Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday stepped in to clear the air between provincial administration organisations (PAO) and Prime Minister's Office permanent secretary Panadda Diskul.
Gen Prayuth's intervention comes after administration representatives hit out at ML Panadda, who has criticised the local bodies twice in the past week.
Some claim that ML Panadda, a former interior ministry official, is against the election of local administrators or provincial governors. Reform proposals aired at various forums on the subject have called for local administrators to be appointed and for new limits on terms in office.
In his televised address last night, Gen Prayuth said no one is seeking to discredit local administration organisations. However, some are in need of change to improve efficiency because they are directly responsible for community development and welfare, he said.
Gen Prayuth, who is also chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), acknowledged the local administrator's concerns about various issues including the suspension of local elections. He said the junta would not take their concerns for granted.
NCPO measures to improve local governance can be reviewed if they do not address problems successfully, Gen Prayuth said, adding that the National Legislative Assembly is ready to improve or amend laws.
Chaimongkol Chairop, chairman of the Provincial Administration Organisation Association, said the local administrators are seeking a meeting with ML Panadda next week to ask him to clarify his stance on the decentralisation of government power.
He said local bodies had started to suspect that the permanent secretary had a hidden agenda after attacking the local organisations twice in the past week.
Last Saturday, ML Panadda alleged that some provincial councillors indulged in extravagant spending by flying first class, drinking wine at 100,000 baht a bottle and keeping second homes in Europe.
ML Panadda offered an apology after the remark drew fury from the PAO members only to level another corruption allegation against the PAOs on Thursday.
ML Panadda was quoted as saying some local administrators pulled strings and awarded concession contracts to their families or close aides.
Mr Chaimongkol said he understands not all local administrators are "good guys" but ML Panadda's remarks seemed to imply local administration organisations are fundamentally flawed.
"He is making a blanket accusation and turning local administration organisations into defendants. The agencies under the Interior Ministry where he worked have also been subject to scandals and we don't criticise," he said.
As a senior state official, ML Panadda should make suggestions to the National Reform Council instead of attacking PAOs in public, he said.
Despite this, local administration organisations are not opposed to power distribution reforms, Mr Chaimongkol said.
Interior permanent secretary Wiboon Sanguanpong meanwhile said a total of 956 individuals have been selected to fill positions in the local administration organisations left vacant by those who have retired.
Of them, 696 are state officials. The remainder are from the private sector.