Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made ludicrous headlines again when he broached the subject of animals during his official visit to southern border provinces. It is not surprising that the macho general again doted on creatures. A few years ago, he shared a photo of him in casual clothes and a cuddly dog on his lap. However, his interaction with animals in provincial trips often lands him in hot water.
On Dec 15, he told locals in Yala that the government is working hard to alleviate poverty and then passed on his latest advice: "How can we reduce your spending? If every household raises two chickens, don't rush to kill them, but wait until they lay eggs. If we can't buy everything, gradually take care of ourselves. It will reduce spending. Act in accordance with King Rama IX's sufficiency economy philosophy."
To be fair, it is part of the long speech during his visit for provincial development. In fact, he laid out government policies and took part in many activities, but this snippet of poultry farming became the talk of the town partly because it did not make sense. It is not the first time, though. He has reportedly talked to chickens, crabs, cows, buffaloes, frogs and snakes even though they may not understand human language. For me, these creature chats can offer a glimpse into our politics.
Whether he knows it or not, he makes use of these animals for moralising and fashioning an image of the know-all father because they cannot talk back. However, he ends up making a fool of himself because much of his advice, especially on chickens, is out of touch with reality. Must farmers absorb the cost of husbandry yet have other sources of income while waiting eight months for chickens to lay eggs?
By anthropomorphising these creatures, they can become metaphors for humans. In August 2017, he talked to cows while feeding grass to them during an official visit to Nakhon Ratchasima: "Don't quarrel, because you live in the same stall." At the end of the year, he went to Phitsanulok where he talked to a chicken while cuddling it: "Don't be afraid of the NCPO [National Council for Peace and Order]. It won't chide." Did he send these messages to us all?
These casual remarks can be seen as an attempt to justify the military government's campaign for national reconciliation. The putsch led by Gen Prayut toppled the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014 under the guise of peace and order following the street protest movement of the People's Democratic Reform Committee. It followed a superficial plot that gave Prayut the role of deus ex machina. National reconciliation efforts ended in failure because proposals were not accepted by stakeholders. Meanwhile, the military government intensified conflict by cracking down on political dissidents and delaying elections.
In addition, his animal antics bring back an unresolved dark chapter of our politics. After he raised the issue of chickens in Yala, he went to Pattani on the same day where he cooked crab curry and transferred merit to the sea animal. Then he caught a live crab and wished it well amid a cheering crowd. As you know, crab translates as poo in Thai, which is the nickname of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra. When he went to Rayong last year, he released crabs into the sea and asked for forgiveness.
Even though, to be fair, some of Prayut's remarks are harmless, critics can use them to attack him because he is part of today's political crisis.
A few months ago, he went to Sukhothai to follow up on the flooding there. At some points, he talked to a mooing cow while being briefed on the government's husbandry project: "I know. He [Justice Minister Somsak Thapsutin] has ready told me. Do you agree?" His response was purely coincidental and innocuous, but took flak from critics, including red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar, who said sarcastically: "Thailand is so democratic that the premier listened to a cow." Soon after, Pareena Kraikupt, the scandal-hit Palang Pracharath Party MP, came to his defence in a tit-for-tat, branding the general's critics as rowdy cows.
Will he ever stop bantering with animals? I think the answer is no because they are part of the official narrative of rural development projects through husbandry. Like rural people, these creatures occupy inferior status in Thailand's centralised power structure.
Prayut told locals in Yala that the conflict over the Chana industrial estate project in Songkhla was resolved, but "when the government floats any ideas, those at the bottom should co-operate". It reflects the hierarchical relationship between officials and locals in his imagination, which explains why he does not treat them seriously.
Meanwhile, the representation of his interaction with animals fulfils the urban fantasy of backward rural life. In a photo, the premier grimaced while catching frogs in his hand: "I wish you would be reborn as female frogs so that I would be the frog prince." Then he told owners not to eat them with alcohol. Why did reporters not ask locals what they thought of their leader?
Thana Boonlert is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.
