Prayut slams talk of cracks in cabinet
Teerakiat admits he ‘crossed the line’
There are no “cracks” in the government despite Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin’s criticism of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon over a scandal involving luxury watches, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.
Gen Prayut made the remark after meeting Dr Teerakiat and Gen Prawit to clear the air in the wake of Dr Teerakiat’s return from the United Kingdom, where he spoke to a group of Thai students at a reception at the Thai embassy in London on Feb 9.
Dr Teerakiat found himself in hot water earlier this week when an audiotape surfaced featuring a slew of controversial comments indicating the regime may be experiencing some internal divisions.
While critics say his comments have dented the government’s credibility, Gen Prayut was unfazed after yesterday’s meeting.
“There are no cracks in the cabinet. We are still fond of and understand one another,” he said.
Gen Prayut said that after listening to Dr Teerakiat’s explanation he was confident it was more of a misunderstanding; the minister did not mean to criticise Gen Prawit or undermine the regime, he was just having a conversation, the premier said.
Dr Teerakiat said in a separate press conference that he had admitted to both men he had overstepped the mark and breached etiquette, and had apologised.
While a still photograph that accompanied the audiotape made it look as though the minister was giving a formal interview to BBC Thai, he said there was some confusion because he had been interviewed by the same reporter twice.
Only when the journalist approached him a second time with pointed questions about the wristwatch scandal did he discuss the matter, he said, adding the tape had not been doctored.
Dr Teerakiat said he did not realise his comments were being recorded. The BBC responded by saying the journalist had told him the tape was rolling. The minister insisted he would not leave the cabinet.
“I signed on for the cabinet post because I have faith in the prime minister. I will continue to work until he finds my services are no longer needed,” he said.
Dr Teerakiat said Gen Prawit nodded his head in a gesture of acceptance when he offered the personal apology.
The minister said he holds no grudges against the deputy premier. “We still see eye to eye,” he said.
When asked yesterday if he had forgiven the education minister, Gen Prawit claimed to have a sore throat.
The minister landed in the media limelight after his voice could clearly be heard on the audio clip, which was uploaded to the BBC Thai website, answering questions about Gen Prawit’s designer watch scandal.
“This watch saga, if it was I who had been exposed, I would have resigned [from the cabinet] when the first wristwatch came to light,” he said.
Gen Prawit has been spotted wearing at least 25 luxury wristwatches at public functions and other events.
None were declared among his assets to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
“In Thailand, nothing happens to a person with 25 watches to wear,” Dr Teerakiat added.
This last remark apparently caught some accidental eavedroppers, who were attending the function to recruit Thai graduates from British universities, off-guard.
“Many people are afraid to speak up,” Dr Teerakiat said at the reception.
“What do they have to fear? Why? Would they fire me [from the cabinet]?”
His address lasted for about 15 minutes. Dr Teerakiat referred to a minister in Britain’s House of Lords who recently offered to resign after being late to answer questions.
He said there was no way Thai politicians would quit their ministerial posts for such a minor thing as arriving late.
“No way. It’s a matter of conscience which runs deep in the veins. That’s to know what one should or should not do or what is right or wrong. Being late may break no law or ethics,” he said.
He suggested that in Thailand a deficient moral conscience is typically tolerated.
The education minister won the praise of many social media users for having the courage to speak his mind.
Some took to Twitter to express their disappointment after he announced he was staying put in the government.
Meanwhile, the NACC has granted Gen Prawit’s request to extend until tomorrow the deadline by which he must give a statement in response to the panel’s latest findings.
NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon said the deadline fell on Feb 8 but the deputy premier asked that it be postponed for a week. Gen Prawit maintains the watches were borrowed from friends and returned.
Apolitical bomb dropped on the regime by Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin regarding the luxury watch scandal will prove whether Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s ethical standards are on a par with the politicians he has always criticised.
The headlines came after BBC Thai reported on Monday remarks Dr Teerakiat made to Thai students and Thai business people at a reception at the Thai embassy in London.
