The govt must put its money where its mouth is

The government’s decision to transfer Colonel Dusadee Arayawuth, secretary-general of the Public-Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), to an inactive post has been met with scepticism by the public. The transfer took place shortly after Dusadee said he suspected there might have been “irregularities” in the use of flood-relief money for six northeastern provinces.

Instead of providing support to enable Dusadee to investigate the case, the government has decided to transfer him, naming him deputy permanent secretary to the Ministry of Justice, a post seen as an “inactive position”.

This changing of horses in midstream is unfortunate indeed. The corruption investigation will now have to go back to square one. Department of Special Investigation deputy chief Prawet Moolpramuk, who was assigned by the government to investigate the military crackdown on red-shirt protesters in Bangkok in May 2010, has been tipped to replace Dusadee.

PACC officials, along with many critics, view the transfer as untimely and unreasonable. Along with their so-far-quiet protest, anonymous leaflets were distributed earlier this week at the PACC, the Justice Ministry and the Department of Special Investigation alleging that Dusadee’s transfer is linked to his agency’s investigation into cases involving politicians currently in power.

The leaflets detailed links to cases including one related to forest encroachment in Phuket, tax evasion involving imported cars, and the government’s spending of disaster-rehabilitation budgets. 

The Board of Trade of Thailand has already expressed concern that there might be irregularities involved in the distribution of flood-relief money to victims in upcountry provinces. The private sector’s anti-corruption network thus invited the public and students to help it monitor the use of taxpayers’ money to ensure the money is well spent and reaches the people and projects for which it is intended.

The government’s flood-relief budget will be a tempting source of corruption, to be sure. The administration has approved Bt120 billion for future efforts in addition to the Bt350 billion already earmarked for rehabilitation projects. 

Dusadee is not the only person qualified to investigate these cases, but his presence at the PACC had shored up the morale of officials there. Shortly before the transfer he reported that there might be graft involved in the distribution of the flood relief in the six provinces. The public was enthusiastic about knowing the results of the investigation and had expected the agency’s officials to be able to proceed with the investigation without political interference.

The PACC reports that there might have been a number of “irregularities” in the use of public money. For instance, materials used in reparation work in flood-damaged areas were of lower quality than what was required in the budget. Some projects did not materialise, though the money was withdrawn. In some places middlemen required a commission fee of 40 per cent of relief money from flood victims.

These allegations are quite serious indeed because they involve the abuse of taxpayers’ money. The government should have left Dusadee to complete his investigation instead of demoralising PACC officials and sending him to an inactive post. 

Even if the allegations are unfounded, the public deserves to know the results of a fair investigation. The government can only earn the trust of the public if it assigns credible officials to pursue the case.

Thailand is plagued by corruption. The problem is becoming increasingly severe and is wrecking the country’s development and competitiveness.

The government has cited corruption suppression as one of its 16 national policy priorities. However, it has so far failed to demonstrate that it will carry out the necessary action to honour its word. 

Worse, the graft-busting PACC should have provided citizens with some hope. But this latest episode suggests otherwise. Just as the public started to have some confidence in the PACC, the government has decided to lop off its head.