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Unusual step to heal rift

The public's growing disenchantment with the government is causing the coup-makers much grief / Sources say the PM should do something about a major stumbling block, who happens to be his own secretary-general / With Mr Thaksin out of the picture, no one wants to be chairman of his Class 10 alumni

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's recent move to invite the Council for National Security (CNS) chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin to attend a cabinet meeting is unusual.

Gen Surayud's decision seems to confirm that a rift between the government leader and chief coup-maker exists.

Gen Sonthi reportedly is upset because he believes Gen Surayud, who is a former army chief, still considers him his subordinate. He believes he has moved on up the ladder, as the CNS chief with power to remove the prime minister.

Relations turned sour because Gen Sonthi felt he had been belittled by the prime minister.

As the government's performance failed to bring hope to the public, Gen Sonthi and key CNS figures share the common view that the council will be held responsible for the slow progress the government has made.

The CNS would have to take on responsibility after the government leaves office, as several CNS members would still be in government service. With the government and the CNS now reported to have different goals, speculation of a rift between them is rife.

Gen Sonthi recently discussed the problems with Chart Thai party leader Banharn Silpa-archa. He wanted Mr Banharn to help raise certain matters with a phuyai at Sisao Theves residence, so that the phuyai passes on to Gen Surayud the discomfort of the CNS and finds ways to patch up the differences between them.

The invitation of the CNS chief to attend the cabinet session was one of the measures designed to mend the soured relations between Gen Surayud and Gen Sonthi.

The CNS chairman admitted his relations with Gen Surayud have improved following talks mediated by the respected figure.

However, there have been moves by some CNS members and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to put pressure on Gen Surayud to resign in May, to pave the way for the CNS to find another person to run the country, or set up a national government before the new general election is held, supposedly at the end of the year.

The PM's major stumbling block

The new cabinet line-up is not a cure-all formula for the Surayud government's sagging popularity, so long as heavyweights in Government House still do their job half-heartedly without any sense of urgency.

After seven months into this government's term, more and more people are losing their patience and have nicknamed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and his team "a hermit who raises turtles", for their slow pace of work.

Gen Surayud need not look very far because the major stumbling block is right by his side: his secretary-general, Pongthep Tesprateep.

Even the cabinet members have been scratching their heads after their proposals took weeks to reach Gen Surayud's table. All think-tanks are becoming weary.

The same fate befell the Yu Dee Mee Suk (Happy Living) project. The 10-billion-baht project, aimed at promoting sufficiency economy development in rural areas, is the government's latest counter-attack against the capitalism-based small, medium and large (SML) community scheme of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

After the project's curtain-raising in February, Gen Pongthep has yet to issue any guiding regulations.

As such, government officials have no clue as to how to sell the idea to the locals to win their support. All trips set up for the prime minister to view the progress of the project have been cancelled, as a result.

It is said that some cabinet members or public agencies coming up with bright ideas on how to brush up the government's image have to visit the secretary-general's office at least three or four times to explain to him and make him fully understand.

Such a time-consuming working style of Gen Pongthep has given the cabinet a headache.

"The PM's secretary-general is a vital post that requires a competent, charismatic and knowledgeable person. The secretary-general should be instrumental in coordinating the work and drawing up strategies for the prime minister," said one cabinet member.

"Gen Pongthep cannot match any of his predecessors."

To put to rest the mounting public pressure, Gen Surayud is now likely to shape up his entire cabinet to more quickly address certain pressing problems.

It is a shame, however, that the prime minister has overlooked this serious drawback in his own team.

Who'll be head of this class?

During the days when deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was in power, it seemed that all his classmates at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School wanted to be the chairman of their Class 10 alumni group.

Now, after the fall of the deposed premier, the Class 10 chairmanship has become a hot seat which all the alumni at the pre-cadet school are at pains to avoid.

The reason is simple.

It is not fun to be in the spotlight as someone connected to Mr Thaksin, at a time when people who brought down his elected government are running the country.

After the Sept 19 coup d'etat which ousted the Thaksin administration, most members of Class 10 alumni have been transferred to inactive posts in the armed forces.

Not surprisingly, these days no senior military officer wants to say he is one of Mr Thaksin's classmates at the pre-cadet school or a Class 10 alumnus.

To make known his connection with Mr Thaksin is simply to end his future in the military.

Some have even opted to cover the fact that they were classmates of the deposed prime minister by changing their names.

Recently, Supreme Command chief-of-staff Songkitti Jakkabatr, who was chairman of Class 10 pre-cadet alumni and also Class 21 alumni of Chulachomklao Military Academy, resigned from the chairmanship of Class 10 alumni.

"He is to retire in 2011. He still has chances to be promoted to important posts in the military either in the Supreme Command or in the Army because he's a cavalry officer," said a Class 10 alumnus.

The alumnus said Gen Songkitti was trying to become closely connected to Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, who is highly respected by both members of the Council for National Security (CNS) and Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont.

Before Sept 19, Gen Songkitti tried to project himself as a neutral officer, not siding with either Mr Thaksin's supporters or his opponents. Now, he is seen as trying to get rid of the image that he is a friend of Mr Thaksin.

However, because Class 10 alumni can not yet find anyone to replace Gen Songkitti, the general cannot quit completely. He has to remain acting chairman of the alumni.

Recently, key members of the group called a Class 10 alumni meeting to elect a new chairman. Only about 100 out of 300 members of the class turned up, said a Class 10 source.

Those attending the meeting elected Anupong Paochinda, assistant army chief and a CNS member, as their new chairman. Gen Anupong refused to take up the chairmanship, however.

"I don't want to get too much involved," said Gen Anupong.

During this time of crisis for most Class 10 alumni, apparently the only one who still wants to lead members of his class is Pornchai Kranlert, former deputy chief of the joint chiefs-of-staff, who earlier was transferred to the post of expert at the Supreme Command.

Gen Pornchai enjoys the support of fellow classmates who were seen as Mr Thaksin's loyal friends, to vie for the class' chairman post. Unfortunately, he did not get enough supporting votes during the class meeting, the source said.

The leadership crisis in the class seems to be related closely to the fact that most class members have been transferred to inactive posts. Accordingly, members of the class thought it was time to blow the whistle and tell the public that they have been unfairly treated.

"Nepotism is still there the same as it was during the Thaksin days," the source said.

Class 10 alumni who felt they have been discriminated against in the military reshuffle are planning to file a complaint with the Administrative Court.

"We might not win the case, but the case will remind the CNS not to do everything in favour of their cronies only. Otherwise, it won't make the military any different from the Thaksin days," said the source.

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