ABOUT Politics
Big changes are occurring at the Interior, but Gen Anupong isn’t talking about them The marshals unit under the Justice Ministry has been disbanded, but not without a struggle Apparent infighting is getting in the way of economic progress
A quiet revolution
On the surface it would seem there is little going on at the Interior Ministry under minister Gen Anupong Paojinda. Not so, says one political source. The normally high-profile ministry is a hive of activity, but a lot of what is occurring is “flying under the media radar”.
Not long after his appointment as interior minister, Gen Anupong was put to the test by a group of officials with close affiliations to the “old power clique”. These officials, according to the source, did not pay much attention to what Gen Anupong had to say. They might, it could be argued, be in deliberate snub mode and attempting to jeopardise the National Council for Peace and Order’s (NCPO) peacekeeping efforts.
These officials apparently assumed that Gen Anupong would not be around too long as the government was only an interim one. According to the source, they gave the military-appointed administration one year in power and after that things would return to “normal”.
But their inaction towards Gen Anupong’s policies did not go unnoticed.
There followed a bout of reshuffling of those who would not respond or contribute to the minister’s initiatives — transfers to inactive posts came thick and fast. Officials who had been sidelined in the past or transferred for political reasons were brought back into action. According to the source, Gen Anupong will not hesitate to order another purge if these Interior officials fail to adjust.
Gen Anupong is relying heavily on military and security officers who are required to coordinate closely with Interior officials in adjusting the attitude of anti-coup elements. There is no doubt among Interior officials that the laconic Gen Anupong is someone they cannot mess with.
The Interior Ministry under Gen Anupong has been transformed into something resembling a military command centre. His action team is full of men in uniform and they do things in a military fashion — orderly and systematic.
Upon taking the portfolio, Gen Anupong sent a circular to the heads of the numerous agencies that come under the ministry, instructing them not to roll out the red carpet to welcome him when he comes calling.
“His order is emphatically clear: no welcoming committee, no party and, above all, no attempt to try to ‘reach’ him by approaching his wife,” said the source.
This is his stamp. Before he retired as army chief several years ago, he ditched the tradition of paying a farewell visit to every major army unit nationwide. He also cancelled farewell trips overseas saying they were costly.
So as it turns out, things would seem to be rather quiet at the Interior Ministry. Gen Anupong’s visits to the provinces and his attention to work are close to being under-reported.
Gen Anupong was army chief when the political conflict peaked in 2010. Back then he was said to be restrained in his desire to maintain peace and order because the Democrat Party-led administration was — in the view of some — not prepared to be tough enough in handling the red-shirt protests.
But Gen Anupong was not picked as interior minister because of the luck of the draw, according to the source.
The former army commander is tasked with making sure nothing goes wrong as the country transitions to democratic rule after national reform and the constitution drafting processes are completed.
By the time the country returns to an elected government, the Interior Ministry is expected to be “freed” from the grip of the old powers, observers believe.
Marshals quick on the draw
High drama surrounds the abolition of the so-called “Thai Marshals”, an enforcement unit under the Justice Ministry, and the ministry’s permanent secretary has found himself in hot water.
Little is known among the general public about just exactly who the marshals are, let alone what they do. That was until recently when the ministry announced it was going to axe the marshal unit.
Modelled on the US Marshals Service, the Thai unit was tasked with enforcing court rulings, although it was frequently argued that the police were already doing that job. Therefore, the marshals were redundant.
But what really led to the Thai marshal unit being scrapped was the fact that there was no law to support its functioning and which would have given it legal status.
The marshal unit was set up in 2010 during the Abhisit administration and had 66 officers under its wing. But with its abolition, the officers are being transferred to other government units such as the Witness Protection Office and the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.
Although the unit has ceased to exist, the transfer of its officers has emerged as a prickly issue for justice permanent secretary Chatchawal Suksomjit.
But to be more precise, the sore point is how the officers were shifted.
