PM must stop acting like knight in shining armour

It sounded like a broken record – Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha lashing out at the media, only to return shortly afterwards with apologies for his outburst.

Through his trusted spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd, Prayut once again apologised for losing his cool with reporters. Sansern explained that the premier has been under tremendous pressure, as if he were “left to walk alone”.

“The prime minister asked me to convey to the media and the people that he regretted his outburst on Tuesday,” Sansern said the following day. “He was also worried [about public sentiment], but we also should understand that he is working under pressure due to high expectations of the people,” Sansern said.

Was he really sorry for his behaviour? If he truly were, he would have taken the time to come out and apologise in person. 

On Wednesday, Prayut confined himself to his office the whole day and the only person allowed to meet him was Army chief General Theerachai Nakvanich.

Prayut losing his cool is nothing new, but on Tuesday he surpassed himself.

The apology, along with a slogan reminiscent of Liverpool football club, was aimed at garnering sympathy and support from the media, as well as the public. But Prayut needs to know that the only way he can gain respect is to face the music like a leader instead of trying to play this out as if he were the only one shouldering all the nation’s problems. 

This is not to say we were happy with the situation during the “Bangkok Shutdown”. But he needs to remember that no one asked him to stage a coup. With drastic action comes heavy responsibility.

It was Prayut who cut the rope and set the country sailing on the high seas. But he would wrong to think he is alone on this boat. We’re all adrift, whether we like it or not. Prayut needs to understand that everyone is just as concerned as he is. And if we don’t agree with him or his policies, or the new constitution that he and military administration have been trying to push through, it is because we are concerned about the future of this nation. 

If Prayut would have the courage to acknowledge the predicament that all of us are in, he would gain much more respect from the public. 

What is required of him are honesty and integrity and to stop painting himself as a martyr for a cause that is beyond one person or one administration.

As in previous incidents, what lit his fuse this time were questions about the draft charter and election “road map” issues. 

Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of the Charter Drafting Commission, had just gone public saying the country might have to use a much tougher version of the highest law if this charter is rejected in a referendum. The premier was upset about questions on whether the charter would give the Constitutional Court, as well as other independent agencies, too much power. The court, as well as other independent agencies, would serve as a sort of “crisis panel” to break a political impasse.

Strangely, the government thinks the public has misunderstood its intentions, when the real issue is more about trust and fear. The public has legitimate concerns about the hidden hands that might pull the strings to activate this “crisis panel”. 

Prayut would be wrong in thinking that people are only worried about the ethical conduct of politicians. They are equally concerned about the behaviour of the military. 

It doesn’t help Prayut one bit to portray himself as a heroic knight on a white horse. He needs to come down from his pedestal and ask the people what kind of country they want Thailand to be and go from there. It’s not hard – but it does require political courage.