On Friday night I received an email from a longtime friend, an expatriate who has been living in Thailand for decades: "OK, so tell me whether the one-on-one train journey discussions have favourably (or otherwise) changed your views in any way?"
My friend was referring to my interview on Tuesday with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha during his journey on the Shinkansen high-speed train from Tokyo to Osaka while on his official visit to Japan.
Like quite a number of long-time expatriates in this country, my friend is a big fan of Gen Prayut — now more than ever, she says. After all the turmoil the country has endured over the past 10 years, he is what Thailand needs — a leader who is straight, sincere and decisive; ready to clean things up and make necessary changes even if it means imposing restrictions and limiting freedoms.
Let’s put aside my friend’s views of Gen Prayut for the moment. Needless to say, we continue to agree to disagree on many points. But her question is a good one — have my views changed?
There’s a big difference between understanding someone better and truly understanding them. And even if you understand them better that doesn’t mean you will agree with what they do, or how they do it.
There’s no way I can truly understand Gen Prayut better after just a 25-minute interview. As a journalist, it’s always great to get a one-to-one with the prime minister. But in this case, we were surrounded by a bevy of ministers and officials. Could his answers have been any different in a quieter setting of just a few people? Certainly there would be no need to perform before an audience.
But I don’t think there would been much difference in the way Gen Prayut answers questions — privately or publicly. He is confident, and the soldier in him (and he makes no bones about this and this will definitely not change) means he will speak in a straightforward manner. Of course his critics have a different description — brash, blunt and abrupt.
There’s no doubt he is not the polished communicator like former prime ministers Anand Panyarachun or Abhisit Vejjajiva. But Gen Prayut is certainly easier to understand than Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh who often left reporters scratching their heads and reviewing recordings after interviews. Yet to be fair, Gen Chavalit rarely, if ever, lost his cool.
But Gen Prayut's direct approach meant that he got his message across during this visit to Japan. This certainly came across during his discussions with Japanese business federations in Tokyo and Osaka. If they had recommendations or problems with their Thai investments, Gen Prayut urged them to tell him while he was still prime minister.
But at the same time he urged the businessmen to tell their government that Thailand has issues and needs things from Japan as well. He was prepared to talk and act as long as the exchange was fair and mutually beneficial for Thailand and its people. This is what I expect from a Thai prime minister, and Gen Prayut gets a plus for this.
The question is whether he is sincere. It's no surprise that his aides believe he is. Often, they say, he privately bemoans the problems of Thailand, of how Thais behave and act, and how he is ashamed to share his inner thoughts publicly and especially with leaders and diplomats.
What struck me the most in our discussion on the Shinkansen was when he said: "People say I was wrong to stage the coup. Yes, I was wrong, but after I did it I am prepared to sacrifice myself to achieve what is right and just. I think of it as turning a crisis into an opportunity." Here, in my view, was a sincere and honest admission.
So back to my friend’s question on whether my opinions and views of Gen Prayut have changed favourably or otherwise. In a nutshell, my answer is yes and no.
There will still be areas where we have to agree to disagree, no matter what the prime minister says. I am reminded here of the saying that actions speak louder than words. But what would really help, of course, is another interview with the prime minister with more time and a quieter setting.
Pichai Chuensuksawadi is Editor, Bangkok Post, and Editor-in-Chief, Post Publishing.