It has been said the delegation of duties between a minister and his or her deputies is key to harmony within a ministry.
Jarupong: Ruffled feathers
This holds true for the Transport Ministry, reportedly beset by internal friction over the supervision of various agencies before the latest cabinet reshuffle.
An undercurrent of tension gripped the ministry prior to the reshuffle. Some analysts feared that conflict over the delegation of top-level duties could spill over to the current occupants of the ministerial seats.
In the reshuffle, ruling Pheu Thai Party secretary-general Jarupong Ruangsuwan was installed as transport minister, replacing ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat, who moved to serve as defence minister.
The minister has two deputies, one fewer than before the reshuffle. They are Pol Lt Gen Chatt Kuldiloke, who served under ACM Sukumpol, and Chadchart Sittiphan, said to have been brought in with the blessings of senior figures in the ruling party.
Tensions in the ministry office simmered when Mr Jarupong and Pol Lt Gen Chatt were thought to have locked horns over the supervision of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and Thai Airways International (THAI). Both are state enterprises.
A source in the ruling party said Mr Jarupong had eyed taking direct charge of the SRT, whose land the Chatuchak Weekend Market occupies. Mr Jarupong was deputy director of the Chatuchak market management office that is attached to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) .
The affairs of the market are considered close to his heart.
Now the SRT has taken over the management of the market from the BMA, Mr Jarupong thought it was his time and place to step in and apply his experience in the market's management by taking over supervision of the SRT.
However, Pol Lt Gen Chatt felt he had sweated enough in the SRT's takeover of the market back when ACM Sukumpol was minister. He should have the right to remain in charge of the SRT.
The source said Pol Lt Gen Chatt was rather lukewarm to Mr Jarupong's offer that he supervise THAI instead. The deputy minister thought he was more skilled in rail affairs, which is a more hands-on job, than the business of aviation, which is confined to an air-conditioned office environment.
The source said Pol Lt Gen Chatt planned to consult Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on the unsettled delegation of tasks at the ministry.
However, before the matter reached the prime minister's ears, Mr Jarupong decided to hand the SRT's supervision to his deputy.
For the sake of unity in the ministry, Mr Jarupong, his deputies and the transport permanent secretary agreed to a regular breakfast together every day before work begins.
Work-related issues between the minister and his deputies that could potentially touch off a row between them could be ironed out over breakfast. This way, there will be less chance of one ruffling the feathers of the other.
Long arm of law embraces govt
Thaksin Shinawatra led a government accused of giving birth to a police state before he was removed by the 2006 coup d'etat.
Five years later, his younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra has risen to power as prime minister, rekindling fears among some that the ghost of the police state is coming back to haunt the country.
Thawee: Vast experience
Political insiders have been watching with intense interest the promotions of officials closely tied to the ruling Pheu Thai Party as they have made inroads into the ranks of powerful law enforcement and litigation agencies.
Heads of the main law enforcement agencies are mostly former police officers whose links with Pheu Thai go back to the time when Thaksin was prime minister.
The Justice Ministry has been the nerve centre of law enforcement and the permanent secretary post is likely to be filled by Thawee Sodsong, a former police colonel with an iron-clad connection to the government.
Mr Thawee is director of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre and formerly a deputy justice permanent secretary, which lends him the experience and credentials for taking on the role of permanent secretary.
Mr Thawee is also campaigning hard on the monetary compensation to be offered to victims of the southern unrest, a move that is expected to send his popularity surging in the far South.
Time is pressing for Mr Thawee to heighten his profile and be groomed for the most senior civil service post in the Justice Ministry. Incumbent permanent secretary Kittipong Kittayarak is due for mandatory retirement at the end of September.
Many high-level political office holders in charge of government policies are also former policemen, namely Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung and Justice Minister Pracha Promnok, the former national police chief.
At the Department of Special Investigation, another crucial organ in the justice process, top decision-makers also carry senior police ranks. Although department chief Tharit Pengdith has no police background, those in key positions under him are either those who used to serve in the police force or are officials supportive of the causes initiated by the former police officers in the agency.
Other agencies led by former police officers include the Corrections Department, whose director-general Suchart Wong-ananchai is a former colonel; the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, which has Dusadee Arayawuthi as its secretary-general; and the Anti-Money Laundering Office, where Seehanart Prayoonrat is secretary-general.
Government critics are concerned that agencies supervised by former police officers, particularly those in charge of criminal investigations, could be subject to a rough working culture.
Tragedy turns spotlight on South
The deadly shooting in Pattani's Nong Chik district by military rangers of four local Muslims is swinging the government's focus back to violence in the South, which has been going on for eight years now.
The southern security woes are being focused on by international organisations such as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), of which Thailand is an observer.
El-Masry: Thailand visit
Although past governments under Surayud Chulanont and Abhisit Vejjajiva tried in vain to play down the southern strife by claiming it was a domestic issue, the Nong Chik tragedy is likely to have spillover effects beyond the border.
Both previous governments appointed a high-level delegation led by former ambassador Surapong Jayanama to update the OIC on the security situation and discuss steps to improve southern security problems.
Mr Surapong served as the prime minister's deputy secretary-general for political affairs in the Surayud administration and as adviser to Kasit Piromya when he was foreign minister under the Abhisit government.
''This gave the OIC a better understanding of the situation,'' said a government source.
However, with the current government's priorities on flood prevention and other political issues, links with the OIC and mutual consultation on southern security woes seem to have been neglected, said the same source.
''The government or Foreign Ministry should continue to have a high-level delegation to liaise with the OIC, but that hasn't happened,'' said the source.
Mr Kasit led a delegation of foreign ambassadors based in Thailand to the South more than five times during his term to talk to people about the situation.
Although Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has been in office for more than six months, such visits have now come to a halt.
Last Sunday's shooting may intensify the southern conflict and compel the OIC to voice its concerns again. The issue might be brought up by Sayed Kassem El-Masry, adviser to the OIC secretary-general, when he visits Thailand in May.
The only plan the government has mentioned is that it will boost military forces deployed in the far South to combat the insurgency.
While this may be a sensible move, a good lesson should be learned from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was accused of aggravating the southern problems by using the police force and not the military in security operations.
If no better strategy is developed for dealing with the southern unrest, the government could face another challenge trying to defend itself against criticism by the OIC and other international bodies.
