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Wasan Paileeklee is tuning out at MCOT but believes he's left the state broadcaster in better shape despite political challenges.
By Woranuj Maneerungsee
Wasan Paileeklee glances around his office on the sixth floor as he gathers his personal items. On the job for just 18 months, Mr Wasan will leave the presidency of listed broadcaster MCOT Plc next month, a full two and a half years before his term officially ends.
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| ‘‘The more the competition, the better the quality,’’Mr Wasansays of long-awaited media reforms, whichhebelieves should help reduce political pressure. SAROT MEKSOPHAWANNAKUL |
Mr Wasan, a veteran journalist in his late forties, said he wasn't a person that liked to accumulate goods. But he leaves MCOT with a wealth of experience and several copies of troubled business plans resting on his desk.
"There are several of them. Which version do you want?" he jokes.
The wry reference was to the MCOT board's warning that he was in breach of his contract because it required him to submit a "business plan" and not the "corporate plan" that he had submitted earlier.
Critics said that was such a minor technical problem it should not have been grounds to remove him. Mr Wasan submitted business plans several times in an attempt to compromise with the board.
Mr Wasan took over from Mingkwan Sangsuwan in 2007 following an extensive career in both television and print journalism, including stints with the BBC, the Manager Group, iTV, Channel 7 and Matichon.
His departure from the organisation was announced two weeks ago, when the board terminated his contract for the simple, if unclear, reason of "different working styles" - a euphemism commonly used for civil service and state enterprise employees to suggest the inability of staff to work with their political masters.
Media critics declared that the removal was politically motivated. The SET-listed organisation, 65% owned by the Finance Ministry, was in fact performing well as a business.
But his status had been uncertain since the beginning of the year when Jakrapob Penkair, a former PM's Office minister, said MCOT's performance had been poor based on January's numbers.
The current MCOT board was subsequently appointed by the former Samak Sundaravej administration to replace the previous board appointed by the coup-backed government in September 2006.
Mr Wasan, however, appears to have few regrets about his experience and he believes healthy changes are in the works for the media business in Thailand.
He said two major pieces of legislation - the approved Broadcasting Act and the Frequency Allocation Act, scheduled to be passed by the end of this year - would pave the way for media reform.
"They will change media ownership. All media outlets will no longer belong only to state agencies. Non-government [bodies] will own media. Also, frequency allocation can proceed after being put on hold for years," he says.
"As a result, the public should win. The more the competition, the better the quality. It would be difficult for the state to control increasing numbers of media as well."
He feels politicians might be the only losers as more diverse media would be hard to control.
"Media freedom in Thailand is much better now. There is less censorship. But if politicians press the issue, it is incumbent on people working in media organisations to fight back," he says.
"MCOT is in a transitional period. Eventually, it will not enjoy concession fees anymore due to new rules," said Mr Wasan, referring to its transition from state enterprise to a public company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2004.
The co-operation he received from the top ranks of MCOT impressed him as much as its improved performance under his management. Some people doubted his ability as a business manager because his previous career was journalism.
In his view, MCOT is a professional and straightforward organisation. As a listed company, it has accountability to shareholders as much as to state authorities and the public. But it needs to change its routine to cope with change.
As for rumours of irregularities that some critics had spread, he replied: "That's silly. People who know me will know that I would never ever do that. I don't take this seriously. It's groundless. I will not let my reputation be damaged here."
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