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Published on February 14, 2008

 No politician is "neutral" and "professional" enough to use the same descriptions for newspeople. And you can be sure that there is always a hidden agenda when the leader of a government says nice things about a group of newspeople. And when the prime minister himself declared that a new television station would be set up "within a couple of days" just to accommodate a particular group of reporters, you can be certain that it was nothing but a ploy to subvert the reputation of professional journalists in general.

That's particularly true when the premier calls it an "independent, government-backed television station that will follow a neutral policy."

What "neutral" was supposed to mean in this convoluted context was "impartial" and "professional".

A government-formed independent TV station that's neutral? Strange though that may sound, yes, that's the latest proposition in Thai politics.

Back in 1976 it was also Samak, then interior minister under Premier Thanin Kraivixien - in a government appointed by military coup leaders - who spearheaded the establishment of a government-sponsored "professional" daily newspaper called Chao Phraya. It was supposed to "tell the truth to the people". The paper lasted about a year before it died a natural death. Taxpayers were never told why all the "facts" and "constructive comments" produced by the Cabinet members who knew what was in the country's best interest didn't go down well with the public.

But at least, at the time, there was enough modesty at the top not to advertise Chao Phraya as an "independent" newspaper. Now, political audacity has reached new heights and, if you are in power, you probably think you have the right to attach the "independence" label to the most subservient among your cronies.

Politicians have also somehow convinced themselves that, once in power, they can twist facts to suit their own political objectives - and if they shout and scream at enough people, half-truths and lies can be turned into surreal "facts".

Perhaps politicians also assume that they can break any code of decency once they are part of the government. Instead of explaining how the new administration will respect press freedom - which had been badly trampled upon by the Thaksin government - the first major statement made by the new prime minister was to attempt to interfere with, and undermine, the country's first public television station. This despite the fact that the very rationale of the previous parliament in passing the law to establish Thailand's public broadcasting station was to prevent exactly the kind of political interference that the Samak government is trying to impose.

Why? Because, you guessed it, this government assumes from the outset that the PBS's journalists may well be too independent for the powers-that-be.

For this government, perhaps, there is a vast difference between the "independent" journalists they would like to support - whose credibility they can undermine in the process - and "independent" newspeople they cannot co-opt into their sphere of influence and control.

The highly noble goal of the new prime minister to help provide jobs for some members of the ex-TITV news staff is, of course, only a façade to intimidate the newly-formed public broadcasting station, whose genuine professional independence is, in fact, the real concern of the new administration.

The government's premature public display of paranoia against any sign of the emergence of an independent press is somewhat surprising since TPBS hasn't officially started its normal programming yet.

A former senior TITV editor put it in a very succinct way: "We appreciate the prime minister's concern for our employment opportunities. But if a new station is set up under such circumstances and rationale, there is no avoiding the fact that it's a politically-motivated move. And we would have to decline the good intentions with thanks."

Who was it who once said, "The road to hell is usually paved with good intentions"? Where do doubtful political intentions from a prime minister lead good, honest journalists? To find out, just ask PM Samak some good, honest and "independent" questions in his next press conference.

(To join a lively debate on hot political topics of the day, visit my blog at: http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/ThaiTalk.)

The Nation