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From Samak on down, the government needs a major PR overhaul, writes Woranuj Maneerungsee
For anyone looking for a prime example of the government's inability to get its message across, the prime minister's own weekly talk show, Sonthana Prasa Samak, is a good place to start, says a communication strategist.
Instead of using his programme every Sunday morning on NBT to update Thais on the progress of the government, Samak Sundaravej uses it to attack his opponents and sometimes the media.
If Mr Samak's government had to take an examination in communication, it would get a grade of "I" or incomplete, says Phot Jaichansukkit, president of the Public Relations Society of Thailand.
In Mr Phot's view, the government needs to revise the whole process of public relations and communication strategy, from substance and outlets to the people sending the messages.
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| Lights, camera ... anger: PM Samak often uses his Sunday morning TV show on NBT to berate his critics rather than explain what his government is doing. |
"Nobody can deny that the country is confronting many crises - economic, social, political, security and the high cost of living, not to mention the controversy over Preah Vihear. These challenge not only the government's management, but also communication for better understanding" said Mr Phot.
The need for a good communication strategy is especially urgent for the current government, he says, since society is so polarised. While it enjoys the support of millions of rural voters, the Samak government is derided by its highly vocal critics, mainly in Bangkok, who believe it is just a front for deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
In order to deliver a clear massage, it is essential for this government to build unity first, says Mr Phot, who has informally advised some cabinet members. He says people are still puzzled about who leads the economic team, the security team and the social affairs team.
For example, he said, a response to rising rice prices should have been an opportunity for the government to win farmers' hearts, but they were still unhappy, and now Mr Samak and his commerce minister, Mingkwan Sangsuwan, are feuding openly.
Mr Phot himself has been invited to be a member of several committees and his ideas have been bounced from one to another since there was no single person or body responsible.
Mr Samak's talk show is seen an example of the lack of a sense of teamwork. According to an official at NBT, the new identity of state-owned Channel 11, Mr Samak prepares the topics for his show by himself. Government House staff co-ordinate with the station's people, requesting images to be shown on relevant to the topics. But then the show is solely in the hands of the premier.
The station provided only a studio and camera for the prime minister's programme, the official said. But sometimes, there was a poor communication among them. For example, in a recent programme, spotlights caused a glare on glossy pictures that had been chosen to show a fertiliser project under the Internal Security Operations Command.
"There were too many pictures as well. And he moved from picture to picture very fast, the camera could not catch up," the official said.
Mr Phot said there were four areas in which the government should improve communication effectiveness: communication among the cabinet; communication to people aiming at resolving public problems; communication for national development in the short and long terms; and communication with the global community to restore an image of Thailand as a tolerant country.
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