Third, government accountability mechanisms created by the 1997 Constitution
of Thailand such as the Constitutional Court, the Administrative Court, the
Ombudsman, the National Counter Corruption Commission, and the Senate should
be under the influence of the Prime Minister. Through a clear majority in parliament,
the Prime Minister and his Thai Rak Thai Party can influence the selection of
members to these accountability mechanisms. Even in the Senate, which is supposed
to be neutral with no political interference, the Thaksin government has been
known to have a great deal of influence among many senators. In the Senate, there
is an understanding that there are two groups: one that is critical of the government
and another that is pro-government. The super CEO does not mind showing his
support for the latter in public by attending parties held by the latter group.12
Another example is the Constitutional Court. The newly elected constitutional
judges are criticised for being under the influence of the Prime Minister. It should
be remembered how lucky Thaksin was, when shortly after his rise to power in 2 001,
he narrowly escaped a guilty verdict in the Constitutional Court over his assetconcealment
case.