Thai people are living in the age of cynicism. These days, opening greetings among friends, or just grumblings, are no longer with the traditional familiar tones such as "Have you eaten rice?" or "Where are you heading?" or "I am just hungry" or "You, look nice today."
Instead, they are curses and self-condemnation on everything under the roof in this country. We tend to demonise our people and country with relish. The conventional wisdom: it is bad karma to be born a Thai.
Previously, the Thais, be it in the urban or rural areas, were known as happy go lucky people - sabai, sabai. Foreigners often said Thailand was synonymous with the images of paradise and harmony. But now, just say one word about Thailand or pen khon-tai, it will immediately invoke hundreds or even thousands of negative qualifiers. For instance, new jargon now includes "I will M79 my opponent." By the way, M79 is not the name a new perfume but of a popular grenade fired from a small launcher. This type of grenade has been used often to stir up political crisis.
Strange but true, the self-derogatory traits of the Thai people have a strong contagious effect on the ongoing perception abroad that the land of smiles is no longer the land of smiles but the land of bloodshed - the country where a different colour T-shirt can draw blood. The latest survey by Newsweek of the Worlds Best Countries was a good case in point. Thailand was ranked 58th behind our two immediate neighbours down south. Certainly, the country can score much higher if political stability prevails.
The Thai people frequently draw their national pride from the admiration or applause of foreigners who have visited this country or read about it. In the globalised world of increased interconnectedness, what the Thais have been through can easily be experienced by outsiders instantaneously. Whenever foreign media wrote about Thailand, the public would get excited. For good or for worse, they wanted to know what those views were. Trouble is, these days most Thai views of their own country are quite gloomy.
While their pessimism might have different levels of cynicism, they all share one common ideal - that Thailand and its people should be a better place and enjoy a better image abroad. In their hearts, they also know that their fellow country men and women are resilient and resourceful.
Come Friday, the government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the Foreign Ministry are embarking on a new mission to get all stakeholders throughout the country to take part in the nation-wide campaign to brand Thailand anew. After the horrible political experiences in April/May, Abhisit has set up a special committee, chaired by his deputy Trairong Suwannakiri, to ameliorate the country's image in the international arena.
Culling from random samplings of 2000 respondents to the theme: "Thailand in my heart", the Foreign Ministry has recently been able to tabulate those wishes and messages under four categories: country's image, local wisdom, tourism and investment. The first key message is that Thais have a good attitude, are open, adaptive and flexible. The second is about the value of Thai local wisdom that can impact on the world. The third focuses on the country as a place where visitors can do business and tourism, including eco-tourism, at the same time. Finally, the last message is simple one - with its service-minded people, Thailand can be the economic hub of the region and the world at large.
These strong impressions will be published on a postcard with which interested people can participate by ticking on one of these choices and submit it to the Foreign Ministry. If they have their own version beyond these four groups, they can add their own as the fifth group. In coming days, there will be TV and radio advertising to promote this campaign coupled with road shows in provincial towns to generate public participation.
This is an interesting outreach exercise which will enable Thai people of all strata (and of course, all colours) to express their preference for the kind of image Thailand should have. Whatever images they choose, they have to bear in mind also they must be able to help and make them a reality. Thai people will have the opportunity to share the common vision of the country in which they claim ownership.
It might sound a bit pompous to go all the way to support such an endeavour. But in a country like ours, this novel campaign can consolidate the divisive Thai people. The Foreign Ministry will gather all contributions and prepare the country's future strategy to promote its image aboard. Since the input is from Thai stakeholders, they all have the responsibility to protect and promote the images they are supporting both at home and aboard. This could turn out be one of the best national reconciliation campaigns of this government.
It is hopeful that upcoming Brand Thailand will be inclusive, reflecting the aspirations of all Thai peoples.