The National Anti-Corruption Commission has often dropped the ball over the past few years. But its failure both to press the investigation of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon's wristwatches and inform the public plumbs new depths. The public have rightly responded to last week's statements in both a disappointed and angry manner. It is now a question of whether the current NACC can survive the disdain it has caused.
Gen Prawit's case is four months' old this week. It arose on Dec 4, when the deputy premier raised his arm to shield his eyes at a photo shoot for the then-new Prayut 5 government. Photographers noticed the silver-and-black Richard Mille RM29 watch (list price US$92,000, or 3 million baht) and a large, glittering diamond ring. And they noticed that Gen Prawit's quite humble asset declaration required by all ministers included no such jewellery.
Then it snowballed. Photos of Gen Prawit wearing numerous different watches surfaced, most of them from the mainstream media. The NACC was consulted, got involved, opened a new file. By then, meaning mid-December of last year, people were hopeful but sceptical. The question was whether the NACC, headed by one of Gen Prawit's former aides, and with a poor record of investigating top officials, could prove it was worthy of public trust by conducting an open and aggressive hunt for the truth about the wristwatches.
