I am a big fan of German chancellor Angela Merkel. However, I know the character of this German leader is less exciting compared to "The Iron Lady" (former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher), Nobel Peace prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, or even Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose rise and fall in the motley Philippine politics plus the silicone breast implant saga, make her life an ideal script for a blockbuster movie.
Thus, I wonder if any film-makers will do a movie about how Angela Merkel tackles the Eurozone debt crisis?
I like her because I admire the quality of her earnest, self-effacing and effortless charisma _ the traits I find in this first female chancellor of Germany.
But what I like most is her ability to rise above gender equality, without tantrum. French Vogue (Sept 2009 issue) lavished praise on her ingenuity to take on the big boys and deal effortlessly with male leaders' egos without losing her natural authority. In one of the most hilarious polls I've ever read, Forbes magazine last Nov published a survey that said French citizens had more faith in the German leader (46%) than their own president, Nicolas Sarkozy (33%). And I also find her account as a feminist in Deutschland interesting and surprising. In Der Spiegel, an article published in Oct 2009 titled "Does Angela Merkel deserve to be a Feminist Icon?" questioned her contribution to the feminist movement in her homeland.
The article also focused on her reluctance to play the "female card". Surprisingly enough, in an early election female voters cast ballots for her macho rival, former chancellor Gerhard Schroder. In subsequent elections, Merkel prudently played her female card to win over female voters by softening her image, revealing her domestic life and shopping lists, and sharing recipes.
This makes me think about the case of our first female prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who last month used her gender to respond to uncorroborated accusations about her secret meeting with business executives at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Without solid evidence, her political opponents attempted to hint towards a (still unproved) romantic link between Ms Yingluck, the mother of a young boy, and one real estate tycoon, a married man.
In responding to the charge, she wrote on her Facebook saying she is a "lady" and thus will not commit such an unbecoming act. She also demanded respect in the name of motherhood.
My heart goes out to "Khun Poo" (her nickname) and especially to her son "Nong Pipe".
But as a prime minister, playing her female card or any other form of excuse simply shows a lack of accountability _ one required character of leaders.
For me, the best place to play the female card is in the game of seduction.
The only card I am waiting for Ms Yingluck to play is the defamation card _ the bet she regrettably fails to place.
The media and public attention on the Four Seasons-gate issue has evaporated, as other hot topics emerge. One of them is "Is it all right to drink without being drunk in a workplace like the Parliament?"
However, a group of feminists refuse to let this issue be swept under the carpet.
The group submitted a letter with 172 signatures _ mostly from female academics _ to protest against Ms Yingluck's use of the female card in the Four Seasons-gate affair. The move was to mark International Women's Day yesterday.
The group, spearheaded by feminist Sukanya Harntrakul, was of the opinion that the female card should be dealt only in the games of unfair treatment, rights' violation and sexism, not for personal excuse, or for a public figure like prime minister Yingluck to duck questions on a public-related matter.
For me, these 172 feminists just gave us a girl's guide to how to act like a lady.
Lesson 1: A lady must know how to earn respect, not just know how to ask for it.
Anchalee Kongrut is a feature writer for the Bangkok Post.