STREET WISE
Hot potato for a PR man
How much should a PR man ask to head a campaign for a politician who is wandering in a third country and has tried in vain to return home and regain fame?
A tough question indeed. You would imagine something above the average. And you would be right. According to PR Watch, the magazine of the Centre for Media and Democracy, the global firm Edelman has contracted to build international support for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for US$300,000, or Bt10.8 million at Bt36 to the dollar. (Thaksin must be glad that the strong baht has saved him some money.) Surprisingly, the contract, negotiated via Thaksin's law firm Baker Botts, is for only six months. The Nation reported earlier that Thaksin had also hired the US law firm Barbour, Griffith and Rogers to "provide guidance and counsel with regard to Mr Thaksin's interest in Washington, DC, and abroad". The price tag on that is not available, though. When he was prime minister, Thaksin was criticised by academics for exploiting populist policies to win votes. Take the way he disbursed profits from the two- and three-digit lottery to send students from remote areas to study overseas, with the result that their families, who had never dreamt of such a thing, felt obliged to show their gratitude to his Thai Rak Thai Party. To woo the support of taxi-drivers, he had Krung Thai Bank extend loans to them. To be fair, he also spent his own money. Remember when he gave away a taxi? When he handed out Bt500 or Bt1,000 each to children at the village of At Samat in Roi Et and in the deep South? When he paid a vendor many times the price for a Chinese dough twist and a coffee in the morning market? Well, now he's spending rather more than that. Of course, he's lucky to have the reserves. Soon he may have a new home in London if the central bank approves the Bt400-million transfer. Probably then he'll move on and buy another in Australia or somewhere. Somehow it seems a good time for him to be spending, as his spending has always attracted attention. And perhaps the central bank is pleased with the spending spree, as the baht tends to weaken every time he signs a cheque. At least he's doing some good to the economy.
achara_d@nationgroup.com
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