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There was some kind of infighting and dissent in the Democrat Party. Broken-hearted politicians with a substantial number of friends hissed during a recent party gathering that they might contemplate defecting if they were not mollified with some plum positions - Cabinet seats, of course.

That was before Abhisit changed his deputy agriculture minister, who had not been known for any spectacular performance in office. After being reluctant for some days, the guy bowed out with some grace, eventually. It was quite unfair though. There are many others with sloppy performance, if not worse in terms of obscurity.

This is a dilemma for the prime minister. There are members in Cabinet well-known as good for nothing, chair-warmers, basically. They are known, notoriously perhaps, for maintaining a high profile but not showing tangible results. There are Cabinet members who ramble earnestly to entertain news reporters, apparently with a strong conviction that talking gibberish to the press is a real achievement in communication.

At the same time, there are at least half a dozen Cabinet members whose existence is not known to the public. Either they have been given meaningless assignments, or are really working but do not know how to make their performance a publicity opportunity.

Of course, there are some members who are controversial with their attempts to push for major deals, sparking off public doubt over big-time graft and handsome kickbacks. They show no qualms about public scrutiny and probity in their projects. Facing strong resistance from Abhisit and the public outcry, their projects still get stuck with a slim chance of quick passage by the Cabinet.

Each day passes with public speculation and arguments among coalition partners whether those big deals would eventually get Abhisit's approval, never mind his reluctance, bearing in mind that he would be dragged down with public outrage if he becomes a wimp and is no longer able to resist the pressure from shameless so-called partners with voracious appetites.

Such big deals include the sales of rice and maize in large quantities with huge losses for the government following a crop-price support scheme through the Commerce Ministry. The traders selected for the deals are anxiously waiting for huge profits at the expense of taxpayers. With a tug of war going on, Abhisit assigned his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban to work out an acceptable compromise amid the public's close watch.

The real crunch, which can break up the Cabinet, is a deal proposed by the Transport Ministry to lease 4,000 mass-transit buses with a whopping Bt67-billion ticket - a mind-boggling proposal that leaves no doubt whatsoever among the people in the know that some guys are really in the fast lane to great wealth.

Abhisit grimaced, objected, but still did not reject the proposal outright, being aware that there could be serious political repercussions, possibly leading to a break-up of the coalition. As usual, a panel was set up to study the project, while waiting for the public outcry to get louder. Now it is indeed deafening. Even the opposition, which proposed this deal before it lost power, hollered that the deal stinks.

Returning from South Korea tonight, Abhisit expects that the Cabinet meeting tomorrow will not discuss the outrageous project. Of course, Bangkok commuters need new buses, but certainly not at that cut-throat price tag. A compromise could be a much watered down price, with the assembly of buses here having up to 70 per cent local content to achieve some benefits through job opportunities and real work for parts manufacturers.

The coalition partners will want something, if not the whole deal, in exchange for their support. Abhisit is walking a tight rope, risking a plunge in public support as he remains the only selling point in the government amidst grave adversity. He needs more than just flair in the balancing act, not to lose public confidence in his integrity and honest leadership.

Oh yes, the red-shirts peril will resurface on June 27, with a gathering at Sanam Luang. This time, the bark could be much more fearsome than the bite. The red-shirted ringleaders are more like pariahs in the eyes of the public after their instigation of violence and riots during Songkran, in April.

Yet they are persistent with periodic protest rallies, with four of them planned for the relaunch, so that the cause of the red campaign will not fizzle out soon, or else big boss Thaksin Shinawatra will be buried in history for good. All these Abhisit must face this month, and much more, whether he likes it or not. They are occupational hazards for politicians.