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A still-unanswered letter to Thaksin's mailbox

Posted by Lance Powers

Lance: Props to Tulsathit Taptim for writing this piece at The Nation today. Very well put and extremely ballsy!

Dear Mr Prime Minister:

Since the theme of your latest campaign is "Relief from Suffering", I think I'm totally entitled to your help. My problem is I'm now feeling sick to my stomach, and I want to be put out of my misery, sir. (I hope it's okay to use "sir" to address you, because from what I saw on television over the weekend, maybe "Your Holiness" or "Your Almighty" might be more appropriate.)

Actually, that thing on television is what I want to talk about. On one hand, it was great entertainment, better than the Academy Fantasia reality show. On the other hand, it saddened me to see how low politicians can sink. No insult to the almost 1,000 people who gathered at Government House on Sunday. I'm sure their problems are real, and they were there because they were desperate. I only abhor those using their plight for personal or political gain.

It's worse than watching feel-good mobile-phone or insurance advertisements. Honestly, it was all I could do to restrain myself from throwing stuff at my television set. Fortunately, viewers were not asked to send an SMS to vote for the one they thought "suffered" the most. We have seen poor people being exploited, and their dignity ignored, but nothing compared with this.

Your final statement took the cake. "I don't want any thing back from society, so don't try and find a way to repay me" is what you said. With all due respect, isn't it your responsibility and duty to serve them? They owe you nothing, sir. If there are debts involved here, please think carefully and see who really owes whom.

If you really don't want anything back from society, please ban this sort of silly broadcast. Let television shows handle mother-daughter or husband-wife reunions. Let news programmes investigate real-life hardship, because reporters do the work with less prejudice and conflicts of interest.

I'm pleased that the elderly lady found her long-lost daughter and understand why she wanted to thank you. But that doesn't mean you need to make her do it in front of millions.

You are our leader, sir. You can be proud that the woman's daughter was located, but it's your job to make sure the state has proper and effective mechanisms to help her and those like her, mechanisms that do not require writing directly the prime minister to have his or her problem solved. Has anything been done to help families torn apart in the war on drugs or the hunt for southern militants? There are many more people who need help, but whose grievances you may think don't deserve to be broadcast live.

And what about those teachers in the deep South? I remember you inexplicably threatened to fire fearful teachers who were on strike because their colleagues had been attacked in the turbulent region. "They have been paid risk allowances, which means they have to take risks," you said. "I will take care of these people; I won't keep them for long. It's easier to just remove them all." This is just heaping scorn on citizens in distress.

A leader needs to treat his compatriots wth real respect, sir. You may argue many at Government House on Sunday seemed more or less happy and "relieved". But to me, the most relieved man might not be among the visitors. He could be the one who was sitting there like an emperor swollen with pride believing that his "mercy" had helped his subjects. He must be full of anticipation of how the publicity generated by the event could lead him out of his own current problems.

It's good for the government to get firsthand information on citizens' hardships. But you must know, as I know, that this "Festival of the Poor" is anything but sustainable. If you want to dispute this, I dare you to hold the same event at Government House week in and week out. Would you be willing to do that? I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that if a really serious programme featuring the plight and suffering of people were to be initiated, the first thing you would do would be to ban it.

Poverty, among other serious social issues, is too real a problem to be handled like a reality show, sir.

Yours sincerely,

A citizen suffering from the Thaksin Fantasia
Tulsathit Taptim

Tulsathit Taptim is managing editor of The Nation.
Source: nationmultimedia.com

Posted Oct 12, 2004 at 07:26 PM | Permalink |