At the event, the education minister told the audience that the mindset of Thai leaders and politicians are very different from those of UK politicians and that the rule of law among policy makers is not truly maintained.
Dr Teerakiat cited the case of Lord Michael Bates as an example. The International Development Minister tendered his resignation after being a few minutes late to answer a question in the House of Lords from a fellow peer.
The Thai minister sarcastically said nothing like that happens in Thailand when someone wears 25 luxury watches, apparently referring to Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon who has been spotted wearing of 25 expensive watches that were not declared to the anti-graft agency as required by law.
In a further interview with BBC Thai, the minister, who completed mandatory training requirements and membership examinations for the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK, reiterated that no Thai politician would resign for being late for an engagement.
“It is the mindset [of Thai politicians] and it’s in their blood that being late is not unlawful nor an ethical offence. It is no reason [for them to resign], said Dr Teerakiat, adding they are very thick skinned — yang naa is a Thai idiom for being shameless.
“Regarding the watches [scandal], if I was exposed [like this], I would have resigned when the first one came to light,” the minister said, meaning the Richard Mille spotted on Gen Prawit’s wrist in December, triggering the scandal.
He stressed that what he said was his personal view, and not in his capacity as a cabinet minister. He also insisted that his opinion is not necessarily the same as those of other cabinet members.
Gen Prayut briefly dismissed the
media’s call for a response yesterday, saying it’s the education minister who has to answer the media’s questions, not him.
Meanwhile, Gen Prawit remained tight-lipped over the issue.
It is not normal in Thai politics for a minister to directly criticise other ministers in the same cabinet, particularly those who are his or her bosses.
Still, it is disappointing that Dr Teerakiat said he would not resign from the cabinet despite his remarks which raised questions about the ethical standards of this government.
The minister has apologised to Gen Prawit, saying that what he said in the UK was a personal opinion and he still had trust in the deputy PM.
It doesn’t matter what he said here in Thailand as his statement in the UK is clear and strong enough to pose a dilemma for Gen Prayut.
Gen Prayut is being forced to choose between the two men — one who has lost public trust and given an excuse for the watches that have become an international joke and the other who has called on this government to lift its ethical standards and accountability.
Any decision, or no decision, by the prime minister may not affect the stability
of the government, but it will definitely diminish public trust in him.
Gen Prayut has expressed full support for his “big brother” regarding the watches scandal. In a recent mobile cabinet meeting in Chanthaburi, the premier asked residents to not only love him but also his deputies and all his ministers.
He suggested that if anyone had to leave the cabinet at this time, it would cause his government problems.
This display of backing for Gen Prawit shows the prime minister prioritises government stability over ethical standards.
But Dr Teerakiat’s remarks should be an eye opener.
Ethics and the rule of law are what the Prayut government should stand for as
legitimacy is an issue for this government, which came to power via a coup.
Gen Prayut criticises politicians, especially those in the past government. He has also urged people not to allow these “bad” politicians to regain power.
He assures us that his government is free of corruption and strives for good governance and ethics. However, the watch scandal gives the impression that the regime is not very different from the politicians Gen Prayut likes to put down.
I do not expect Gen Prawit to show any conscience and resign. How can we hope to see such a thing from someone who shamelessly told the public that all 25 expensive watches he was pictured wearing belonged to friends and that all the
timepieces were returned.
Such an excuse may have convinced the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), but the public will continue to have their suspicions.
The resignation of politicians during a crisis is normal practice in many countries, particularly developed ones.
Such resignations do not only happen when they make a mistake or commit an unlawful act.
They also happen when they want to show they respect public opinion, even though they are not legally in the wrong.
These ethical standards seem too high for Thai politicians, including those in this government, to comprehend.
Gen Prawit has lost public trust regardless of the NACC investigation. Gen Prayut as well as the regime as a whole will be in the same boat if they continue to do nothing regarding this issue.
I still hope the prime minister will respect public opinion even if Gen Prawit does not.
This is the only way he can prove he and his government are different from the typical politicians he dislikes.
The prime minister prioritises government stability over ethical standards.