Pr Plan Is Another Sign The Wheels Are Coming Off

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
PR plan is another sign the wheels are coming off
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Senior ministers enlisted to sell policies as rice scheme destroys govt credibility

For whatever it's worth the government is planning to set up a special public relations team to communicate proactively with the public. The three PM's Office ministers will take turns at chairing the team. Key areas of focus include economics, politics, social issues, national security, and foreign affairs.

Five other ministers have been put in charge of publicising a project or an issue. Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt will take up the infrastructure projects, Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi the water-management project; Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong the rice-pledging policy; Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat the South insurgency; while Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana will focus on reconciliation and politics.

The Information and Communications Ministry will be in charge of gathering data submitted by each of the ministers, which will be accessed by the PR team to use, clarify or tackle any criticism doing the rounds on social media.

The government calls it "pro-active" approach. Tired of being at the receiving end of various attacks from opposition, the public, the international community, plus local and foreign human rights organisations, the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra decided it was time to launch a new PR offensive.

But from the look of it, this is old wine in a new bottle. Even that comparison is stretched because this new bottle doesn't look at all impressive. Chadchart is fighting an uphill task to explain how the massive infrastructure scheme - which is long-term by nature - will benefit people given the huge amount of money to be spent.

Sukampol has been trying to put on a brave face despite intense attacks by insurgents in the deep South and doesn't know how to change the role of his soldiers from "sitting-ducks" to an armed forces actively engaging the militants. His off-the-cuff statements have done little to improve reconciliation between the region and the state.

Plodprasob, meanwhile, continues to become a bigger embarrassment by the day, not knowing when to put a lid on his public statements. Sooner or later, his behaviour will take its toll on the government.

Education Minister Phongthep has yet to convince the public how closing down smaller schools and shipping students to bigger places will help improve the entire education system. His long-term vision for the country's education is still a mystery.

And Kittirat faces an extremely daunting task - explaining to the country's taxpayers, and the world for that matter - how this morally bankrupt rice-pledging scheme, designed to help poor rice farmers, will not become a huge burden on Thailand's economy.

Already, Moody's Investors Service has threatened to issue a negative outlook for Thailand's credit rating. The agency has raised concern over the cost of the rice-pledging program and the political stability.

Fresh estimates have implied losses of Bt200 billion for the 2011-2012 harvest year. The World Bank earlier put the losses at Bt115 billion. But the Finance Ministry has sought to play down the losses, saying that they could range between Bt70 billion and Bt100 billion. The Yingluck government so far has dumped more than Bt600 billion into the policy of buying every single grain of rice from farmers at prices well over market rates.

Asked why the government did not clarify the rice scheme's loss to the public, Yingluck said the figures were still unofficial. Authorities are still counting the losses, it seems.

One can say that Yingluck does not know - or does not want to know - the actual potential losses from the rice scheme. Because if she does, she will not be able to convince the public with a straight face with the same old line about that it will benefit the country.

Beside the refusal to come clean with the real losses, the government is not even willing to explain how the government intends to sell the massive stockpiles of rice it has in its warehouses. And if they are unable to do that, what makes this government think their motley crew of PR strategists can succeeded in convincing the people about anything?

-- The Nation 2013-06-09

[bigbamboo]

The tent is collapsing all around the circus clowns and still no sign of the ringmaster.

[Thai at Heart]

Isn't this what ministers do? Explain the issues of their ministries to the public?????

[ratcatcher]

The tent is collapsing all around the circus clowns and still no sign of the ringmaster.

Or to put it another way, the Thaitanic is getting ever closer to the riceberg and the captain is drunk..

[jaidam]

To clarify. The car is a Robin Reliant. The wheel is the front one.

[A Member]

Is it true that PTP are adopting the old folk song " No Wheels On Our Wagon But We're Still Rolling Along " as the new party anthem ?

[lemonjelly]

How much more damage to the Thai state is to be tolerated before the military have to intervene ?

[Songhua]

So, as government ministers, they'll be doing their job?

[LuckyLew]

"BANGKOK: -- Senior ministers enlisted to sell policies as rice scheme destroys govt credibility"

When did they ever have credibility?

[TomTao]

How much more damage to the Thai state is to be tolerated before the military have to intervene ?

Now that family and friends are in positions of authority within the military and the police, I don't think that would be a likely eventuality. Edited June 9, 2013 by TomTao

[Thai at Heart]

How much more damage to the Thai state is to be tolerated before the military have to intervene ?

Now that family and friends are in positions of authority within the military and the police, I don't think that would be a likely eventuality.

There is always a way.

[scorecard]

How much more damage to the Thai state is to be tolerated before the military have to intervene ?

Now that family and friends are in positions of authority within the military and the police, I don't think that would be a likely eventuality.

Very much doubt that having family / close cronies in the police would have any bearing on whether the military stage a coup,

[OzMick]

Isn't this what ministers do? Explain the issues of their ministries to the public?????

But is that what they are doing????

[Thai at Heart]

Isn't this what ministers do? Explain the issues of their ministries to the public?????

But is that what they are doing????

Well they are going to put their single version out there instead of having every pm and his dog making individual statements and also cut yingluck out of saying anything.

[reiltin]

Gone beyond colour now,The cavalier deception and arrogance can't be corralled as easily anymore.Shinawatras 3rd incarnation circles the drain.

[OzMick]

Isn't this what ministers do? Explain the issues of their ministries to the public?????

But is that what they are doing????

Well they are going to put their single version out there instead of having every pm and his dog making individual statements and also cut yingluck out of saying anything.

