need for the government and all ministers to be responsible for their work in parliament. However, he noted that ministers were postponing answering urgent questions. He criticized the lack of coordination between the whips of both sides, having informed them on Monday evening about the urgent questioning session with Mr. Napinthorn. Mr. Parit sympathized with the government whip members for their efforts in coordinating, though whether or not the ministers would answer was beyond his control.
Mr. Parit addressed today's urgent parliamentary session regarding Mr. Napinthorn's alleged involvement in the Senate collusion case. He mentioned receiving a complaint that a Senate candidate, Mr. A, was summoned for meetings twice during his time as Deputy Minister of Commerce. The first meeting allegedly occurred on June 24, 2024, two days before the national Senate election. According to the complaint, Mr. A was invited to the Ministry of Commerce under the pretext of an examination.
Upon arriving at the Ministry of Commerce, Mr. A allegedly met with the Minister in his office, where the Minister reportedly requested two or three things if elected as a Senator. The second incident allegedly took place on June 25, 2024, one day before the national Senate election.
The information indicates that Mr. A was summoned again to the Ministry of Commerce, where the minister presented him with a resignation letter to sign before instructing him to return it to an official. This suggests that if elected as a senator, other individuals with Mr. A's resignation letter could submit their own, potentially controlling Mr. A's direction and voting decisions.
During the session, Mr. Supachai Jaisamut, a Bhumjaithai Party list MP, protested to the Speaker of the House, arguing that the urgent question was unrelated to Mr. Napinthorn's work as Minister of the Prime Minister's Office and did not comply with parliamentary regulations. The Speaker stated that since urgent questions are subject to a review committee, the committee's opinion should be respected, and permission to ask the question should be granted. He also asked Mr. Parit to summarize quickly without excessive detail, as the minister requested a postponement.
Mr. Parit summarized his questions to Mr. Napinthorn, asking whether Mr. A was indeed summoned for questioning. He suggested that if Mr. Napinthorn answered the live questioning session, he might admit that the meeting occurred but was about farmers' issues with an oversupply of turkeys. He questioned the credibility of the meeting's witnesses, as the list included individuals named as suspects in the Senate collusion case, along with members of Mr. Napinthorn's working team and Ministry of Commerce officials. He urged Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Ms. Supajee Suthamphan, to oversee ministry officials and prevent false document issuance. Finally, he offered his support to the Election Commission, urging them to work honestly and not dismiss the complaint to protect someone within the "blue" system or reward those involved in the Election Commission's selection.