Chaiwut Urges PM to Tighten Grip on Ministers and Officials During Government Transition

On February 19, 2024, Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn, leader of the Rak Chart Party, warned that the government and civil servants should not use the period of waiting for a new government as an excuse to neglect their duties, particularly regarding people's livelihoods and safety, including online threats and widespread violence. While political negotiations for ministerial positions are intensely underway, citizens are facing severe safety crises on the streets and online. Chaiwut expressed concern that ministers might become idle during the government transition, highlighting critical issues such as violent incidents in Songkhla province and the rapid resurgence of scammer gangs and online fraud. He emphasized that these criminals do not stop working, unlike some ministers, and are instead taking advantage of weakened government mechanisms to target citizens. Chaiwut urged the government to act quickly and requested the Prime Minister to use existing authority to instruct ministers and officials at all levels to continue working fully and address people's problems rapidly, without allowing citizens' suffering to become secondary to political negotiations.