Bangkok: “Supachai” points out that his power was used beyond its limits, in the case of the threat to transfer the Director-General of the Land Department. “Supachai” warns “Phumtham” threatening to transfer the Director-General of the Land Department over the Khao Kradong issue, pointing out that the use of power exceeds the limits, violates the rule of law, the rule of law, and destroys the civil service system.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Supachai Jaisamut, Chairman of the Legal Working Group of the Bhumjaithai Party, spoke about the news that Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, would transfer the Director-General of the Land Department and set up a committee to investigate the Khao Kradong issue. He said that since Mr. Phumtham assumed his position in the Ministry of Interior, the Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration and the Director-General of the Department of Local Administration Promotion have been transferred. It is said that both of these people were appointed by Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, former Minister of Interior and a civil servant in Buriram Province. Not long after, he called a meeting of the provincial governors and said that anyone who did not come would be transferred. Today, he threatened to transfer the Director-General of the Land Department as the third person, even though he did not commit any wrongdoing or perform his duties
in the position.

Mr. Supachai questioned Mr. Phumtham’s performance in the Ministry of Interior, saying that he only transferred high-ranking officials and wondered if these actions were to serve the needs of someone bigger than Mr. Phumtham.

‘What I want to say is that the performance of duties, whether civil servants or permanent officials, must adhere to the rule of law and must be transparent and auditable (Good Governance). The two directors-general who were transferred are under the Civil Service Commission’s regulations. The person with the authority to issue the transfer order is the Permanent Secretary. The Minister has the authority to transfer only one person in the ministry, which is the Permanent Secretary. But he must have pressured the Permanent Secretary to issue the order to transfer him to be an inspector-general. This is considered a reduction in the position and authority of those people, even though they are both at the C10 level. It is known that both of them are in the process of filing a complaint with the Ethics Protection Commission and filing a lawsuit in court to demand justice.’

Mr. Supachai added that the threat to transfer the Director-General of the Land Department in the Khao Kradong case showed that Mr. Phumtham did not understand the facts of this case. The current Director-General acted in accordance with the law and the Administrative Court’s order to set up a committee under Section 61. The use of power in this manner could cause Mr. Phumtham to be sued and prosecuted. Most importantly, it would damage the civil service system. It was an intimidation of civil servants to be afraid and could lead to civil servant uprisings from the use of unfair power.

‘Today, your actions are destroying the moral system. You are breaking the law. I would like to warn you with caution that if civil servants eventually rise up from your unfair use of power, it will be damaging to yourself and your own party. I don’t know why you are in such a hurry or are you afraid that your government will not last long today?’ said the chairman of the legal working group.

Mr. Supachai also quoted the words of the philosopher Lord Acton who once said, ‘Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely’ which means that power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely, to warn that the use of absolute power is corrupt and in the end the use of power in this manner will come back to the person who uses the power himself.