BAGNKOK, 10 August 2011 – Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is worried over the new cabinet’s ability to address economic and foreign affairs issues while hoping the action against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be unchanged.
After seeing the cabinet lineup of the Yingluck Shinawatra government, Mr Abhisit admitted that he was concerned about the efficiency of the new ministers’ economic and foreign affairs policies. He said he was disappointed that the ruling Pheu Thai Party did not appoint any members of its policy drafting team to economic minister posts but instead opted to select persons involved in Mr Thaksin’s legal case related to his sales of Shin Corp shares and tax evasion.
Therefore, the Democrat leader believed it would be a challenge for the new cabinet to prove its ability to adopt all policies earlier promised to the Thai people during election campaigns as well as its transparency in every step.
In addition, Mr Abhisit said he was rather surprised by the appointment of Mr Surapong Towichakchaikul as Minister of Foreign Affairs even though he was not keen on taking the post. He also stressed that it would be unacceptable for the Government to facilitate Mr Thaksin’s return to the Kingdom as the self-exiled premier must be dealt with under the same standard as other people.
Since certain missions would require some time to accomplish, Mr Abhisit confirmed that he would not put pressure on the Government by setting deadlines; however, he expected people’s economic burdens to receive the very first attention.
