Thaksin proudly claims his sister is 'his clone'
The Pheu Thai Party has voted Yingluck Shinawatra as its No.1 candidate on the party list system to compete against the Democrat Party's Abhisit Vejjajiva for the next premiership in the July 3 election.
Pheu Thai's de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who now lives in self-exile in Dubai, has confirmed he chose Ms Yingluck, his younger sister, for the post but denied that she is his proxy.
"Some said she is my nonimee. That's not true. But it can be said that Yingluck is my clone," Thaksin said in an exclusive interview with Post Today editors in Brunei.
Yesterday's vote at the Pheu Thai Party was taken in the absence of Ms Yingluck. She was told to travel to the party to hear the decision at about 2.20pm, an hour after the vote.
She thanked all party members for their support and said she felt honoured to be nominated.
She said she was confident Pheu Thai's policies could answer the needs of the public.
"I intend to enter politics and work for the people. I want unity and reconciliation to return to the country," Ms Yingluck said.
- First interview: Yingluck backs Thaksin on national reconciliation
She offered an assurance she would "make use of being a woman" to bring about reconciliation and to move the country forward and address the economic problems and create justice.
Thaksin said he had trained Ms Yingluck to improve her management skills since her graduation from university and that he and his sister shared similar management styles.
"Another important thing is that Ms Yingluck is my sister and she can make decisions for me. She can say 'yes' or 'no' on my behalf," Thaksin said.
He said his selection of Ms Yingluck was aimed at paving the way for reconciliation.
He said he would have chosen his cousin Gen Chaiyasit Shinawatra, a former army chief, as the top party list candidate, instead of Ms Yingluck, if he wanted to retaliate against his political rivals.
He said Ms Yingluck's femininity would be Pheu Thai's strength.
Ms Yingluck said she had no personal grudges against anyone in politics and could talk "with all sides to promote harmony".
Thaksin conceded Ms Yingluck lacked the experience to adapt to the unique nature of Thai politics, which often seeks to topple political leaders.
However, Thaksin said if politics entered a reconciliation mode, the conflict would ease.
Ms Yingluck was born on June 21, 1967. She is the youngest of nine children of Lert and Yindee Shinawatra. She is married to Anusorn Amornchat, president of M-Link Asia Corporation. They have a son.
She graduated from Chiang Mai University's political science and public administration and obtained a master's degree in public administration from Kentucky State University in the US. She worked at Shinawatra Directories Co and then became chief executive of AIS in 2002. After the sale of AIS to Singaporean company Temasek in 2005, she left AIS and became chief executive at SC Asset, Shinawatra's property business. She is now a member and secretary of the Thaicom Foundation.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday congratulated Ms Yingluck on her endorsement as the No.1 candidate on Pheu Thai's party list and becoming a candidate for prime minister.
He said voters now know who they could vote for in the general election. He was willing to meet Ms Yingluck for a debate.
Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban was more critical of Ms Yingluck's nomination.
He said if Ms Yingluck became prime minister, the people would find it difficult to imagine how she could handle the country's administration while always having to wait for a long distance call from abroad before making any decision.
Bhumjaithai Party spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said the nomination of Ms Yingluck as Pheu Thai's No.1 candidate on the party list was Thaksin's "final card"in his political game and from now on the general election would be fiercely contested.
Chart Thai Pattana Party leader Chumpol Silpa-archa said Ms Yingluck's foray into politics would add colour to the general election. However, it remained to be seen if she would succeed.
People's Alliance for Democracy spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan said if Pheu Thai won the election and Ms Yingluck became prime minister, the country's unrest would continue.
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