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Published on November 10, 2007

I was okay with Samak's concern over whether The Nation Tower was up for sale. Come on, it's a fact. Let's face it. But the inquiry into a reporters' sex life is a bit too much, even though we are not sure how it's related to our professional life.

First of all, I am thankful I was absent because I have no intention to make public my bedtime stories at the PPP headquarters, formally the headquarters of the now defunct Thai Rak Thai Party.

Secondly, I thought we reporters had to uphold many moral rules already. Level-headed people like us have to resist the temptation to lean towards good-looking politicians. And in spite of our low pay, taking a bribe is a taboo.

But as I try to make sense of what Samak said, I'm wondering if he intended to urge the media to practice celibacy. A scary thought.

For those not familiar with the event, I will recap briefly: During the press conference - which was supposed to be a routine event - Samak gave a surprising and irrelevant answer to a member of the press who simply did his job by asking a burning question that has been on everyone's mind.

The Siam Rath reporter asked: "Did Newin Chidchob and Sudarat Keyuraphan help you [Samak] in compiling the PPP's party-list candidates on Tuesday night?"

To which Samak replied: "Did you have sinful sex last night?"

A non-political audience may find it hard to fathom how sex is related to the role of Khun Sudarat and Newin. Don't blame yourself. I was as perplexed as you are.

When I first heard this, I, who got a D grade in Thai-language class, wrongly thought that the Pali word Samak used in his response meant "drinking". Then I thought, how could Samak have become a caring politician concerned whether reporters were sober and healthy. Shocking! My heartbeat went through the roof. I had a vision of stars going round in a circle like the flag of the EU.

But when my colleagues told me the meaning of the phrase "sep me thun" and that Samak really meant "Did you have sinful sex last night?" I scratched my head, wondering how this was related to the original question. At times, our politicians can make us really confused.

Remember when Banharn Silapa-archa and Sanan Kachornprasart embraced and exchanged kisses upon each other's cheeks (no, not those cheeks) in public recently. When this was shown on TV, I thought the two politicians were acting out "Brokeback Mountain". The censorship board should have flashed up the letter "Chor" (equivalent to the "R" rating) as a warning. Younger viewers would definitely need parental guidance watching that male-to-male scene.

It transpired that the affectionate display was just a political stunt to symbolise the merger of the Chart Thai and Mahachon Parties. But it prompted me to ensure that my 9-year-old niece would never watch political news alone on TV without parental guidance. Such news these days could be filled with surprising scenes that could confuse younger people. So when Samak asked the reporter that explicit question, I was thinking, "Oh, no, not again."

Samak, who has refused to take part in political debate, may say he prefers to show his true colours to the public. He couldn't care less if such behaviour reduces his political stock. Perhaps if all politicians displayed the same ruthlessness we wouldn't have to second-guess their real intentions. But young people shouldn't be exposed to such profanity on TV. Politicians are supposed to be role models and a source of inspiration.

After the exchange, Samak said reporters should not ask such personal questions. Samak thought the question of whether the two former members of the disbanded TRT - who have been banned from politics - had any role in the PPP was a private affair. Samak said: "What is the damned use of telling. If I do not answer, will you take me to court? I will not answer."

Then Samak thought it would be justifiable to hit out at another Nation reporter who insisted that he answer her colleague's question about the financial health of The Nation company.

Samak seems to think that reporters, or the public, don't deserve to get a straight answer from him unless they are willing to reveal their own personal story. Let's just hope that this will not go on throughout the election campaign. My worst fear is that if Samak becomes the premier, he will add new rules for the media during press conferences:

"Dear reporters, before you pose your questions, please state your name and your news agency. And also don't forget to tell me if you had sex last night.

Jeerawat Na Thalang

The Nation