FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

A leader must be held accountable for the actions of his team

A leader must be held accountable for the actions of his team

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seems to be enjoying a brief respite from headaches over controversies involving people close to him.

For the past few weeks has faced criticism over the actions of his younger brother General Preecha Chan-o-cha and of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan.
As Defence Ministry permanent secretary, Preecha was linked with the appointment of his son as an Army officer and also the use of an Air Force plane to transport his wife and entourage to the opening ceremony for a dyke in Chiang Mai that had been named after her.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) concluded that no wrongdoing had occurred in either case. Meanwhile investigations into the Defence Ministry’s funding of the dyke and the Third Army Area’s awarding of construction contracts to Preecha’s other son are still ongoing.
Prawit has been dogged by criticism over the Bt21-million bill for his chartered flight to Hawaii for an unofficial meeting between US Defence Secretary Ash Carter and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The OAG is among several government agencies that have declared there were no irregularities in chartering a THAI Boeing 747 for a delegation of just 38 people.
However, despite assurances from officialdom and even some independent organisations, widespread suspicion lingers that power has been abused in these cases. The critics are reluctant to place their trust in people who destroyed the normal scrutinising mechanisms when they seized power.
Supporters of the post-coup government seem to place Prayut above the controversies, insisting he remains untainted by association.
The controversies include the scandal over alleged kickbacks in the construction of the military’s Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin, for which then-Army chief Udomdej Sitabutr took all the blame.
Meanwhile Prawit was also caught up in alleged irregularities in the War Veterans Organisation when his name was cited by people demanding rake-offs from contractors. The controversies involving Preecha focused exclusively on him and his family members.
All have denied committing any wrongdoing. And Prayut has made it clear that he is not keen in finding fault with any of them.
Supporters have called on Prayut, in his capacity as prime minister and head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), to be decisive and remove problematic figures from his government. The PM’s admirers suggest he should “replace players in order to protect the team”. They seem to remain convinced that Prayut himself is an honest leader with integrity.
 They need to be reminded that the PM requires the help of those around him. A large group of people, both civilians and military, aided him in seizing power in 2014. And he still needs those people to help run the government. As such, he cannot afford to take action that risks upsetting this group and undermining his regime’s stability. We cannot expect him to punish the very people he relies on for power.
The leader cannot be viewed separately from his team. The truth is they are all in this together.
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