If I were a spin doctor for the PM

Afew months before the government of coup leader and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha marked its first anniversary, a friend called to persuade me to establish a PR team for the general. It wasn’t that his team of army officers and civil servants weren’t doing their jobs, but my friend wanted a different perspective from a journalist who had exposure to how governments of developed countries handled their media relations and disseminated information.

I declined the offer — not because I didn’t want to be at the heart of the nation’s power circle, but because I do not believe military intervention will bring a sustainable solution to the kingdom’s decade-long political division.

Moving on to the second year, Thailand’s military strongman seems to be fighting multi-pronged battles, but the hardest fight he has not yet won is overcoming his bluntness.

Like many soldiers who are stereotypically direct and loud, Gen Prayut always speaks his mind and doesn’t bother with what his subordinates or the media thinks of his utterances.

He may not care about his popularity too much, probably because he doesn’t need to go to the polls. But often the former army chief is frustrated when his intention of doing good for the country and the people is criticised by the newspapers.

The short-tempered premier is often made furious by reporters’ questions at Government House. He has also been criticised for his conduct toward reporters after he threw a banana skin at journalists.

The most recent remarks about the “ignorance” of some farmers didn’t bode well for his reputation. During a visit by a group of Thai-American youths at Government House on Wednesday, he urged farmers who failed to grow rice due to the severe drought to diversify into more lucrative crops, not “ignorantly continue to grow crops” that give them little return.

Such remarks offer great material for us journalists to write colourful stories. But as a Thai citizen, I would prefer to see a more mature, calm and thoughtful leader of the country. Then I ask myself what I would do if I were a PR consultant to this military-led administration.

First, I probably would introduce Gen Prayut and his communications team at the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to basic journalism. I would tell them that reporters in general aren’t the generals’ subordinates, nor are they hired by political camps to sabotage the government.

The journalists are there to ask questions on behalf of Thai citizens who have the right to know how appointed cabinet ministers (whose salaries are paid through their taxes) are performing.

Second, the prime minister and his staff, who are perhaps more familiar with the military’s psychological operations than media relations, need to understand the difference between news and commentary in a newspaper.

At last month’s meeting between the media and Lt Gen Suchart Pongput — commander of the Army’s Signal Department and secretary of the NCPO committee tracking the media — several senior newspaper editors spent much time trying to explain to him the difference between the two.

Apparently what upset the prime minister most were criticisms by commentary columnists, who are entitled to freedom of expression, even under the 2014 interim charter, not front-page news reports, a journalist at the meeting observed.

Third, I would not summon journalists to learn from the NCPO media monitor panel how to ask questions that will not upset Gen Prayut or other cabinet ministers, as Lt Gen Suchart had planned to do.

But I would recommend that Gen Prayut and his team visit various media outlets to hear from them their perspectives on current affairs and the government — a practice his elected civilian predecessors regularly observed.

Last but not least, I would probably call for shorter air time of the Friday night show with Gen Prayut and less frequent broadcasts of the “Return Happiness to the People” programme which every TV and radio station is required to run at 6pm daily.

I am not sure how effective these programmes are. Have the key messages the government wants to send to the public been well received?

Or does it just give TV viewers and radio listeners a break and time to switch to their smartphones and tablets? The list could go on and on, but I doubt Gen Prayut would care.

What if the prime minister read this article and wanted to invite me to be his spin doctor? You know the answer!