Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's declining popularity cannot be restored if he does not show that he intends to find the truth behind his aide's audio clip scandal.
Seksakol Atthawong, a close aide to the prime minister, set out to combat the lottery ticket overpricing issue in the strongest way possible, raiding three major online dealers suspected of driving up prices.
Mr Seksakol now faces a difficult time following the leak of an audio clip featuring a conversation between him and Jureeporn Sinthuprai, a PPRP member, concerning lottery quotas.
Mr Seksakol, despite first insisting the clip had been doctored to discredit him, later went on to say the conversation was just a joke.
In the clip, first posted on Facebook by lawyer Sittha Biabangkerd, a man is heard telling a woman that he borrowed 15 million baht from another man and used the money to finance an election campaign.
The man can be heard saying he didn't know that the other man who lent the money had anything to do with lottery quotas.
The woman is then heard agreeing to borrow money from another source to repay the 15-million-baht debt.
The man then promises to take care of lottery quotas for a new lender in exchange for a favour.
The audio clip puts Mr Seksakol in hot water. On Thursday, the House committee on corruption and misconduct prevention received a petition requesting an investigation into Mr Seksakol's conduct.
The problem is that Mr Seksakol is leading a team responsible for tackling overpriced lottery tickets.
He recently launched a crackdown, arresting a handful of people involved in the online lottery business.
The clip may lead the public to assume that an arrested suspect exposed Mr Seksakol for confiscating some money.
As a result, the House committee on corruption suppression agreed to investigate accusations of misconduct against Mr Seksakol.
Sadly however, the prime minister's recent remarks on the issue were disappointing.
Gen Prayut said he told Mr Seksakol he would be punished if the law found him guilty.
However, for the sake of the "good things" Mr Seksakol is doing, Gen Prayut gave him another chance.
Mr Seksakol, alias Rambo, has played a crucial role in protecting Gen Prayut from political attacks.
He fiercely countered criticism from the opposition and even some coalition MPs who attacked the prime minister.
He also set up the Ruam Thai Sang Chart (United Thais to Build the Nation) party as a spare party for Gen Prayut in case he is not nominated by the PPRP as its prime ministerial candidate at the next general election.
Are these the good things being done by Mr Seksakol that were mentioned by Gen Prayut?
Concerning personal interest, it's not wrong that Gen Prayut is grateful to Mr Seksakol for the things he's done.
But with regard to public interest, Gen Prayut, as prime minister, must not show favouritism.
As Mr Seksakol is serving as vice-chairman of a high-level panel investigating the irregular pricing of lottery tickets, he should be suspended from the task.
For the sake of transparency, Gen Prayut must also order an investigation into his conduct.
Instead of giving his close aide another chance and avoiding the issue, Gen Prayut must act to dispel any suspicions prompted by the audio clip and his close aide.
