Reshuffle creates more uncertainty

Published on August 04, 2005 - Peace advocates said yesterday they didn’t know what to make of the latest Cabinet reshuffle, and added that the division of labour for the unsettled Muslim-majority South was still unclear.

They said the government’s repeated reshuffles had taken a toll on the reconciliation process in the troubled region that has seen more than 800 people killed in 19 months of violence.

The Cabinet reshuffle displaced the two key figures who were overseeing the problems in the South – former Interior Minister Police General Chidchai Vanasatidya is now Justice Minister and former deputy PM Chaturon Chaisaeng is now Education Minister.

Pipop Thongchai, a member of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), said that the reshuffle raised questions about whether Chidchai would continue overseeing the police force, national security matters and the implementation of the emergency decree; and whether Chaturon would remain in charge of the economic and social aspects of the restive South.

“The reshuffle has caused a pause in the ongoing process. The prime minister needs to clarify who will be in charge of overseeing the situation in the South,” he said, and added that the NRC would like to see both ministers continue their work. He said that Chaturon would continue serving as a member of the NRC.

Phaisal Phromyong, another member of NRC, said that the reshuffle made it tougher for the NRC to work with new faces and this might slow their work. “It might even need to be restarted in certain areas, although I don’t think the policy towards the South will change because the final decision still remains with the prime minister,” he said.

The private sector in the three southernmost provinces disagreed with the decision to move Chaturon to the Education Ministry.

Panya Ongsakul, the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s southernmost provinces coordinator, said the private sector felt that Chaturon was suitable to deal with the situation in the South as he has made several visits there and possessed a compromising character.

Panya said the private sector viewed the frequent change of officials who deal with southern matters as an interruption to the formulation and implemention of policies. He also doubted if the newly appointed Interior Minister ACM Kongsak Wantana would understand the situation in the South.