Whether the NACC commissioners were to remain in power or be replaced by new appointments there will not be a significant difference, because it has been observed that the NACC has not been functioning absolutely independently.
If the existing commissioners were to be replaced by new appointments, it is very likely that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) would exercise its influence over the appointments. Therefore, the influence of the NCPO would have a significant implication for the functioning of the NACC.
Recently, we have already observed that the NACC has not yet indicated clear actions against the case of the expensive watches of General Prawit Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense.
The existing NACC commissioners have been functioning well with regards to scrutinising politicians – which is politically expedient for the NCPO - whilst neglecting to effectively scrutinise corruption cases against other government officials such as the military, police, and senior government officials. Instead, the NACC has been acting as a machinery of the NCPO in scrutinising the NCPO’s political opposition.
Apparently, a decision not to replace the NACC commissioners is because the NCPO is now facing a number of politically sensitive issues, especially the case of General Prawit’s watches, which the NACC is rushing to end in the interests of the NCPO and the military. The sooner the case ends, the sooner the NACC can help to diminish political resistance against the NCPO.
Therefore, I argued that a decision to keep or replace the NACC commissioners is primarily based on the political expediency of the NCPO, rather than a qualification to serve the interests of Thailand.
