• 
• 

Published on November 16, 2007

As the clock ticks away to the December 23 election, the Puea Pandin Party has turned itself from a flop into a political force that poses a threat to the two titans - the People Power Party (PPP) and the Democrat Party.

During the past month, the party has become a destination for former MPs, public figures and influential politicians. Observers speculate that Puea Pandin, under party leader Suwit Khunkitti and chairman Vatana Asavahame, could beat the odds to come third ahead of Chart Thai.

A rapid change has taken place in the party shortly after the failed attempt to form an alliance of political groups including the Saman Chan and Puea Pandin group and the Pracharaj Party in early September.

However, key members of the Puea Pandin group did not quit. Instead, they carried on the mission and finally registered as a party at the end of the month.

Members include Suwit, Vatana, Surakiart Sathirathai, Suchart Tancharoen, Pinij Charusombat and Preecha Laohaphongchana - all former ministers or executives of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party. Although Puea Pandin vows to be nobody's enemy and will play a neutral role, it is hard to believe such rhetoric when the country is deeply divided into two camps, pro-and anti-Thaksin Shinawatra.

The party's sudden growth raises speculation that it is receiving strong financial support from an interest group in order to ruin one of the two favourite parties. But it cannot be confirmed if the target is the PPP or the Democrats. A group of military figures is said to be financially backing the party. This assumption can be traced back several months when one of the coup leaders, General Winai Phatthiyakul, was reported to have a plan to establish a party.

The junta allegedly wanted to retain power while undermining Thaksin's clout, which remains strong despite his exile abroad.

The rise of Puea Pandin could be linked to the leaked classified documents from the Council for National Security (CNS), which PPP leader Samak Sundaravej alleges are proof the coup leaders have a plot to block his party from winning the poll.

The PPP under deposed premier Thaksin's shadow is favourite to win and then form the next government.

The coup leaders cannot allow such a result to take place, otherwise the coup of September 19, 2006, would mean nothing because Thaksin and his men would return to power and, in the worst case, take revenge.

They are suspected to be giving covert support to Puea Pandin to undermine PPP strongholds in the North, Northeast and Central provinces. In this case, the party would join the Democrats and Chart Thai to form a coalition government - leaving the PPP alone in the opposition.

A key member of Puea Pandin is recently reported to have put a huge amount of money into the party's coffers. He is said have received around Bt1 billion from selling a plot of land in the Yaowarat area of downtown Bangkok. Moreover, he also sold his casino in Poi Pet, Cambodia, for the same reason.

As Puea Pandin does not make it clear about which side it will take when the election results come up, one should not forget that Suwit, Suchart, Pinij and Preecha are former key members of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai.

If Puea Pandin comes third in the election, while the PPP wins but does not get more than half of the 480 MP seats, Suwit could become a "pick" for a PPP-led coalition government to be prime minister.

This could be a conspiracy by Thaksin so that he can have his revenge on the coup leaders.

Thaksin knows that the rise of PPP leader Samak might trigger strong opposition from his enemies over an allegation that Samak is his nominee. If Thaksin has to trust either Suwit and his former ally Chart Thai leader Banharn Silapa-archa, he will surely pick his former Thai Rak Thai man Suwit.

If Puea Pandin joins the Democrats, Suwit will be blocked from the top office as Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is likely to take the helm.

Until a winning party begins to form a government, Puea Pandin will not reveal its true colours.

Weerayut Chokchaimadon

 The Nation