Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Monday he would never cling to a political post and was ready for political change, adding he would remain with the Democrat party until the day he quits politics.
The prime minister said this to a group attending a course on political development run by the Election Commission, who called on him at Government House. They included former Council for National Security chairman Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin and opposition Puea Thai party spokesman Prompong Nopparit.
Replying to questions, Mr Abhisit said he was not worried about losing his job and was ready for political change when it comes, including the possible dissolution of the Democrat party of which he is the leader, as long as it is done according to the law.
He said the government would have no objection to calling a general election after the constitution has been amended.
Asked about the bills on national reconciliation and amnesty for political groups, Mr Abhisit said he wondered whether all problems would end and all political groups would truly cease their political activities if they were passed into law by the parliament.
It was quite clear that some people did not want to see an end to the problems, he said.
He gave a strong indication the government will impose the Internal Security Act to control the planned red-shirt demonstration on Sunday. The prime minister said the government has the legitimacy to apply the law if problems were foreseen.
The act was designed to integrate action by the authorities to effectively bring a situation under control.
Mr Abhisit said trying to negotiate with the red-shirt leaders was unlikely to produce any significant result.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said earlier on Monday that and Mt Abhisit had discussed enforcing a ''special security law'' for the UDD protest on Sunday, when the red-shirts will demand the dissolution of the House of Representatives.
"We are worried about the demonstration and are considering whether a special law should be used to keep order in the country. We believe people do not want to see more violence or rioting in Bangkok as it would further damage the country," said Mr Suthep, who oversees security matters.
The government may impose the Internal Security Act or declare a state of emergency during the anti-government UDD rally, he said.
This issue would be discussed at the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Mr Suthep, the Democrat secretary-general, also said he opposed the Bhumjaithai Party's amnesty bill.
The coalition partner Bhumjaithai has submitted draft legislation giving amnesty for protesters of both the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) who have been charged in connection with their political gatherings.
Mr Suthep said on Monday that he had not discussed the bill with other Democrat members.
"I personally disagree with the legislation but I believe it will not become a tool for political negotiation in the future," he said.
"I haven't asked Newin Chidchob [Bhumjaithai's de facto leader and banned politician] about the urgency of passing this bill," he added.
Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondej expressed concern on hearing that the government may impose the Internal Security Act to ensure peace and order when the red-shirts stage an anti-government rally on Sunday.
He said the security law should be used only when the situation has turned violent, otherwise it could affect the country's image, which has begun to improve
The situation is unlikely to turn violent because all concerned have learned their lesson from the Songkran riots, he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment