Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai Party's chief of the Inclusion and Innovation Adviser Committees, is keeping mum about her chances of standing as the party's prime ministerial candidate after the party declared it will unveil its candidate after the House is dissolved.
Addressing the Pheu Thai's general assembly on Sunday, Ms Paetongtarn, a daughter of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, said the party has worked hard to lay the groundwork for solving the nation's problems and preparing the country for the future.
Ms Paetongtarn, also dubbed "Head of the Pheu Thai Family", told party members that Pheu Thai fully supports power decentralisation, improved public health services in the provinces and harnessing of soft power.
She said artificial intelligence should be adopted to increase farm productivity and digital transformation should be introduced in the government sector to help eradicate corruption.
The country, she said, also needs help preparing for the metaverse, touted as the future of the internet and consisting of a set of parallel "universes" accessed primarily through augmented and virtual reality platforms.
Ms Paetongtarn added laws will be amended to remove obstacles which stand in the way of innovation. She also said the party had a clear plan to increase tourist arrivals by 80 million in four years after an election win.
She added she will start working as a full-time member and chief adviser of Pheu Thai.
However, she declined to say whether she will emerge as Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidate. She said it would be overstepping the mark to declare herself ready for the candidacy when the party has not yet decided.
"When the day comes for Pheu Thai [to return to power], we will get down to business of tackling the country's problems," she said.
According to Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew, the party assumes there will be a House dissolution, after which time its prime ministerial candidate will be announced.
Last month, Deputy Prime Minister and Palang Pracharath Party leader Prawit Wongsuwon told small coalition partners that a House dissolution is expected late this year with snap elections likely to take place early next year.
Dr Cholnan said the opposition will file a no-confidence motion against the government. The opposition parties will finalise the issues for the censure debate tomorrow although he has not spelt out when the debate will take place.
He admitted the censure debate is being planned amid political constraints brought on by scrutiny of amendments to the organic laws necessary for implementing the dual-ballot election system. If the amendment to the organic law on election of MPs is not passed in time, there could be a political deadlock, he said.
The amended law may be forwarded to the joint sitting about a month after the next ordinary parliamentary session opens on May 24. The censure debate may be held at the end of July, Dr Cholnan said.
