Do I remember the 12 values that supposedly make me a good Thai? No, I don't. Will I recognise any of them better if I get to send a sticker featuring a cartoon version of a woman prostrating herself with a thought bubble that says "sufficiency"? I don't think I will.
The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry yesterday unveiled its proud achievement as the custodians of the country's digital frontier — a set of stickers for the Line chat application promoting values that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) wants to impose on all Thais.
The virtual stickers are a "gift" from the military government. They are likely to be one of those presents that go immediately to waste.
The set of cartoon images, downloadable on Dec 30, costs 7.1 million baht. It will be up in the sticker shop for 30 days and stay in use for three months.
- News report: Government defends sticker campaign
Seven million baht may not be a huge sum of money for a government. What has loomed large, however, is the question of whether this is a wise use of taxpayers' money, our money.
In presenting its morality stickers, ICT Minister Pornchai Rujiprapa said the online labels should be an educational tool for people. They will help adjust their attitudes toward life as well, he said.
Samples of the stickers include those that say: Rak Jung Boey (Luv luv), Khid Thueng Took Khon (Miss you all), "Happy New Year" and "Good Night".
From the 16 samples, three carry a moralising message: "Do not tell lies", "Stay focused" and "Sufficiency". What people can learn from sending simple-minded phrases like "Lots of Love", "Good Morning" or "Good Night", I struggle to understand.
How the child-like cartoons and messages will help shape people's attitudes or form a positive worldview is simply beyond my grasp.
Line is a popular medium for chatting, no doubt about it. And Thais use Line more than all other nationalities but one. There are about 30 million active users sending more than 40 million messages on this platform each day.
This is an effective and well-liked communication tool. Stickers are gimmicks, accessories that make it more fun. They are not the message in themselves. They are even less likely to serve as a means to build or boost people's morale.
If we send our friends and family members a sticker that says "Miss you all", will it remind them to consider public benefit before their own personal ones? It can't be that simple.
I also find it hard to imagine on how many occasions the 3-4 million people targeted by the ministry will send stickers that say "Forget Me Not" (meant to promote democracy) or Like Loey (for discipline, respect of law and seniority).
Undoubtedly, the NCPO and the ICT Ministry want to present themselves as being modern and up-to-date.
What the authorities fail to understand, however, is that the conservatism of both their content (the 12 core values) and presentation (the Ministry of Culture, need I say more?) is made much more pronounced when placed in this modern means of communication where far cuter, more creative and more effective stickers are available in droves.
The truth is the 12 core values for Thais, despite their being granted to us by junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha, are nothing visionary.
They are actually a combination of common sense and old-school Thai traditions. Values are inculcated, taught and reinforced from generation to generation. They need not be recited. Since values should be something desirable, they should not have to be imposed either.
That is why it is pointless for the junta to promote the values as if they were something special or miraculous, a marvel that the military has come upon and wants to impart to us. The list is a blur to most people, me included, because it is an amalgam of what we have known as good things throughout our lives. Why bother memorising them?
The government may insist that spending 7 million baht on Line stickers to promote the junta's preferred values is not too much. This is on top of the 25 million baht already spent on producing short films for the same purpose. But that does not mean they are intelligent.
Atiya Achakulwisut is Contributing Editor, Bangkok Post.