Deputy PM Defends Cabinet Appointments, Highlights Hidden Utility Fee Removal
Deputy PM Phalpeer Suwannachwee defended cabinet appointments as merit-based while highlighting the government's removal of hidden utility fees from electricity bills, a decades-old problem finally resolved.
Deputy Prime Minister Phalpeer Suwannachwee addressed Democrat Party MP Kalee Leowpairojn's questions about the appointment of ministers from the "Luk Thep" faction, asserting that all selections were based on merit rather than family connections. He challenged the opposition to explain what the Democrat Party accomplished during its three-month participation in the previous government, noting no memorable achievements came from their involvement.
Phalpeer highlighted successes under the current administration, including Interior Minister Jaejad Thai-saard's work in disaster prevention, Deputy Interior Minister Worsit Liang-prasit's efforts against local government corruption, and the removal of hidden public utility charges from consumer electricity bills—a problem unresolved for over 30 years. He defended the "Luk Thep" grouping as an effective coordinating mechanism between ministries that previously worked at cross-purposes, and stated that results should be judged after the government has served longer than two months. On the term "Luk Thep" itself, he said grouping ministers by affiliation demonstrates integration and coordination, and credited the factional approach with finally solving long-standing consumer utility issues.
