Will he stay or will he go? The question regarding Tarit Pengdith's prospects in the state bureaucracy has popped up from time to time ever since the Pheu Thai Party took office last August. But that has never disturbed the man.
‘‘ I know some people want to remove mefrom office. But senior politicians have toldmenot to worry about it and to keep on doing myjob.
We are six months into a Pheu Thai-led government, and Mr Tarit remains comfortably in charge of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), despite pressure from the red shirts and some party members who, two years ago, had seen him standing next to deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban of the Democrat Party during a red shirt street rally to oust Abhisit Vejjajiva. But moving him out of the agency is not easy, due to his connections with Pheu Thai's key members.
"I have high respect for senior members of the two parties, like Dr Marut Bunnag [of the Democrats], Dr Kanit Na Nakhon and even Somchai Wongsawat [of Pheu Thai]," he says. "I admit that I've been close to both parties. Dr Marut was once the House speaker. Dr Kanit was my boss back at the Office of the Attorney-General. Former prime minister Somchai talked me into moving from the state prosecutor's office to the Justice Ministry."
His statement sounds diplomatic. Yet what he has accomplished demonstrates his deep-rooted ties to Mr Somchai, one of the key figures in the ruling party. Mr Somchai assigned him to be in charge of legal matters during the Thai Rak Thai era when the TRT considered appointing aides to the cabinet. It later gave him an even bigger task: to help set up the DSI. He was rewarded with the position of deputy chief when Pol Gen Sombat Amornwiwat was the department's director-general.
Mr Tarit was moved out of the DSI to become secretary-general of the newly established Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) when Sompong Amornwiwat, as justice minister, gave the top DSI job to Thawee Sodsong. Mr Tarit returned to take over the department when the Democrats administered the country, with Pol Col Thawee transferred to become deputy permanent secretary for justice affairs.
The DSI under Mr Tarit's leadership was in sync with Mr Suthep, who was in charge of security at the time; so much so that then justice minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga became upset at seeing the Democrat secretary-general pay more attention to the civil servant than to a minister coming from the same party. The Suthep-Tarit ties needed no explaining when the two were seen during the political conflict that led to the crackdown on the red shirts of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship at Ratchaprasong in May 2010. But Mr Tarit has said in his own defence that his work with Mr Suthep and the Democrat-led coalition government at the time was part of his job description, and could not be interpreted as a mission with any political motive. "I have no political affiliations. I work on assignment, so I should not be seen as taking sides with any party in particular," he says.
Mr Tarit's return to the DSI in a higher position during the Democrat government was not easy. His predecessors, including Pol Col Thawee and Suchart Wong-anantchai, were former police officers. The DSI, with 17 offices to handle investigation cases, is full of policemen who were transferred to work there, so they are accustomed to the chain of police command. For DSI officials with no idea of how close he is to Mr Somchai, Mr Tarit is seen as an official who has gained power through the Democrats' support. Mr Tarit has survived by not making enemies of these former policemen. "Everybody knows DSI officials are not easy to handle. Had I made myself troublesome, I wouldn't have been able to stay on," he says.
Pheu Thai's decision to turn a deaf ear to the call from red shirts and certain senior party members to transfer Mr Tarit, has put him in firm control of the agency. He has also mended fences with Pol Col Thawee, presenting him a bouquet on his last day at the Justice Ministry, after the latter was made the new chief of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre in Yala. Mr Tarit did the same with Pol Col Suchart when he returned from a tour as inspector-general of the Information and Communication Technology Ministry, to lead the Corrections Department.
Now Mr Tarit is the only civil servant with the top position among four agencies _ the DSI, the Corrections Department, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, the Anti-Money Laundering Organisation and PACC. Apart from the DSI, all top positions in these agencies are controlled by former or active police officers. Which goes to show the strength of his political backing. His firm position is underlined by a new assignment: to upgrade the DSI from a department with 1,000 officials, to that of an investigation office with the same rank as the National Police Office and the National Intelligence Agency, says a DSI source. If cabinet approves the plan, the top DSI official's status will be upgraded from C-10 to C-11 level.
Despite his firm position and strong backing, Mr Tarit knows that the call for his removal will not fizzle out, especially when the annual reshuffle comes around.
"I know some people want to remove me from office. But senior politicians have told me not to worry about it and to keep on doing my job," says Mr Tarit.