Reduce the number of contradictory lies, you mean?

[Thai at Heart]

Isn't this what ministers do? Explain the issues of their ministries to the public?????

But is that what they are doing????

Well they are going to put their single version out there instead of having every pm and his dog making individual statements and also cut yingluck out of saying anything.

Reduce the number of contradictory lies, you mean?

Every government does it. Yingluck must have squirmed horribly last week.

[MEL1]

The first sentence says it all; "the government is planning to set up a special public relations team to communicate proactively with the public."

Thus indicating that currently the government is not communicating........ public.

And that is expected to change through this new exercise? ... That's as likely as me not having a beer today!

-mel.

[Thai at Heart]

The first sentence says it all; "the government is planning to set up a special public relations team to communicate proactively with the public."

Thus indicating that currently the government is not communicating........ public.

And that is expected to change through this new exercise? ... That's as likely as me not having a beer today!

-mel.

I like the idea. Public discourse about government business. More fat for the papers, TV, and ratings agencies to chew on.

Times are a changing. The pooyais MUST speak.

[IMA_FARANG]

O.K., let the ministers explain the issues in their ministries and what they intend to do bout them.

But this time,for God's Sake, tell the truth.

Every time they come out with an excuse or a half-truth they get caught at it.

Even the red-shirts are embarrassed by the clowns that are the spokesmen now.

Even Thais are openly saying they know the current government is a bunch of idiots that can't or won't tell the truth.

Either say noting at all or tell the real truth .... it will be something new in Thai politics ... a person who honestly admits his or her mistakes (and then maybe corrects them?

Edited June 9, 2013 by IMA_FARANG

[slapout]

The PR groups hired to white wash big brother. this government, its members, its populists policies, and its implementation of same, etc has gone from bad to the dregs of the container.

The old adage "you get what you pay" is becoming more apparent every week, with those running this government and more so, those supporting it.

I use to think the Thai politicians took what worked in other countries (good features) and corrupted it for personal benifit, it now seems they are taking the worst examples of world government methods and finding ways to corrupt a corrupt system, further..

[NeverSure]

The wheels are already off. They've been off. Just waiting for people to notice.

[Thai at Heart]

The PR groups hired to white wash big brother. this government, its members, its populists policies, and its implementation of same, etc has gone from bad to the dregs of the container.

The old adage "you get what you pay" is becoming more apparent every week, with those running this government and more so, those supporting it.

I use to think the Thai politicians took what worked in other countries (good features) and corrupted it for personal benifit, it now seems they are taking the worst examples of world government methods and finding ways to corrupt a corrupt system, further..

I don't think they spend too much time studying successful policies from elsewhere. They really do believe Thailand is an island of unique problems and solutions in their eyes, with 30% to be available to be filched as the norm.

[culicine]

How much more damage to the Thai state is to be tolerated before the military have to intervene ?

Now that family and friends are in positions of authority within the military and the police, I don't think that would be a likely eventuality.

There is always a way.

After all, the military take instructions from others...they don't act independently.

[chainarong]

The problem lies with transparency , these people cannot be believed, you are left wondering if the truth has been spoken or another pack of lies, an independent body should be formed and the truth be told , Ministers in this Administration like to change history to suit the occasion.

[Thai at Heart]

How much more damage to the Thai state is to be tolerated before the military have to intervene ?

Now that family and friends are in positions of authority within the military and the police, I don't think that would be a likely eventuality.

There is always a way.

After all, the military take instructions from others...they don't act independently.

They are completely split into factions anyway. Generals can be bought to do anything for a fee.

[rametindallas]

^{This government has been so busy dividing up the money they plan to skim/steal that they haven't noticed how clumsily their plans are being explained. At this point, 'little white lies are normal and acceptable' won't work any more; even for their usual supporters. This government is so out of touch with the true needs of the country because they have been solely focused on the true needs of the man in Dubai who is their true boss and not the electorate who voted them to power. Even the so-called low information voter is beginning to realize the realities of the above statements. None of the cabinet is qualified for their positions other than their loyalty to the Shinawatra Regime and their incompetence is becoming clear for all to see. This government has only failures in every endeavor since it took office. Rice Mortgage, First Car/House Scheme, Southern Violence, Changing Rural Doctor's Pay, Closing Schools, Non Existent/Fake Flood Relief, Unfinished Police Stations, Illegally Shifting Civil Servants, Raising Minimum Wages 40% in One Go, Not any Prosecutions For Government Corruption, and on and on. They have done nothing to help the economy grow or keep inflation at bay or curb corruption or improve the Police, stop illegal dumping/pollution, etc. etc. All the Public Relations in the World cannot put a good face on this government. 'You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig' and 'you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear' come to mind.}

Edited June 9, 2013 by metisdead
Oversize font reset to normal: Arial; size 14.

[iancnx]

Dem supporters should welcome this..... Govt ineptitude will be clear for all to see

[jcb2001]

Isn't this what ministers do? Explain the issues of their ministries to the public?????

But is that what they are doing????

Well they are going to put their single version out there instead of having every pm and his dog making individual statements and also cut yingluck out of saying anything.

When has Yingluck ever said anything about her gov't, except to pass the buck on to someone else.

[drdoom6996]

The government calls it "pro-active" approach. Tired of being at the receiving end of various attacks from opposition, the public, the international community, plus local and foreign human rights organizations, the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra decided it was time to launch a new PR offensive.

Here is the new pro-active approach, just like the old PR approach. Nothing different will happen. But the article looks really good in the newspaper. SOUND BYTE!