Julapun cites two reasons for government's withdrawal of Entertainment Complex Bill

He expects a meeting of the government whip on Monday (July 7), led by Chousak Sirinil, Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, to conclude on whether the bill will be postponed or withdrawn.

Julapun explained that the decision to reconsider the bill was not due to concerns about insufficient support in the House, but rather two key reasons:

• The government has recently reshuffled the Cabinet, with 14-15 new ministers taking office. As the bill was approved by the previous Cabinet, it is important to give the new ministers an opportunity to review and make informed decisions on such a sensitive issue before proceeding further.
   
• Several pressing issues are currently ongoing, including the drug problem and the unresolved Thai-Cambodian border dispute, in addition to public protests against the bill. In light of these challenges, it is necessary to tone down national conflicts. Therefore, it has been proposed to either delay or withdraw the bill for further Cabinet review. If deemed appropriate, it could then be resubmitted to the House of Representatives for consideration at a later date.

"Regarding the process of withdrawing or postponing the bill, if the consideration is postponed, it will require a vote in the House of Representatives to decide whether to delay the agenda," Julapun added.

Meanwhile, Wisut Chainarun, Pheu Thai party list MP and chairman of the government whip, has proposed that the government withdraw the Entertainment Complex Bill from the parliamentary agenda rather than request a delay. 

He acknowledged that the current situation is not ideal and that the government's majority in the lower house remains razor-thin, which could lead to potential political issues.

Wisut stated that after discussions with Chousak, both agreed that a postponement could lead to social and political consequences. Therefore, the best course of action would be to withdraw the bill for now, and if the new government is ready, it can be reconsidered later. 

He suggested that the new government clarify the issue with the public, as the bill has wide-ranging implications.

Wisut also addressed the parliamentary collapse incident on Thursday (July 3), clarifying that it was not an official collapse but rather occurred because some MPs had to temporarily leave the chamber for a newly scheduled Cabinet meeting that afternoon.

He noted that holding a quorum count at that time would have caused problems, so the meeting was adjourned when there were insufficient MPs present.