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Published on January 21, 2008

Over the weekend, the representatives of six parties gave a press conference about the formation of new civilian government, which will be completed in two weeks. The possibility is high that Samak Sundaravej, a right-wing demagogue, will be named prime minister when Parliament convenes its first session shortly. If that is the case, the Thai media community has much to be worried about.

Samak has a long history of conflict with the media. Even though he has spent most of his life as a public figure, he has not shown an understanding or appreciation of media professionalism. Worse, in his younger days he was a journalist. Every time he encounters journalists he loves to heap insults on them without reservation or shame. He is also the most insensitive Thai leader there is when it comes to gender issues. When a female reporter recently asked him if rumours of infighting within the PPP were true, he responded by asking her whether she had "sinful sex" on the previous night.

At the press conference on Saturday, there seemed to be a sinister tactic at work -media intimidation. When pressed by journalists about the chances of him assuming the premiership, he shrugged them off. Then, a group of PPP supporters took the floor and immediately criticised journalists for asking questions. In response, Samak was smiling and said he loved it. If this pattern continues, it should surprise nobody if in the future when pivotal issues are up for debate, that journalists would be targets for intimidation by PPP mobs and supporters.

Reporters at Government House confirmed that some current PPP supporters were regulars at numerous press conferences during the Thaksin years. They were given access to the weekly press conferences even though they were not reporters. They were there to spy on reporters and if necessary to intimidate them.

Indeed, Samak has displayed an attitude towards the media that was similar to that of Thaksin. This was exactly why Thaksin chose Samak to be his surrogate. During his six years in power, Thaksin managed to manipulate all forms of media with full efficiency. He constantly undermined journalists' access to information and the operation of media outlets, especially broadcasting outlets and community radio stations, which have the broadest reach to audiences around the country. Likewise, the freedom of information law, enacted in 1997, has been used not only to delay disclosure, but also to prevent access to information.

Throughout Samak's long political career, the veteran politician has always been a formidable spin-master who knows how to manipulate the press. When he spoke out aggressively against the media, he was taking advantage of public disenchantment with the press. He has often portrayed himself as a victim of media bias and discrimination, or, worse, as the victim of a conspiracy.

Over the weekend, Samak resorted to his same old antics of trying to antagonise the media. He hopes the public's sympathy for him will increase in step with the media's anger towards him. Then he will proceed to incite divisiveness, particularly between the rural masses and the urban middle class.

After all, he once succeeded in mobilising right-wing mobs by creating a communist scare, which led to political turmoil and a military coup in 1976. For this, he was rewarded with the post of interior minister.

During his brief stint as interior minister he cracked down on the press and temporarily shut down this newspaper for making critical comments against the military government. Those who are old enough to recall those horrible days know and understand Samak's motives all too well.

With this background, the new government would not want to see media serve as a platform for democratic discourse.

The idea that media should reflect and represent the diversity of views and interests in society would be further curtailed, especially among electronic and digital media outlets. The ongoing effort to build the first public broadcasting service could be tampered with. The Thai Public Broadcasting Service, which was transformed from privately run iTV, formerly owned by Thaksin, is recruiting staff to prepare for its first broadcast in early February. {The implementation of the new Press Registration Act could be further delayed if the amendments on ministerial regulations do not go through now.

The Thai media have suffered from a downward trend after Thaksin took the helm in early 2001. It has not yet recovered. Certainly with the arrival of a new government, one normally hopes that press freedom would get a new life and that the reputation of Thailand's free press could be restored, as it used to rank very high in lists compiled by international free-media monitoring organisations. But somehow Samak and his cohorts want to use his abrasive style to divide and displace the media.

Kavi Chongkittavorn

The Nation