Bangkok: Pipat is ready for scrutiny, vehemently denying any involvement in directing the Ministry of Energy, the cancellation of the land bridge project, or collusion with the Senate. Pipat is ready to explain if the opposition moves a no-confidence motion against him, stating that the Ministry of Transport has been targeted by every government. He clarified that he does not oversee the Ministry of Energy and that the land bridge project has been cancelled. He also affirmed that he is not involved in the collusion case concerning senators.
According to Thai News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, commented on the opposition's planned no-confidence motion against the government, stating that he is ready if the opposition wishes to debate issues concerning the Ministry of Transport. He emphasized that he will be prepared to provide explanations on all matters, regardless of the specifics raised. He added that he is not worried about the situation.
When asked by reporters whether he anticipated being one of those to be questioned in the interpellation, given the past criticism from the opposition, Mr. Pipat said that, based on observations, the Ministry of Transport is always the subject of interpellation regardless of which government is in power. Therefore, as the Prime Minister has entrusted him with overseeing the Ministry of Transport, he must be prepared to provide explanations. He is not worried and will address every issue, question, and concern raised by the opposition.
When asked how he was preparing, given that he was a minister targeted by the opposition, Mr. Pipat said that if they were going to target him or the Ministry of Transport, he thought it unlikely. He explained that most of the targets, such as in the previous government, were related to energy, a ministry he no longer oversees. Following that, there was the issue of the land bridge project, which has since been cancelled. A study by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, removed the term "land bridge." Therefore, he was unsure what specific topics would be debated, but if the opposition did target his ministry, he would be prepared to provide explanations.
When asked if he was confident that there was absolutely no corruption within the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Pipat said, "Actually, we've only just started working in the ministry. The last time was less than two months ago, this time it's been a little over three months, almost four months. So there shouldn't be anything to worry about. I want to state this frankly."
When asked by reporters whether he thought it appropriate for the opposition to raise the issue of collusion among senators in the debate, Mr. Pipat said that he believed the matter of collusion among senators was currently under investigation by the Election Commission (EC), even though there were two committees. He said he did not know what their opinions would be because the fact-finding committees had not yet reached a clear conclusion and the findings had not been made public. He added that they would have to wait and see how the senator issue unfolds. As for himself, he was not involved in the collusion issue because his name was not among the 229 senators in question.