A major controversy surrounds the method of sending the officers to other units under the Justice Ministry. They were selected by means of a drawing of lots, which was endorsed by Pol Gen Chatchawal.
A source at the ministry said the drawing of lots, which was criticised as an affront to the merit system in determining who should be promoted or transferred, was the idea of a senior ministry official loyal to a former justice permanent secretary.
However, the senior official has managed to sidestep any backlash after Pol Gen Chatchawal signed the order endorsing the method.
Some ministry officials were concerned that unconventional as it was in the normal sense of things, the transfers might be met with legal complaints from those involved.
They argued that lot drawing was not recognised by ministry regulations as a legal and proper way of allocating or re-allocating personnel.
However, t he permanent secretary reserved his right to use his discretion in opting for this method, as long as he could justify his decision.
In his defence, Pol Gen Chatchawal insists lot drawing, which came, he said, from an idea from a group of ministry officials, was a timely approach and well-suited to the purpose of redistributing manpower.
He explained that in the case of the Thai marshals, the abolition of the unit did not constitute a pretext for a reshuffle, which would have made lot drawing inexcusable.
The source said many marshals were not happy to find themselves placed in other ministry units. They felt the method had been imposed upon them.
They decided to file a petition with the Administrative Court and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to demand justice over their transfer.
After hearing the news of the petition, Pol Gen Chatchawal and other officials rushed into a closed-door meeting with Justice Minister Gen Paiboon Koomchaya. What was discussed has not been disclosed.
Not much team spirit
When the country has more than one economic team in charge, there is bound to be conflict. And the cracks are beginning to show.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has its own economic team headed by former air force commander Prajin Juntong, who is also transport minister.
The Prajin team came into being before the government was formed and named its own economic team headed by Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula.
Two recent events have been observed which could lend credence to potential friction between the two teams, according to political analysts. The Pridiyathorn team also includes ACM Prajin on account of his transport portfolio.
On Jan 8, MR Pridiyathorn called his team to a meeting to come up with solutions to some of the economic problems which require urgent government attention. All were present except ACM Prajin and Commerce Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya, who concurrently holds the post of deputy chief of the NCPO’s economic team.
Four days later, ACM Prajin led his economic team into a meeting with 25 representatives of key businesses at Kesakomol House, the official residence of the army chief.
The meeting was joined by the NCPO chief, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and Somkid Jatusripitak, the former finance minister and one of two civilian members of the NCPO.
However, none of the Pridiyathorn team members turned up.
ACM Prajin explained it was he, not Mr Somkid, who arranged the Kesakomol session.
He consulted Gen Chatchai about organising the meeting and they figured the private sector should be invited to voice the economic problems they face directly to Gen Prayut.
The transport minister denies his team and MR Pridiyathorn are locking horns or duplicating work. Rather, the two teams are working alongside one another.
ACM Prajin said his team is conforming strictly to what has been set out in the national roadmap issued by the NCPO in terms of meeting the goals in pushing projects to develop the country.
He maintained both economic teams were duty-bound to implement the NCPO’s policies which often involve complex legal and administrative processes. This sometimes requires the help of the NCPO in approving projects and expediting the steps necessary to carry them out.
ACM Prajin added his economic team would not interfere with the work of the government’s economic ministers.
It might, however, step in to assist the Pridiyathorn team with coordinating with agencies or units when needed.
Observers agree the Pridiyathorn team does not appear fully able to act on policy implementation on its own but sometimes has to rely on the power of the NCPO to get things done.
Recently, the prime minister instructed cabinet ministers to look at areas where key policies could be delivered more efficiently and where improvements could be made.
MR Pridiyathorn was given responsibility for economic issues such as alleviation of public debt and eradication of undocumented debt, the establishment of special economic zones, the development of a digital economy, and enhancement of the country’s energy security.
Many issues entrusted to the deputy premier have been delayed, and it looks as though his team will have to, once again, turn to the NCPO for a helping hand.