Is Anutin up to the task?

Is Anutin up to the task?

Hashtags can be easily coined and promoted so not every single one is worthy of attention.

Some, however, serve as a gauge of public opinion, an indicator of how the public truly feels about certain issues or individuals.

A recent trending hashtag, #RemoveAnutin, seems to be one of these telltale social media signs that exposes the general public's sentiment towards Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

As the hashtag suggested, the perception is negative. Some of the tweets and comments may be emotional and not that constructive. However, the impromptu mass response and the content of what they had to say about the public health minister's behaviour, and more importantly his character, is worth taking into account.

The social media campaign urging people to exercise their right to remove Mr Anutin from the public health portfolio flared up immediately after news spread about a new cluster of Covid-19 cases in Samut Sakhon.

Many online users chastised Mr Anutin for his recent remark saying the coronavirus, which has infected more than 76 million people and claimed more than 1.6 million lives around the world, is "nothing".

At that time, Mr Anutin also insisted the country would not need to go into a lockdown because of this "trivial" health threat.

The comment evidently came back to haunt Mr Anutin after more than five hundred new cases were reported virtually overnight at the Central Shrimp Market in the coastal, seafood processing province which is home to millions of migrant workers and just a stone's throw from Bangkok.

Netizens claimed that the public health minister's comments revealed his careless attitude and unpreparedness to deal with the pandemic.

Many also criticised him for lacking the maturity and prudence to keep the public alert about the new, easily communicable disease.

Mr Anutin did not stop there. As new cases surged, the minister became embroiled in another scandal.

Following the new outbreak, he posted a photo of himself standing alongside public health personnel on Facebook with a caption that said his team is ready to do everything to ensure that everyone will be safe.

His post was shared by thousands including a doctor who captioned the photo with a reference to Mr Anutin's earlier comment rubbishing the disease.

The doctor used a dog as his profile photo. In response, Mr Anutin wrote a sarcastic comment saying he saw the poster's face and understood that a dog would not understand human beings.

The public health minister also asked whether the doctor was based at Payao Hospital and said he would pay him a visit and hoped the doctor would be there to receive him.

Mr Anutin's comments were met with heavy criticism from online users who viewed his reactions as immature and inappropriate, if not a veiled threat against the doctor.

Many people said they were disappointed that the public health minister found time to engage in a petty argument on social media instead of focusing his efforts on battling this new outbreak and making sure that front-line health officers receive full support.

The doctor has since deleted the post and the criticism seems to have died down. But these scandals should serve as a lesson for the public health minister.

The country is on the verge of yet another health crisis. As the minister in charge, Mr Anutin is expected to extend full support to health workers and the public, not bicker with them.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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