Are all the PM's men revolting

Jumpol

Was Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva beating a hasty retreat after confidently telling reporters early in the afternoon that the new head of police would definitely be picked within hours? Or is the delay due to his courageous confrontation with influences conspiring against him?

Or, put simply, is the postponement a sign of the prime minister losing control?

It can be all of the above. Abhisit must have nominated an unpopular candidate, thus pitting himself against the rest or most of the Police Policy Commission whose opposition to the nominee eventually forced the final decision to be delayed.

Still, whether it was just a serious disagreement or an open revolt by panel members, it should not have happened.

Simply put, the very fact that a committee comprised primarily of "the prime minister's men" failed to back Abhisit's preferred choice to take over the helm of the police force doesn't bode well for his leadership.

The commission is made up of 11 members - the prime minister, justice minister, interior minister, the Justice Ministry's permanent secretary, Interior Ministry's permanent secretary, chief of the National Security Council, two top police officers and three qualified "outsiders".

A brief glance at the composition and one would expect the prime minister's nominee to win the deciding vote any day of the week. The prime minister, the two ministers and the top three bureaucrats account for the majority in case the rest of the panel wants to challenge Abhisit's decision.

Therefore, as of now, it is believed that the delay might signal a conflict between the prime minister and at least some of his "men".

Still, we don't know for sure whom Abhisit nominated.

The Democrats reportedly wanted General Prateep Tanprasert to take over, but General Jumpol Manmai appeared to have come out strong over the last few days with solid backing from all sides.

The new selection system gives Abhisit the power to nominate the police chief, but the panel is supposed to provide some checks and balances.

Since the prime minister, at least on paper, can have a hand only in naming the police chief and must leave the rest of the appointments and transfers to the police themselves, this system was purportedly aimed at minimising political inference in police affairs.

De-politicising the police? Who are we kidding? Politics has taken a solid foothold in the force for years, but how bad it will get is the most sensible question at the moment.