The Pheu Thai Party yesterday rejected the red shirts' call for its MPs to resign en masse on grounds that such a move would hurt the opposition instead of undermining the government.
"We have already sacrificed our blood to help the red shirts, but as opposition lawmakers we have our own method of working," chief opposition whip Witthaya Buranasiri said, adding that the opposition party and the red-shirt movement were two separate entities.
Pheu Thai MP Paijit Srivorakan said the call for mass resignation was mere rhetoric designed to sway the crowds rather than a demand aimed at his party.
He added that Pheu Thai was not planning to push for House dissolution and also reminded parties involved that MPs vacating House seats was not an effective manner to pave the way for a snap election.
Paijit also reminded people that when lawmakers from the New Aspiration Party resigned en masse, the Chuan Leekpai government ignored the move and did not dissolve the House as hoped for by the opposition.
He added that opposition MPs could effectively apply pressure on the government if they retained their House seats.
In his Twitter message, ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra said he did not agree with the plan for Pheu Thai MPs to quit their House seats.
If history is any indication, the government would not collapse just because the opposition the MPs had resigned, he said, arguing that move would be as futile as punishing a cat by feeding it grilled fish.
Red-shirt leader and Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan, meanwhile, said his party had yet to debate the idea that was floated by his colleague Veera Musigapong, adding that he had no plans to quit until the issue had been reviewed.
Jatuporn also said he would not be pushing any MPs to resign because each of them would have to reimburse the state Bt10 million in re-election expenses.
Meanwhile, Pracharaj Party leader Snoh Thienthong said he did not see any benefits from the opposition lawmakers leaving office.
Veteran politician Chaturon Chaisang said Pheu Thai MPs should continue with their jobs so they can expose the government's flaws. He said resigning en masse would deprive them of an opportunity to grill the coalition about its poor performance, corruption and injustice.
